Screen Name?Valkyrie
And what is your real name?
Jodi (or Joey, if you’re asking Rana!)
Where are you from?
Originally a little town in Michigan called Iron Mountain, but spent most of my life in Tampa, FL
Please tell us a little about yourself (Job, hobbies, etc.):
Well, let’s see…I work nights as a lab tech at the local blood bank (insert vampire joke here! LOL). Other than work and sleep, my life isn’t all that fascinating. I am a total geek…comics, sci-fi, and an all-consuming addiction to all things created by Joss Whedon (i.e. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly.). I collect action figures (McFarlane’s odd and demented visions are among my favorites) and I am a total movie addict. Also, I love to go dancing…although I don’t get to do that much anymore.
How/when and why did you get into L.A. Guns?
God…I can’t even answer that one for myself. I have a vague memory of seeing the video for “Jayne” and thinking…”Hmmm, good song.” I also remember getting Cocked & Loaded and listening to it incessantly…to the point that my friends started yelling at me. My strongest memory is when a friend gave me Hollywood Vampires. That is when I really fell in love with the band. Every song on that album hit me in some way or another and I have never been without a copy of it since.
What is your favourite song/album?
Despite Hollywood Vampires being my favorite album to date…”Never Enough” is still my favorite song. It brings back so many good memories…recent and past.
Now share your favourite L.A. Guns story/memory, please:
I’m still making them. Seeing them live in Denver with a friend who had never heard them before and watching her fall in love with them as much as I have would be a good one. The people I’ve met on this forum, the friends I’ve made, all of it meshes together to make one big happy memory for me. And I only hope to make more…hopefully in L.A. very soon!
What other bands do you like?
You’d be better off asking what bands I don’t like. As Rana has told me, I’m an omnivorous music lover. I listen to everything from Frank Sinatra to Rob Zombie, George Strait to Poison, with a little Johnny Cash and Jimmy Buffett thrown in for good measure. I like music that moves me…spiritually, mentally and physically. Doesn’t matter if it’s Beethoven or Disturbed.
What is /are your favourite book(s)?
My all-time favorite would have to be “IT” by Stephen King. Seriously, I’ve read that book like a dozen times and I never get tired of it. But like the music thing…I’m also an omnivorous book lover. I always have a book with me…usually I’m reading two or three at once. From autobiographies to true crime to mindless romance to fanfiction. I’m constantly sucking up the written word.
And which is/are your favourite movie(s)?
Omnivorous, once again. (Or maybe I just like that word. Hee hee!) I worked in a movie theatre for many years, and it was the one job where I loved the perks. The pay was crap, but I got to see as many free movies as I wanted. Many of them weeks before they were released to the public. Let me tell you how much I enjoyed lording the fact that I saw “Lord of the Rings” 3 weeks before my friends got to! But to list favorites would take forever, so I’ll just throw a few out to give you an idea…Clerks (or any Kevin Smith film for that matter), Dazed and Confused, Smoke Signals, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Serenity…I could go on and on.
Any famous last words?
I could say lots…and throw in a few flashy quotes for good measure, but I’ll just say this…this board and the people on it have been an invaluable source of laughter and joy for me. I thank my darling Rana for kicking my arse and getting me to join. The people I have met here are amazing and I consider many of you to be great friends even if we have never met, and may never meet, face to face.
Oh what the hell…flashy quote it is…”Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” ~ Maggie Kuhn.
