Interview meme thing

[darren_stranger]

Time to join in on this meme, though questions from me may be even longer coming than answers.

The instructions go thusly -

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

From txxxpxx:

1. You are given your dream gig for your birthday. There are four bands on the bill. Who are they?

 

Ooh, so much to choose from.  I might make it easier by sticking to bands i've never seen.  If from any time, Christian Death (c. Only Theatre of Pain), Alien Sex Fiend (c. Acid Bath), The Misfits (c. Famous Monsters) and Bauhaus (c. Press the Eject).  Or, for current bands:  Lacrimosa, Cinema Strange, Dresden Dolls and AFI.

 

2. You have the power to amend or repeal 3 current laws under which you live. Which laws do you change & how do you change them?

 

Mandatory detention of asylum seekers (replaced with a more humane system allowing people to live and work in the community after a brief holding period for criminal checks etc, and proper visas for confirmed refugees, not this limbo temporary visa bollox), provisions of anti-terror laws which violate basic civil rights (make normal standards of presumed innocence, legal representation etc apply to protect against arbitrary misuse), recent changes to child pornography laws that apparently make fictional representation or suggestion of sexual activity between characters under 18s illegal (allow for depictions of legal consensual relations between under 18s and come up with some sensible ways to distinguish material intended as child pornography from other usage).

 

3. What was the first thing that attracted you to Mrs Stranger?

 

I'd love to be able to say it was an instant appreciation of her sense of humour, inner childlike wonder and caring nature, but i didn't notice these things until later.  First off it was the Sxxy Deth Chykness.  Long black nightdress, jet black hair, gothy makeup.  And cleavage.  Lots of cleavage.  ;)

 

4. Who do you most admire & why?

 

I'm tempted to say someone like Ghandi, but that's too easy.  Instead i'll cheat a little and say Oskar Schindler.  While he may not technically be the person i admire *most*, i do find him an inspiring character.  When i read Schindler's Ark in high school, i was impressed by the way that, aside from not being some po-faced righteous saint (more like a womanising, profiteering, feelthy capitalist peegdog), he also didn't have to be some daring and brilliant mastermind outwitting the Nazis at every turn risking his life on a razor's edge.  As i read it, he was just someone who found he couldn't turn a blind eye and let people die, that the Nazis knew all about and thought was just a bit of a joke, a squeamish sentimentalist, but who still Got The Job Done.  While Ghandi or Jesus or Martin Luther King might be great figures to look up to and draw ideals and inspiration from, i think we also need people like Oskar to remind us that just an ordinary, weak and flawed person can make a difference by deciding "this is pretty fucked up right here" and not going with the flow like the rest of the herd.

 

5. If you could have your dream job, what would it be?

 

Ah, there's the $42,000 question.  When i figure that out, i might know what i want to do with my life.  First thought involves vague impressions of some sort of advocacy or referral role helping people deal with difficult shit and get on with their lives.  Beyond that, i've no idea on specifics (still, that's probably one sentence more than i've been able to pin down so far, so i guess it's a start).

From greylock:

 

1. How can you so rational?

 

Rational is something i *try* to be, but i'm not always successful (my online self is often the person i'm trying to be, not necessarily where i'm at).  I guess rationality or reason is something i've always valued, with an underlying belief that if everybody stopped, took a deep breath and thought sensibly about things, the world would be much less fucked up.  On the downside, rationality has to be tempered with some emotive values (eg that hurting others for gain is inherently wrong) and can lead to inaction ("oh, but what if..") and lack of spontaneity.

 

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where and why?

 

I'd like to visit somewhere in Asia (China, Korea, India, Thailand..) to enounter both local culture and history.  So far i've been to Egypt and the UK (and would like to go back), so an Asian country would be a different piece of the puzzle.  If i could, i'd love to travel all over - Europe, Africa, South America, Middle East - hell, even parts of the USA - but don't think we'll afford to travel much.

 

3. What prompted you to join Amnesty in the first place?

 

Honestly, i was looking for memberships to put on my employment resume to make me look like a responsible, balanced person.  I heard someone talking on the radio about Amnesty and discovered you could become a member and thought it sounded good.  When i joined up i found that the values they were pushing were things i also believed in (though i took a bit of convincing on a few points, eg the death penalty) and the discovery that there were things i could actually *do* to help make a difference, rather than just send a cheque and get a membership card, really got my attention.

 

4. What's the one item of clothing you can't give without?

 

Black jeans, shirts and t-shirts have been a wardrobe staple for so long they barely rate a mention (/cheat) so i'll say my keyring chain that i wear everywhere these days (actually the dog chain i used to wear with a padlock around my neck in the 80s).

 

5. Where do you find the energy to still go out?

 

Unfortunately, it takes an unhealthy amount of coffee to wake me up enough and usually a fair bit of booze to prop up my mood or make me not notice how tired i am.  Especially on weeknights.  Saturday nights are easier, if i get a sleep-in that morning, but most good things seem to happen on Fridays. Cabaret Nocturne is a case in point (and the necessary alcohol and caffeine consumption is likely to make CN an even rarer occasion, as i've promised myself to stop skipping Saturday taekwondo class, which a sleepless boozy night leaves me in no state for).

 

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

yerp.

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

yerp?

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Yes - but said with a slow, drawling, John Wayne accent.

"Yerp, Ma'am."

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

So, izzat an "interview me" yerp?

[greylock.livejournal.com]

*nods*
*tips hat*
Affirmative.

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

Yerp it is.

1. Your job seems to be a source of much stress lately, what makes you stick at it?

2. Where do you see yourself in five years' time, lifewise?

3. What memory is surest to bring a smile of nostalgia to your face?

4. You find yourself chosen to defend the human race against charges of unmitigated and irredeemable cuntishness. What are the best defences you can offer in support of humanity's more noble and admirable qualities?

5. Do you believe in love?*

(* Arse! Now i've got Cher stuck in my head.)

[greylock.livejournal.com]

I'll get back to you on those.

[hbdeath.livejournal.com]

Interview me, then.

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

1. So, just what is Hot Buttered Death and what does it taste like?

2. What's your history with Queensland Boy and why does he irk you so? (I know you've mentioned this before, but i've got the memory of a goldfish).

3. What are five nouns you think best describe you?

4. Why do you prefer dark over hard?

5. What are three things that make you seethe with anger, and how would you change them if you could?

[txxxpxx.livejournal.com]

Good answers. A real sense of honesty. Thanks.

Go ahead, ask me questions. (Can you tell I'm having fun with this meme?)

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

I'm sure i had better ones yesterday, but:

1. What happened the *second* time you met MrPxx?

2. Can you imagine yourself ever pursuing a career other than the one you have now?

3. What makes you angry?

4. How would you describe how you see yourself, in terms that could start it "I'm a.."?

5. What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for MrPxx?