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lindyhop · 02-03-2006, 10:37 PM

I often wonder how I ended up with the interests I have because it's almost like I went after exactly the opposite of what I was exposed to growing up.

I was turned on to reading very early by my mother who read Golden Books to me every night. But there were really no adult books in the house. Still I ended up a comparative literature major who was obsessed with Proust and Dante.

My first exposure to Shakespeare was because I was a huge Beatles fan. Paul McCartney's giflfriend, Jane Asher, was playing Juliet in a Bristol Old Vic production that came to the Music Center. My friends and I went to see Jane (and of course hoped that Paul would just happen by) but managed to absorb a little culture at the same time.

My first exposure to classical music was through the soundtracks for "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Slaughterhouse Five." Then much later I bought season tickets to the Long Beach Symphony, mostly to have something to do on a few Saturday nights, but I kept them for more than ten years because I really enjoyed the music even if I didn't know that much about it. I dozed through a few concerts but I found there's nothing like live music.

I still remember a PBS broadcast of Wagner's Ring Cycle that blew me away. And I enjoyed "Swan Lake" when I decided to go to the ballet just because I'd never been before. I went to all the member evenings when MOCA first opened and enjoyed learning about contemporary art. I moved on to other things that I found I preferred (I'm a word person, not so much visual) but I never considered anything too highbrow or exclusive. Challenging, yes, but that's what I like. Show me something I haven't seen before, make me think.

02-03-2006, 10:37 PM	#3
lindyhop Swing Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Long Beach Posts: 997	I often wonder how I ended up with the interests I have because it's almost like I went after exactly the opposite of what I was exposed to growing up. I was turned on to reading very early by my mother who read Golden Books to me every night. But there were really no adult books in the house. Still I ended up a comparative literature major who was obsessed with Proust and Dante. My first exposure to Shakespeare was because I was a huge Beatles fan. Paul McCartney's giflfriend, Jane Asher, was playing Juliet in a Bristol Old Vic production that came to the Music Center. My friends and I went to see Jane (and of course hoped that Paul would just happen by) but managed to absorb a little culture at the same time. My first exposure to classical music was through the soundtracks for "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Slaughterhouse Five." Then much later I bought season tickets to the Long Beach Symphony, mostly to have something to do on a few Saturday nights, but I kept them for more than ten years because I really enjoyed the music even if I didn't know that much about it. I dozed through a few concerts but I found there's nothing like live music. I still remember a PBS broadcast of Wagner's Ring Cycle that blew me away. And I enjoyed "Swan Lake" when I decided to go to the ballet just because I'd never been before. I went to all the member evenings when MOCA first opened and enjoyed learning about contemporary art. I moved on to other things that I found I preferred (I'm a word person, not so much visual) but I never considered anything too highbrow or exclusive. Challenging, yes, but that's what I like. Show me something I haven't seen before, make me think.
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