The First Wing: Best Face Forward
I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. Building an AYTIWS store. But every time my thoughts would turn in that direction, a little voice in my head would jump up and start calling me names. "Fucking capitalist," it would say to me. "People don't wanna buy your crap. Nobody cares about the books you read, or the movies you own, or what kind of musical crap is in your CD player. They come here to chuckle at your stupid little reviews and they go home happy. That's it. Live with it. And you know what else? You're a link-whore, too, ya fuckin' poser."
Hey, a few minutes of this and you'd give up on an idea, too.
So, to quiet the voices in my head and assuage my own guilt at being a "fucking capitalist" this will not become the Official And You Thought It Was Safe Store. There will be no AYTIWS T-shirts, no AYTIWS coffee mugs, and there sure as hell won't be any AYTIWS baloons for your little brats to carry around. Instead, I'm going to present to you a few items that I've personally enjoyed over the years. Movies, books, music, and whatever else strikes me. If you're like me (though I seriously hope you're not), you might enjoy some of these things, too.
So, with that soul bearing out of the way, let's begin.
(Great) MOVIES
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The DVD collection no monster fan can be without. From one of the greatest performers of the 20th century. |
Want to know about my political beliefs? Watch this movie. |
The most imitated sci-fi movie of all time. A must see if you want to be scared shitless and know how creatively bankrupt Hollywood really is. |
The second most imitated sci-fi movie of all time, and an old favorite that I've only grown to love more over the years. |
A beautiful, ugly movie that paints a picture of the typical American family, only to prove that there's no such thing. The first flick to make me cry in a long time. |
The only movie to ever scare me. Ever. A piece of true Horror. I love it like a brother. A brother I hope I never, ever, ever, see again. |
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7 childhood friends reunite to fight an ancient and unnamed Evil. One of the Triumvirate of my all time favorite books. I could survive Hell, if Hell's Barns & Noble has this thing in stock. |
Kootz's best, IMHO, and a second part of the Triumvirate. This book is my litmus test. If my friend's read it, and love it, than I know they're as fucked up as I am. |
The final piece of my Triumvirate. Half Man vs. Dinosaur adventure, half biotechnology essay. The perfect dinosaur lover's fantasy. |
Sure it's a classic. But it's a good classic. I read it in two days at age ten. You should, too. |
No sci-fi fan should be without this one on their bookshelf. The first "classic" I read and still my favorite. |
The book that has everything: horror and happiness, dreams and nightmares, the collective unconscious, and the next stage of human evolution. No plot synopsis would begin to do it justice. |
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Pink Floyd's best. A musical trip (in more ways than one) through the dark land of self-isolation. Music that makes me want to tell stories and music for my life |
A Perfect Circle's "Mer De Noms" The primer album by A Perfect Circle. Heavy metal meets gothic poetry. Music to carry you as you thrash and scream and music for my life. |
Live has done a rare and great thing: make an album of nothing but great songs. Music for my life, and for my friend's lives. |
Stabbing Westward's "Wither Blister Burn and Peel" Depressed? Good. Stabbing Westward creates the soundtrack for deep depression. Music for when I'm low. |
Eminem's first album, a record about being a poor, no class, dead-end-job working cog in the wheel. Music when I'm high (yes, that kind of high). |
The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Graeme Revell composing beautiful, sad music for a beautiful sad movie. Music for when I write. |
