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My Interests

I have a wide variety of interests, but the interests which are the most important to me would come under the headings of music, trumpet playing, literature, films, and computer games.

Music

I am an avid fan of so-called 'classical' music, in particular romantic & neo-classical music and of soundtracks. I will, in fact, listen to most things written since Vivaldi, with the exceptions of Frederic Delius, Percy Grainger, and Erich Korngold as regards the "classical" composers.
I also enjoy listening to many songs from the 80's and 90's. I particularly enjoy music from such artists as Kate Bush, Madness, Garbage, and Enya.
Two songs that I really love are 'Hotel California' by The Eagles, and 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt. I will, however not listen to any "Boybands" (shudder), "Techno", "House" or whatever you want to call it. View a list of my classical music collection here

My favourite composers are:
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Bela Bartok
Dmitri Schostakovich
My favourite filmscore composer is Danny Elfman, and my favourite soundtrack is 'Batman Returns'

In my spare time I also enjoy composing. Please go to my Composition Page to listen to them in MIDI and MP3 formats

Trumpet Playing

I have been playing the trumpet since 1991, and have participated in a great many concerts with the following ensembles: St. Andrew's High School Wind Band
St. Andrew's High School Acting Society School Shows "Bugsy Malone" & The Wiz"
The West Of Scotland Senior Schools' Orchestra
Clydebank Burgh Brass Band
Aberdeen University Concert Band
Bon Accord Silver 'B' Band
Grampian Concert Orchestra
Strathclyde University Concert Band
Strathclyde University Symphony Orchestra

Literature

The main areas of my literary interest are Science Fiction, Fantasy, and recently 'Crime Fiction'.
My favourite books (with links to the authors' homepages if available) are:

Science Fiction
The 'DUNE Series' by Frank Herbert, continued by his son Brian Herbert with Kevin J. Anderson
'Neuromancer' by William Gibson
The 'Foundation' Series by Isaac Asimov
The 'Mars Trilogy' by Kim Stanley Robinson
Crime Fiction
The 'Detective Harry Bosch' Books by Michael Connelly
The 'Kay Scarpetta' Books by Patricia Cornwell
The 'Lincoln Rhyme' Series by Jeffrey Deaver
'The Rainmaker' by John Grisham
Political Intrigue & Action
The 'Jack Ryan' Books by Tom Clancy
Fantasy
'The Lord Of The Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien
The 'Discworld' Series by Terry Pratchett
The 'The Belgariad' & 'The Mallorean' by David & Leigh Eddings
The 'Thomas Covenant Sextology' by Stephen R. Donaldson
'Perdido Street Station' by China Miéville
The 'Mode' Series by Piers Anthony
The 'Classics' 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy
'Crime & Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoevsky
'The Count of Monte Christo' by Alexandre Dumas
'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo
'Poetry'
Though I am not a great fan of peotry, I enjoy reading the poems of "Yevgeny Yevtushenko."

My Favourite Films

My favourite films are:

The Crow
Edward Scissorhands
Aliens
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Sleepy Hollow
The Rainmaker
The Rock
Scrooged
Batman Returns

My Favourite Television Series

My favourite television series are:

'Babylon 5' - I love the music written for this series, by Christopher Franke
'Casualty'
'Ally McBeal'
'Star Trek: Voyager'
'E.R.'
'The X-Files'
'Law & Order'
'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'
'The West Wing'

My Favourite Computer Games

My favourite computer games are:

'Planescape: Torment' by Black Isle Studios
'Gabriel Knight II: The Beast Within' by Sierra Online
'Diablo 2" by Blizzard Entertainment
'System Shock' by Looking Glass Software
'Tiefighter' by LucasArts Entertainment
'Discworld Noir' By Perfect Games (Unfortunately Now Out of Business)
'Half-Life' by Sierra Online

Art

I am almost the kind of person who fits the cliché of not "knowing what it is, but I know what I like". I am not particularly tied to one painter. I like many paintings, especially Edvard Munch's "The Scream", but if I was to name a specific style which I liked over all else, it would be that of Impressionism. I especially adore the paintings of Claude Monet. In particular I love the painting "Garden Path at Giverny". I am not tied to one style though. I find the paintings of the Renaissance period have an heavenly quality, even such an unusual artist as Hieronymus Bosch. I have also recently began the paintings of Rubens. I also like to be somewhat taken-aback with art. This is why the singular depth and insanity of H.R. Giger's work is like a slap across the face: it makes me sit up and try to fathom what exactly was going on in the artist's mind at the time he painted the picture. His is the imagination that brought Ridley Scott's "Alien" to life with the work entitled "Necronomicon 1" These works are not for the faint of heart!

My Favourite Quote

The quote which I like the most is:

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become
a monster. If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

- Verse 146 from "BBeyond Good And Evil" by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

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