Guilty pleasures? I'm curious...
Okay, we're all friends here...more or less!
Time to fess up: what are things you enjoy (music, movies, TV, sports, hobbies, etc.) that part of you is secretly embarrassed and not nuts about everyone knowing. It can be anything.
Just goofy things that, for whatever reason, bring you pleasure in some sort of way, BUT is probably heavily steeped in cheesiness or "ohmigosh, I can't BELIEVE I dig on this...".
HAS to have that element to it...otherwise, it's not really a guilty pleasure, is it?
I'll be brave and go first, classifying them by type of activity (movie, music, etc.):
Movies
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
For some stupid reason, I TOTALLY dig on this movie and watch it everytime USA or TBS shows it. Funny, action, stunts, Don Johnson in redneck/cowboy mode, gratuitous gunplay, sexy Chelsea Field, etc.
The Last Boy Scout
For mostly the same reasons as "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man". And, oddly enough, Chelsea Field is in this one too, playing Bruce Willis' estranged - but sexy - wife. Damon Wayons is funny in this movie, and like the one above, I watch it everytime it's on.
From Dusk Til Dawn
GREAT movie! Again, funny, action, gunplay (no Chelsea Field...BUT, Salma Hayek doing an INCREDIBLE exotic dance routine!). Great performances by Cheech Marin (playing three separate roles) and George Clooney. Again, watch it everytime it's on.
Television
Trading Spaces
This show is addictive. Friends/neighbors trading houses for two days to re-do a room, with the help of professional designers and a carpenter. Don't ask me why, but this show fascinates me.
NASCAR Winston Cup
Actually, this isn't THAT much of a "guilty" pleasure, I guess. I don't mind people knowing I'm a race fan. But I still encounter some snotty types who seem to get a kick out of the fact that I watch it every Sunday. Screw 'em...
QVC
Oddly, the most relaxing/soothing way I can unwind. Totally mindless and requires no real thinking. Especially fun to watch the Sears Craftsmen Tool hours and watch routers and jigsaws do their thing. BUT, there are some pretty sexy female hosts on, and I tend to watch when they're having a "sandals" or other shoe segment. Or jewelry. Again, don't ask.
DISCLAIMER: By the way, yes I am straight. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Just dawned on me that I've got some fairly sissified "guilty pleasures" in the TV department!
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Music
ABBA
Please see disclaimer. Seriously, GREAT, wonderfully crafted pop music. Plus, the two chicks are kinda hot in that "70's porn vixen" kind of way. Everytime I hear an ABBA song, I'm suddenly 8 years old again and all is right in the world.
Truck Driving Music
Red Sovine and all those cool songs: "Teddy Bear", "Phantom 309", "Widowmaker", "Looking At The World Through A Windshield", etc. Great country music. My grandfather was a truck driver, and being born and raised in Tennessee, this stuff was big. He always had cool 8-tracks of this stuff, so it's in my blood. Redneck, gear-jamming, hammer-putting-down music...gotta love it!
John Denver
Sentimental reasons. Reminds me of a particular house/neighborhood I lived in at 5 years of age. My parents were still together, life was happy and simple. If I hear "Back Home Again" or "Jonathan" and I'm not prepared for it, there's a good chance I might cry. Again, please read disclaimer
Conway Twitty
Not the late-70's/early 80's country pop "trying to be sexy" crap. But he did some GREAT hardcore country stuff in the late-60's/early-70's, with whiny pedal steel, fiddles, aching vocals, etc. My grandparents always had that stuff around (as well as old George Jones, Faron Young, Marty Robbins, etc.), so it's kinda in my blood. Takes me back to a specific place and time. Plus, I LOVE stone-cold, twangy/whiny country music (NOT this lame-ass current Top 40 "hot NEW country" pop/rock horseshit masquerading as country...ugh).
What else?
People watching. I can do it anywhere, anytime and never get bored with it. Airports (if I have to pick up a friend, I ALWAYS go at least 90 minutes early so I can just sit around and watch people walk by). Parks, malls, etc. If I'm somewhere where I have to sit for a while and wait for something, it never bothers me because I like just looking at people. I like looking at them, what they're wearing, how they're interacting with each other (especially couples), etc. and just trying to imagine what kind of house they live in, life they lead, job they work at, etc. I don't know why, but I've always been that way.
You see some of the most interesting people (and sexy women) in airports.
I think that's about it.
Comments
Unreal Tournement
Star Trek
AppleOutsider
If there's a hot chick in the street I see her.
