1. If you could be there to change just one event in history, what would it be?
One of the things I think I'd do if I had a TARDIS is go back and tell Ted Turner that a 24-hour news channel is a terrible idea. I miss the old days, when we had one, half-hour news program at the end of the day, so most of it had to be actually news. Instead, we just get people talking and talking...
Imagine if politicians actually had to make what they say count, instead of operating on the "if we throw enough gruel at the wall, something’s bound to stick" theory. Imagine if news people actually had time to connect the dots, rather than chasing after politicians like stenographer dogs? Imagine if there wasn't time to tell us which actress got how drunk where.
2. If you could be any actor or actress who ever lived, who would it be, and why?
Hmm...For an actress, I think I'll say Lisa Kudrow. What the hell, it's her birthday. Plus she's excellent. If you remember that charming "Marry fuck or kill" game, she's the one of the three women Friends that I would marry...
For an actor, I'd be Frank Sinatra. Okay, so he was more of an icon than an actor, and more of a singer than an icon...but I would get to win an Academy Award, and just think of the women with whom I'd be sleeping...
If I could, however, I would try not to take so many swipes at people. And I'd probably skip Mia Farrow.
3. What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon show?
The Bugs Bunny Road/Runner Show. "Overture! Curtain, lights!" For years, BTW, I thought that second line was "cut the lights" But I'm mad about animation and this show was and is a big part of the reason why. Oh, those classic cartoons.
4. Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Beatles. They're more influential; they wrote songs so good not even the biggest What the Hell Were They Thinking? movie of all time could hurt them irreparably.
If "I Want You" can survive Donald Pleasence, it can survive anything. The Stones couldn't even survive Devo.
Plus they broke up in time, they made better records with a fuller sound that progressed artistically, they had John Lennon, they had Paul McCartney, they had Lennon & McCartney. They made two or three of the great pop movies, they had George Martin and Geoff Emerick, George, Ringo & yeah yeah yeah...
The Stones had no insight and were only playing at being menacing. Who cares?
The first time I remember being aware of the Beatles is in nursery school or kindergarten, when the grown-ups used to play the Hard Day's Night soundtrack.
For some reason all I remember hearing then is the title song, but they must have played more. Later in life I would come to think of "And I Love Her" as one of Paul's best love songs, and "I Should Have Known Better" as one of John's most underrated (love that bridge).
But if memory serves, this is the first Beatles album I ever owned. I got it because...fine, I got it after seeing Jimmy Osmond singing "Penny Lane" on Fame. You happy? Respect where respect is due, he did a great job...
5. If you could be any fictional literary figure ever, who would it be?
Keitha, Colley or Annabel.
I'm not tagging anybody but if the spirit moves you...
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