Jibreel

What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Submitted by Laurie.

-shaved bald

-red then green then blue hair colors

-earrings

-nipple rings

-70's pornstar moustache

How did you pick your Vox name? Does it mean something? 
Submitted by LeendaDLL.  

My Vox name is a nickname quite a few friends (and enemies) know me by. Jibreel is actually the Arabic translation of my real name, and though I'm not Arabic I like the way it sounds. It's also my dj name, though I don't really spin that often anymore these days.

What is your favorite scent?
Submitted by Erinen. 

favorite? how about favorites?

-rain-soaked pavement

-new shoe smell (far better than new car smell)

-premium-grade marijuana

-lavender (I have a lavender-scented eye pillow I often wear to bed)

-the scent of a woman (I don't mean perfume)

-well made meatloaf cooking in the oven

-fresh-from-the-vending-machine hi-bounce ball

Do you believe in ghosts?  Have you ever seen a ghost? 
Submitted by Nancy.

I'm a hardcore skeptic - I don't believe in much regarding the spiritual and/or supernatural. Seen one? Well, years ago I went into an abandoned and supposedly haunted school in the middle of the night alone and tripping with the hope of seeing something spooky. I wandered around this three-story, 60-year-old building for hours and didn't see anything.

What's your sign?  What do you think of astrology and horoscopes?

 Virgo Boy. I think some of the Virgo attributes do fit my personality but I think they make them vague enough to suit most anyone if you try really hard. I don't place a lot of faith in astrology or horoscopes, but they can be fun subjects to read and discuss.

Books, movies, music; what's in your top 5 right now?

Books

*  The Hot Kid, Elmore Leonard - It may be pulp but so am I. I am an E. Leonard junkie and have read most of his books.

* Bangkok Tattoo, John Burdett - A sequel and just as good as the first.

*  I Told You..., Mike Breen - Not really a book, but the script of a play in which I have a powerful role.

* Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card - I've never really been into sci-fi lit so my mum gave me a copy of this classic, it's great and I have no idea why it hasn't been made into a movie.

* Lost Girls, Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie - Comics kick ass and Moore is one of the kings. This is certainly NOT for kids but it centers around the idea of Alice (from the Lewis Carroll's storeis), Wendy (from Peter Pan) and Dorothy (from the Oz books) meeting and sharing pornographic versions of their classic stories. It's smutty and sophisticated at the same time, the writing is super-tight obviously and Gebbie's illustrations are top notch.

Movies

* The Departed - An overrated movie but still solid and one of the year's best. I found some of Leo's acting to be a bit much and thus unrealistic.

*The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D - I bought tickets and I'm seeing it this weekend, just in time for Halloween. I'll have to travel 2 and 1/2 hours just to get to a theater that is showing it but it's worth it. I'm sure hallucinogens will be involved.

*Fearless - I bought a Chinese dvd release of this a month before it hit American theaters. I don't think it's a good as Hero but it's still a solid film for Jet Li. We'll see if it really is his last fighing film but hopefully not.

*The Little Mermaid - It just came out on remastered dvd so of course I got it. Say what you will about a grown man with no kids buying a movie about a mer-chick but this is a classic. I hadn't seen it in years until I watched it with some friends the other day and I still know much of the dialogue and pretty much every word of the songs. (Beauty and The Beast is still my fave though!)

*Sabrina - The last movie I saw any potion of, I fell asleep to the dvd lullaby last night. Audrey Hepburn is wonderful and I adore this movie but I never really liked seeing her hook up with Bogart. They just look weird together.

Music

*Once Again, John Legend - I once paid $15 to see him play a hotel poolside set in South Beach before he really blew up. This album may be better than his first, I love that his sound is not really dated and doesn't come across as too horny or insincere like other modern r&b.

*The Evolution Of Robin Thicke, Robin Thicke -  I am a fan of The Neptunes and anticipated the relase of this much-delayed album. It's fun and danceable and sexy and I think I like it better than Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds, which is in the same vein.

Strangely enough, John and Robin are touring together so I have to see their show. Even though it's on a freaking Monday night!

*Crazy Itch Radio, Basement Jaxx - I've been a fan for as long as they've been around and it's good to have a new album from them. True to form, they explore many many sides of electronic music and keep it mostly upbeat. Too bad this didn't come out during summer; I'd have loved to blast this at the beach.

*Food & liquor, Lupe Fiasco - Most rap has become predictable, this album is not. I wasn't impressed by his verse on Kanye's "Touch The Sky" but this album removed any doubt I had about his skills.

*Under The Covers Vol. 1, Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - This is nowhere near a new release (it came out in April) but I just wanted to give it some props because I listened to it on the way to work this morning. The two legends cover songs by the likes of The Beatles, The Who, The Bee Gees and Bob Dylan. Ever since The Bangles, I've been in love with Susanna Hoffs' voice.

