I have a variety of different interests with a great range of subject matters. With my hectic schedule and more focus on my music, unfortunately I don’t get to indulge in as many as I’d like to.

Occultism

My occult interests came with my introduction to Paganism years ago, with particular focus on the works of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. Over the years I’ve studied the Golden Dawn, OTO, the Qabalah, Enochian, magick, the Goetia, Egyptian mysticism, gematria, tarot (in particular, the Thoth deck), and more. Although I’m not as active in the occult community as I was a few years ago, it’s still a part of my life and influences my lyrics (A93: City of Pyramids, Equilibrium, Forgotten Will, Reincarnate, and Aeon Dawning, A-Lab: Voice From the Corner, Temple of Horus)

Art

At one time in my early life I was an artist, particularly focused on illustration, and was considered quite good among my peers. That time has long passed and today I dabble in the arts of graphic design for my school and for our band images, like the website and logo.

I’m mostly attracted to surrealist art, Dali being my favorite, and morbid fantasy art, such as Giger.

Music

My tastes in music is varied, however, in most cases I’ll favor Industrial and all it’s sub-genres. This includes bands like KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Celldweller, Ministry, Kidney thieves, and many more. It doesn’t stop there though. My favorites from outside of that genre include Rush, Dream Theater, Black Sabbath, Mr. Bungle, Pink Floyd, Nevermore, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Life of Agony, Type O Negative, and even jazz guitarists like Al Di Meola.

Science Fiction

Movies
When it comes to sci fi flicks, the ones that set the standards are the Star Wars Series. I’ve been a fan since I was 5, watching them on the big screen for the first time. I’m not an Original Trilogy snob, like some who call themselves “hardcore” fans”. I enjoy all 6 of the movies, but not all equally. Also in topping my list of favorites are Starship Troopers, The Terminator series, The Matrix series, and Logan’s Run.

Books
I don’t have time to read these days, but I do spend a lot of time in the car. The solution to this are audiobooks. In the last 2 years or so, I’ve listened to over 40 books while driving around on deliveries are just general travel. Outside of the convenience of audiobooks, I would probably take me 5 years to get through all of those under normal living conditions (i.e. without 2 jobs, 2 kids, and time consuming hobbies).

My favorite of all science fiction books would have to be Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein.

TV Shows
Most of the TV viewing I do is out of the corner of my eye in a little window on the upper left corner of my iMac screen using either iTunes or EyeTV. I don’t really have the time or patience to sit down in front of a real television, so I do my viewing while working on projects.

For sci fi shows I’m hooked on Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Heroes, Sanctuary, Star Trek (all of them), Clone Wars, X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Ghost Hunters.

Soccer

I’ve always hated sports and I still do. Soccer, on the other hand, is more of an experience. You can’t possibly understand the appeal until you’re standing proud and singing load the chants and songs in the stadium for your favorite team. There’s nothing like screaming profanities at the opposing goalie and throwing streamers at his goal post to get inside his head. Nothing matches the feeling of your team, against all odds, getting that ball into the back of the net or shutting down an almost certainly devastating attack from the other team’s offense. Nothing is more gut wrenching than when your team is defeated by a visiting team or a blatant injury inducing foul is made on your favorite player and the offender gets away with it. Soccer isn’t just any ‘ol sport. It’s even been called “The Beautiful Game”, first coined by Didi, a Brazilian superstar footballer.

American sports fans will whine that there’s never any action or that the low scoring makes it boring, but I tell you, every goal scored in soccer counts big. You watch a championship game and greatest victories will come down to 1-0. There are individual battles, accomplishments, or even failures made on the pitch by players that can turn the tide either way. The action is constant and there are no time outs.

About years back my friend took me to a New England Revolution game and it was the beginning of a whole new era for me. With the exception of a couple of mid-week games, I make the 1 hour and 40 minute drive to tailgate in the parking lot and attend every home game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. I’m not just one of the passive observers who golf clap for every pass either. I’m a member of the Midnight Riders supporters group and stand, sing and scream all game long.

In addition to the Revs, I also support the US Nation Team (men and womens’), attending games when they are local, and Liverpool FC, who unfortunately I can only watch on TV.

The Darker Side

Although my outward appearance doesn’t reflect it, I’m a very Goth-minded individual, finding my interest leaning toward the darker aspects of life. This by no means makes me an evil (if there is such a thing) person, one who finds comfort in all of imagery and psychology of death. I am certainly pro individual expressionism, however I myself don’t feel the need to express my interest in Gothiness through my clothes.

Movies
Second to science fiction, horror is my preferred genre for films. Not so much the predictable slasher movies like the Friday the 13th series, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, etc, but the ones that really mess you up like The Others, The Ring, Blair Witch Project, etc. I’ll take a zombie flick any day, in particular Dawn of the Dead (original), 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil. Also, I love a good vampire movie and just about anything that Tim Burton has made.

Apple

The Mac and all things Apple. I’m a dedicated fanboy and fanatical Mac Missionary.

Video Games

With music dominating most of my free time, there’s barely an opportunity for me to relax in front of monitor to kill and blow shit up. I don’t own a Wii, Playstation, XBox, or any other gaming console, because when I get around to playing video games, I prefer the computer as a gaming platform. Sure, there are arguments for both sides, but its where I feel most comfortable, especially in my preferred game genre, which is first person shooters.

Being a Mac owner, my game choices are somewhat limited, however, with the release of the Intel based Macs a few years ago, things are changing a bit. I’m not complaining. There’s no other computer I would own other than Mac. With Cider technology, more and more games are being ported to the Mac platform, some legally and most not.

The most recent game I’ve enjoyed playing is Call of Duty 4, but in the past I’ve played Battlefield 2142, Command and Conquer Generals, Guitar Hero 3, Star Wars Battlefront, Knights of the Old Republic, and many others. When I go up north to visit ZenBones, our new soul drainer is Quake Wars: Enemy Territory, which we play for most of the weekend, taking brief breaks for eating and sleeping.

History

I’ve always loved history, with a particular interest in ancient civilizations. I find ancient cultures, such as Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Celtic, and meso-American fascinating, especially their religious and magickal practices.

In recent years, I’ve also developed an interest in WWII history, of which my father is an authority on. It probably comes from playing WWII video games and shows like Band of Brothers. I’ve seen just about every documentary that exists of this era on the History Channel.