BBWeekly Task: Take 2]The BBB House interviews. Darth_Guy issue

Here we go, with an interview with Darth_Guy!!!!!

1. I've heard that you're a history buff. What historical event would you most liked to have been present at, if you had the chance to be there? What does the event mean to you personally? Why would you pick this event, over others, and would you choose to actually be one of the famous icons in said event, or a faceless participant?

Hmm, many of the events in which I'm interested involve violence of some sort, so I definitely wouldn't want to present at those (even assuming I'd be physically disconnected, because I imagine it wouldn't be a pretty sight).

I think the Constitutional Convention that ultimately yielded the U.S. Constitution would be up there on my list. It was one of the first times that ideas of the Enlightenment had been applied to practical government, instead just a bunch of rich guys blabbing about how great it would be.

Another in a similar vein is the drafting of France's Declaration of the Rights of Man only a couple years later. It would be nice to see all the idealism coming out of the period before it went to hell.

Maybe also Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address (plus the reaction of the audience at how short it was) and a performance of Macbeth or Hamlet put on by Shakespeare himself.


2. How much does music play a part in your life? Is it just background music? Is it the "Soundtrack of your life"? Do the types of music that you listen to, dictate your moods?

I wouldn't say it's "just" background music, but I can't say it's the "soundtrack of my life," either. Certainly I appreciate the emotional resonance of musical performances, and it's usually the primary reason for why I seek out particular pieces; however, I don't always relate to the emotions and/or sentiments expressed in the piece. It's like looking at a Van Gogh painting and seeing how much he was in pain (hehe, painting), but not really having a similar experience yourself.

What genres are you most interested in? What speaks to you the most? What moves you the most?

I'm most interested in blues and classic rock-- especially the rock that's a direct derivative of blues (commonly referred to as blues-rock). Again, I like music that at least attempts to express something deeper than simply "I wanna **** you."

Finally, do you play any musical instruments at all?

I played piano for 7-8 years, and I got pretty damn good at it. I could play pieces from many well-known composers (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc.), although I struggled a bit to become fluent in reading musical notation (I still think it makes little sense). My original teacher retired, and my already-growing apathy regarding the piano turned into dislike when I went through a couple teachers in a year span. I quit, and it's been years since I've actually practiced; I probably suck now.

Right now I'm flirting with playing guitar (if you consider on-and-off playing for four years "flirting"). I own an acoustic and good electric, and I'm okay at it. Problem is I go through little spats of practice and other periods of almost not playing at all, so I haven't yet made the leap to being "good."


3. What kinds of literature do you enjoy? Fiction? Non-fiction? Comicbooks?

I like science fiction that strives to be taken seriously (Ender's Game, Matthew Stover's Star Wars novels); I can't stand the campy stuff that doesn't even attempt to be good literature. I'm also getting into a select genre for geeks like me called "alternate history." I'm reading a series by Harry Turtledove about an alternate outcome of the U.S. Civil War, and the (semi-realistic) consequences of such an outcome.

Do you enjoy writing at all, and what are some of your "dream" books that have yet to be written?

I've had ideas for stories, but I change my mind so often and I'm so lazy about developing the ideas that I've never really gotten anything down on paper (or on a hard drive).

I can't really think of a "dream" book I have. There are so many books already writ

 

I've noticed a couple awkward (grammatically) sentences. I blame 10 hours of work and class.

 

I would have been mindful with grammatical errors, but I'm on a deadline, and I haven't finished all the interviews yet.

 

I think the Constitutional Convention that ultimately yielded the U.S. Constitution would be up there on my list. It was one of the first times that ideas of the Enlightenment had been applied to practical government, instead just a bunch of rich guys blabbing about how great it would be.

Dude, I couldn?t agree with you more! I?d love to have been there. Of course, I?d probably be the guy carrying the food?.

Another in a similar vein is the drafting of France's Declaration of the Rights of Man only a couple years later. It would be nice to see all the idealism coming out of the period before it went to hell.

Yeah?it?s funny how a slight difference in focus can dramatically change the worldview of the populace. The US was ?life, liberty, pursuit of happiness?; France was ?Liberty, equality, fraternity.? It?s a subtle difference between individual and communal rights, but an important one, nonetheless?

Again, I like music that at least attempts to express something deeper than simply "I wanna **** you."

What could possibly be deeper than that?

I played piano for 7-8 years, and I got pretty damn good at it.

Cool! I play the piano as well! Though I?m mostly self-taught and only learned to get chicks. It?s amazing how many ladies would gather around the piano when I would play back when I was younger. *happy sigh* Good times?


I like science fiction that strives to be taken seriously (Ender's Game, Matthew Stover's Star Wars novels);

Upward depthrate, kiddo. Upward depthrate.


I've been to only five countries (U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, U.K.), and I'd definitely like to see more of Europe. Maybe Japan, Australia, and New Zealand as well.

Join the Navy. I?ve been to France, England, Italy, Turkey, Norway, Canada, and a few places I can?t tell you about.

In terms of news, I like print media (magazines and newspapers) as well as legitimate internet news sites (i.e. not some idiot's blog). While readership and ratings obviously influence all media, I feel that television news has been the most corrupted by it. I absolutely despise cable news and local news, and network news has long moved closer to imitating its mentally-disabled cousin.

See? We agree more than we disagree.

Birth of a Nation: horribly racist and revisionist to the point that short excerpts make me want to see how D.W. Griffith would like to be lynched, but brought feature-length motion pictures to widespread audiences and set the standard for production values.

And frankly, it?s instructive in many ways, about how far we?ve come as a society. I think every American should watch that movie at some point in his/her life. It always helps to provide a bit of perspective in life, I think.

Citizen Kane: in addition to simply being a great film, it pioneered acting and film-making styles that are still used.

I?m simply pulling this out so you know that we agree on yet another thing.

I may incur the wrath of many a comic book fan, but many of the popular comic book characters are both too simplistic in characterization and too complex in backstory for me too chose one.

Never mind?

"Now I have a question: how many people will actually read this all the way through?"

At least one or two.

Great interview, dude!

 

This is the best interview!!! the guy is educated, has class and knows his history..I never knew that about DG..SO I think it does very well to paint his life and his likes..very good interview indeed.