Life's Funny That Way

Favorite actors and musicians

The first person who comes to mind in this category would be Tina Turner.  She’s overcome so much in her life and she’s still going strong.  She has such a resolve and such great character.  If I look back to the days of her and Ike and the physical and psychological abuse his drug-addled self inflicted on her… and then look how she overcame it all and is still just a great woman… she would definitely make my short list.  Gloria Estephan has also overcome some major problems in her past (I watched a documentary on her life, sort of on accident, actually), and she is among my favorites as well.

Mississippi John Hurt is among my favorite musicians right now.  My musical tastes vary so much (I just took my Finger Eleven CD out of the car and replaced it with Trans Siberian Orchestra…. The last two CDs I bought were a Disturbed CD and an Andrew Lloyd Webber compilation…. So I think you get my drift on that), that my favorite musician changes drastically from one week to the next.  I also have a few friends on MySpace who have laid down some killer tracks in various genres, but I digress… Mississippi John Hurt plays some of the best slide guitar I’ve heard.  It’s so clean and crisp, even in his old recordings.  Although the quality of the recordings is not the best from 1936, his music is still so clean even compared to newer guys like Roy Rogers (the blues guy, not the cowboy).  MJH is a great musician.  Son House, Sonny Boy Williamson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB King, Cripple Clarence Lofton, Mississippi Fred McDowell… To me, they are all great in their own right.  They are the forerunners of rock music.  They are the kings of blues.  I believe that my love of history combines with this music to give a bigger, fuller picture of the lives and times of the musicians, making the stories in their songs all the more real.

Favorite actors?  Bogart tops the list there.  He was the first actor to appear in film not wearing a T-shirt… very risqué for his day!  Roy Scheider in All That Jazz is another favorite.  John Wayne, of course… Chuck Connors as the Rifleman is up there on my list, too.  Bella Lugosi, Vincent Price, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino (whose real name would take up half of this page, I found)… somebody stop me!  There are so many great characters and actors playing those characters.  There are so many great musicians with so many stories to tell in their lyrics.  I could go on forever and, for the rest of the day, I’ll randomly shout, “OH!  (s)he should have been on my list!”


** Image ID #1482463 Unavailable **


** Image ID #1502496 Unavailable **
** Image ID #1503218 Unavailable **