| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was young – I think about 7 or 8 – my family went on a ten day or so road trip around the eastern end of the U.S. The main goal of the trip was to visit Tennessee, where my parents lived while my dad was in the army, but we made some stops along the way there and back. A lot of stops. In places like Dayton OH, Huntsville AL, and Shenandoah National Park. I don’t think I could list every stop we made today, but the trip really made an impression on me. It gave me a chance at a young age to see all those different places in a short time, with long travel hours in between that served to give at least some small impression of just how much world is really out there. It’s something I feel I’ve often thought back to – consciously or not – that’s continued to give me perspective, and a desire to truly experience some of the wealth of possibility that’s out there. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | Some time after my brother and I both moved out of my parents’ house, we finally stopped arguing constantly. I guess we had just enough time apart to realize that we were brothers, and that we shared a lot in common. We were just a few years apart, and we chose similar directions in life. He majored in film and media and I majored in music composition. They’re both kind of high stakes, almost all-or-nothing career choices. It’s been difficult for both of us to find our ways. So we could relate on that in a way neither of our parents really can. Today, we live near each other, so we can hang out on a fairly regular basis. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I think I would have to say that I really admire people who just plain have a positive way of looking at life. I look up to the kinds of people who are popular because they are genuinely a joy to be around. They’re the kind of people that you could make it obvious that you admire them- and instead of having their egos inflated, they’d simply admire you back. I guess what I really mean is that I admire the ability to bring joy out from within, rather than expecting it to come in from without. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | When I was a senior in high school, I made a bet with a friend of mine. I don’t really remember what the bet was, but I remember that I lost- and I definitely remember what I had to do. I had pretty long hair back then, long enough to cover my ears and get in my eyes. When I lost the bet, I had to cut my hair. But not into a normal haircut. I had to cut my hair into a mullet. In case you don’t know what a mullet is, it’s short hair all over- except in the back where it should be as long as possible. So my friend who I lost the bet to took a razor to my head and trimmed down everything but the back. I’m not sure if this was (or is) the case in a lot of places, but at my high school at the time, the mullet had kind of a comedic cult following. Mullets were often considered “epic,” and classified by the percentage of hair on top compared to the back. In my case, the mullet was a 10/90. The most epic form of mullet. The next day in school, I got to my band homeroom (which consisted of over 150 people) a minute or so late. When our director saw me walk in during the middle of her daily morning announcements, she stopped the routine to direct everyone’s attention to the doorway to announce that “The mullet man just arrived.” The room erupted with laughter. For the rest of that day I was pointed at, yelled at, laughed at… Not in a mean way- I think everyone got it that it was a joke. It was like I was famous. Everyone noticed the mullet. But while all that attention was kind of fun, one day was enough. I shaved the rest of my head as soon as I got home from school. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | Ever since I can remember I’ve been really drawn to Westerns. The funny thing is, I don’t remember actually seeing an entire Western until fairly recently- and I’ve still only seen a few. But I always knew of them, and had seen bits and pieces. There’s just always been this idea in my head of a vast and mysterious, even magical wilderness out there. Mountains. Prairies. Deserts. Spirits. Not to mention the grandiose musical score to accompany it. I guess what I really love is the idea of it. An idea that’s maybe at least somewhat only in my head. But still, that’s where I want to go. I don’t know how exactly, but I’ve always seen it as a kind of pilgrimage I have planned for the distant future. I want to see America. Not America the nation, but America the land. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | This one really goes back to what I admire in people. I would like my kids to have it in them to choose happiness. I would like them to have their lives based on a deep respect for existence. I’d hate to see them grow up to be unsatisfied whiners and complainers. I’d like them to have gratitude for everything that exists. Gratitude toward whom? I’m not exactly sure, but I think some form of reverent faith is the most important thing in life. I don’t necessarily mean a religion, but I don’t count it out. It’s more just the ability to see life as light rather than dark, and to project that light outward. It’s what separates the people who are fulfilled from the people who just want more. It’s what makes life life. I’d like them to have that too. |