Look at my post count, for God's sake, and tell me I don't have a problem!
mostly a punk rock listener, but i like The Average White Band and have a perverse little soft spot for SuperTramp for some reason...don't have any of their albums, but i seem to know all the words to their songs???strange....
have hundreds of books, but tend to re-read the Philip K Dick, the Jim Thompson, the Charles Willeford, the JG Ballad and the Samuel Delany books instead of checking out new stuff that i really should read....g
oohhhh, and i actually like Not Another Teen Movie and thought that the Scooby Do movie was much better than i thought it would be.....those are both pretty embarrassing to admit....
Had all their albums on cassette as a kid. They're playing the tv show re-runs on TVland late at night, I can still sing all the words to any of their songs! (Some of which are underrated today, "Pleasant Valley Sunday", for one.)
TV-Son of the Beach
I liked Night Stand, too. Timothy Stack's double entendre always make me laugh. Plus, "What would that be like?"
Movies- Showgirls
Had a huge crush on, and in a way went through puberty with (Class of 93) Jessie Spanos.
Huge fanstasy fulfillment when Elizabeth Berkley came out on that stage and whipped it all off. God, what a bad movie, though.
Food-KFC, Original Recipe.
MMMMM!
Jeff
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: jeffyboy ]</p>
In general though I probably do a lot of things that most people would be slightly embarrased about, but instead I choose to embrace them and have a good time.
I'm not into the Three Stooges per se, but things like some of the Airplane and Naked Gun-type movies (Top Secret!) and some Benny Hill (only some) and Mr. Bean can have me rolling on the floor.
Dressing up
Sounds stupid, and I suppose this also falls into the "is he gay?" category, but I do like the opportunity to get all gussied up once in a while. I can't keep it up every day, but when the event comes up, I like to go all out.
people watching
Petty? Shallow? Judgmental? You bet!
Pet Shop Boys
Also in the "is he gay?" category, I always buy a new Pet Shop Boys CD when it comes out. It's not like anything else I listen to, but they've only made 2 Cds that are only OK in my opinion. the rest I love and play all the time.
Law and Order
I don't just watch this show, I'm an absolute L&O junkie. I see it on NBC, A&E and TNT. Old, new, spin-offs, it's all good.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension
It happens in New Brunswick!
Old Toys
I don't still play with them, but I do keep them packed neatly away. Everything from stuffed animals to Robotech and Tranformers (some from the original series). It's funny, I'm not the least bit nostalgic about my childhood, but I think some of this stuff is truly amazing to see in terms of craftsmanship and imagination.
80's Goth
Bauhaus and their ilk. Even now, my tastes still lean towards that sort of thing, and people make fun of it -- it's so dated and cheesy in its own right.
Ice skating
Not just hockey but a little open ice time for free skating. I can't really call what I do figure skating as I only have one move: forward. It's not so cheesy when you're accompanied by a woman.
Cognac in winter
Sounds affected, but a nice snifter of Cognac on a cold wet winter's night gives me the warm fuzzies.
Pizza on Sunday night
When I absolutely don't feel like cooking and I have no excuses to be out, I order a plain pie and eat the leftovers (what little there are) for lunch during the week. I do this probably every 2-3 weeks. A sad, lonely event to witness I'm sure.
This damnable place!
Self-explanatory. I am so ashamed. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
Was hooked on "Felicity" a year or two ago (shhh...don't tell!).
And I still have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy 80's music (one-hit wonders and Brit synth pop hairdo bands).
And, of course, all that 70's stuff too ("Chevy Van", "Summer Breeze", "Afternoon Delight", etc.)
My <a href="http://members.cox.net/pscates126/itunes.html"; target="_blank">iTunes playlist</a>. Some EXQUISITE cheese and guilty pleasures are found within!
-I like anything starring Norm McDonald (such as "Dirty Work")
-I watch The O'Reilly Factor
-Gettig to wear a suit. I guess this means someday I'll be a business man.
-I'm addicted to Diet Pepsi
-I own Ace of Base, "The Sign" as well as the "A Night at the Roxbury" soundtrack.
-NOBODY knows I post here, and it is more than embarassing to tell them. Infact, nobody knows I know anything about computers. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
-I don't let people know that my car doesn't have working AC. Very embarassing.
-I want to produce a Star Trek porn movie for all those in their 30 somethings that live in their parents' basements. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
-I have a tendency to check out hot chicks. Of course it's hard not to when they're all over; especially at my school. This is not even a bad thing, so nevermind. BUT, I've almost gotten into a car accident by staring at a hottie and not paying attention.
-I drive with my 3-Wood because I can't hit my driver. I still out drive lots of people though.
