For Claudia Supermom:

In response to your very own 'tag':

1. Who are your much loved Bands? Favorite songs by them?

Rush. A very unusual band. Unique style. Been around since the seventies. Their songs tend not to seem even catchy the first couple times you hear them but when given a chance to grow on you they captivate in a way unlike anything else I’ve ever heard and they never ever ever get old. As a result, almost everyone falls into one of two camps; those who are deeply into them and those who’ve made no connection with them.

Neil Peart is the most incredible drummer ever – hands down. Super-human, what he can do with his bazillion-piece kit (I swear – you’d think he has 12 arms and 3 brains) but that pales against his poetic contribution. He’s a marvelous writer and his sophisticated lyrics are rare in the rock world – dissecting society and the human condition in a way that captivates male youth while promoting views that champion balance, freedom and kindness.

Incredibly positive role models that deeply affected my life emerging from adolescence and likewise that of (surely millions) across the globe. The world would be a far uglier place without them. That’s a huge statement but I know it to be true.

Fave songs: La Villa Strangiato, Spirit of Radio and every single song on the album Farewell to Kings and on all six consecutive albums from Moving Pictures through to Roll the Bones. And many more…

I also love Bruce Cockburn for much the same reasons.

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2. Do you like your job? Could you do your boss' job?

I work for a company that sells BS. I take no pride in it but it pays the bills and it’s pleasant. I like the job but don’t covet it. I like the security about as much as I like the idea of giving it up to start the next chapter of this adventure called life; which is a very nice circumstance to be in. I don’t kiss anyone’s ass.

I can’t even contemplate my boss’s job. I’m not interested in managing people. I once had a tendency to gravitate to leadership roles but never in the workplace.


3. What is the first thing you would do if you won the jackpot? (I mean after you collect your winnings.)

After collecting my share of the winnings from whomever I sold the ticket to in order to negotiate my privacy, I would pay off my debts and those of my friends and relatives, and then acquire:

a small publishing company
a modest home at a remote location of high altitude
an eight-foot telescope
a horse and carriage
a few cases of wine
twenty boxes of Cohiba Espléndidos.

Hopefully there would then be plenty remaining to give to worthy causes.


4. Most annoying thing in the newspaper?

The words. Every insipid lying one of them. Oh, and the pictures. On the up-side I like the little flecks – the recycling imperfections. They’re quite soothing.


5. Best line from a movie?

No question: “You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”