I just got this pic in an e-mail from a friend, it's from tsi last weekend when we were obviously very sober. I kinda look like I'm going to rob a stage coach or something...

Bring 'Em Out

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? 
Submitted by Megan.

- rattlesnake

- gorilla jerky

- chocolate-covered ants

- a live cricket (i was very young)

- a nickel (once again, very young)

- a human soul...kidding!

- vag

Okay, so that last post made me think of a few things to rant about:

- South Park, not on my list. I think every guy my age watches this show - I don't. I have often been in social situations making great conversation and some doofus inevitably asks "Hey, did you see this week's South Park?" to which everyone answers "Yes! It was great!" and a discussion of every joke ensues. I have seen the movie and about four or five full episodes, that's it. Does that make me a social pariah? I think the South Park Emperor has no clothes people....

- Videos/Music that makes my eyes/ears bleed reminded me of my beef with one Jim Jones. His type of music is what is slowing killing hip-hop obviously, but the main thing that bothers me is his name. The real Jim Jones was responsible for the deaths of over 900 men, women and children (mostly African-Ameican) - why the fuck would a rapper name himself that? Does he actually think that shit is cool? Do any of the kids who buy his albums even know who the real Jim Jones was? Does anyone remember how politically-incorrect people thought Marilyn Manson's name was? Charles Manson didn't incite the deaths of 900+ people, that's for sure. No one cares anymore what musicians do I guess, that's how Jim Jones can go platinum and Fergie can piss herself onstage and still be considered a sex symbol. What's next, a rapper named Adolf Hitler maybe?

Most everyone has guilty pleasures on television and I am no different. Here are the few shows that I watch on a fairly regular basis. It hurts to admit some of this, but at least I don't watch any reality t.v. or overly-dramatic primetime gameshows.

-Heroes : I've been watching since it started, probably because I grew up with comic books and love superhuman storylines (except Superman, though the new movie was okay). This is the first new show I've watched in years that wasn't on HBO. It just moves WAY TOO FREAKING SLOW for me. Is the average American viewing audience really so stupid? Why does everything take so long to develop? Why do so many scenes have to be annoyingly drawn-out? I'll keep watching, mostly because Monday is a slow night anyway, but probably not for long at this rate.

-Gilmore Girls : Okay, so it is a show aimed at ladies aged 15-35 so sue me. I find it irresistibly entertaining. Of course no one talks like that in real life but who cares? I tend to speak quickly though and I like that the show has fast-paced speech and 25% more dialogue than any other hour-long show on television. It's not slow and dumbed-down like "Heroes" and many other shows that I can't even begin to watch. 

-Veronica Mars : Yes, I watch allot of girly shows. I suppose I just like to see intelligent female characters in visual media. I only started watching VM this year because it follows Gilmore Gals but it's not a terrible show at all. Though the actress who plays Veronica looks way older than she's playing on the show, I guess it worked for Andrea on 90210.

-Nature, Nova, Antiques Roadshow : Public broadcatsing rocks pretty hard and these are my three favorite programs. They're all powerhouses that have been consistent for years and they're always fun to tune into. I may not watch every single episode but I watch when I can and watch some episodes (mostly of Nova/Nature) over and over.

-The Simpsons : Sure, it's going downhill but it's still one of my all-time favorite programs and I can't stop watching until it's grisly demise. Moe Sizlak for President.

That's it for network televison. I have no interest in Lost, Smallville, CSI or any sitcoms (that genre is sooo dead). I pay for cable for a reason.

-Inside The Actor's Studio: Just because I watch it doesn't mean I'm obsessed with celebrities or anything. I just like to hear anecdotes and tidbits about the actor's lives, experiences and mostly about how they view the craft of acting. The Pacino two-hour special was great.  

-MTV Jams/MTV Hits/VH1 Soul : I like music and I like videos, these stations supply both non-stop. I can't watch them for too long because my eyes/ears may bleed (I'm talking to you Paul Wall/Brooke Hogan/Ne-Yo/Jamie Foxx and the like), but they're great in moderation and perfect when getting ready for a night out. I have done a mirror dance routine many times to these three channels.

 -All Things HBO: Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasim, Entourage, sometimes The Wire, Big Love, Deadwood and Rome - Home Box Office produces the best and most consistent original televsion on any network except PBS. R.I.P. Sex And The City and Band Of Brothers (both of which I own every single episode of), Six Feet Under, Carnivale and Oz.

I hear Weeds and The L Word are great but I don't have Showtime.

That's my televison confessional - forgive me father for I have sinned.