-I go to the driving range 4 times a week
I know I'm missing lots of stuff but oh well
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: G4Dude ]
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: G4Dude ]</p>
I can't stand to see someone get screwed over - I'm always in there to help. Lately I've become quite the eBay vigilante. I've got all kinds of little "networks" going with people, helping folks that have been scammed get their money back, telling them what resources are available. Providing emails from known scammers (who email me death threats now) so they can use the headers, etc. I'm bidding on and winning these auctions ALL the time now, so I get email from other bidders constantly either thanking me, or asking for help. I helped a guy out recently track down this dude in Romania - it'll be interesting to see how that goes.
Golf. Well, the "obsession" isn't really with golf per se, rather the driving range. This is where the embarassed, feeling stupid part of it comes in. I love going to the driving range, because I can basically hit the ball further than anyone I know. It sounds so stupid, but I totally get a charge out of pounding ball after ball over the fence at the end of the range, and having kids stop behind me to watch. Hearing the whispers "holy crap, watch this guy!" as I'm hitting. I'm addicted that that shit, man.
I'm also addicted to the show Smallville. I don't know if it's just that it would be so cool to be Supe and I'm fantasizing about it, or the hot chicks... but damn, I'm probably too old to be digging this show as much as I do. A little embarassed to say this.
Hmm, that's all that comes to mind right now. Oh, other than reading Mac magazines on the throne for HOURS.
yeah, i do that with your wife too
<strong>Ooh, some of you guys triggered some of mine I forgot:
Was hooked on "Felicity" a year or two ago (shhh...don't tell!).
And I still have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy 80's music (one-hit wonders and Brit synth pop hairdo bands).
And, of course, all that 70's stuff too ("Chevy Van", "Summer Breeze", "Afternoon Delight", etc.)
My <a href="http://members.cox.net/pscates126/itunes.html"; target="_blank">iTunes playlist</a>. Some EXQUISITE cheese and guilty pleasures are found within!
pscates, don't have to 'pologize about Felicity dude. Keri Russell... ohhh. I'll see you Felicity and raise ya JLH (Time of Your Life), Buffy and SMG and last but definitely not least Katie Holmes Dawson's Creek.
ps-how'd you do that thing with the playlist? I'd share some of mine <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: fantastic happy dinner man ]</p>
<strong>The Greatfull Dead
Unreal Tournement
Star Trek
AppleOutsider</strong><hr></blockquote>
I am close :
Quake 3 (in the past : i have a software failure, that i am too lazy to fix it)
Star Trek
Apple Outsider
Golf
<strong>I
Golf. Well, the "obsession" isn't really with golf per se, rather the driving range. This is where the embarassed, feeling stupid part of it comes in. I love going to the driving range, because I can basically hit the ball further than anyone I know. It sounds so stupid, but I totally get a charge out of pounding ball after ball over the fence at the end of the range, and having kids stop behind me to watch. Hearing the whispers "holy crap, watch this guy!" as I'm hitting. I'm addicted that that shit, man.
I </strong><hr></blockquote>
I can't understand that man, i love to have the reputation to have one of the longest drive of my club ( a small one), but i am also one of them who lost too many balls ...But succeed long drive : i enjoy it very much.
<strong>pscates, don't have to 'pologize about Felicity dude. Keri Russell... ohhh. I'll see you Felicity and raise ya JLH (Time of Your Life), Buffy and SMG and last but definitely not least Katie Holmes Dawson's Creek.
ps-how'd you do that thing with the playlist? I'd share some of mine <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually, on "Felicity" I was a TOTAL Amy Jo Johnson (Julie) nut. To be honest, Felicity herself was the ONLY person on that show I DIDN'T like! Too whiny and neurotic.
As for the iTunes thing, I exported my playlist from iTunes (under the Advanced menu, you'll see "Export Song List..."). It seems to make this weird text file, with everything kinda messy and jumbled together.
BUT, when you bring it into a spreadsheet, it all straightens out. I think because maybe it's divided by tabs and each little segment goes neatly into it's own cell (I use AppleWorks, not Excel)?
To be honest, I forgot the EXACT procedure because I have two things going against me: I'm not a spreadsheet guy AND I'm not a web guy. I just remember it was a lot of trial and error and experimentation between AppleWorks and GoLive.
While still in the spreadsheet, I deleted all the info except the four things showing (song, artist, album, genre).
It ended up in a table, I do know that.
I would like to know if there's a quicker, easier way than how I did it.
Golf too. It's still not "cool" to play golf.
BTW, who cares if you can hit the ball far, because I'll still be the one kickin yer arses on the course!
[QB]
Actually, on "Felicity" I was a TOTAL Amy Jo Johnson (Julie) nut. To be honest, Felicity herself was the ONLY person on that show I DIDN'T like! Too whiny and neurotic.
oh yes, i know whom you mean! she played gittar and sang in the coffee house? I lost track I think after the episode where Felicity and Julie's BF went on the road trip together to Stanford? Then the season ended, at least in this neck o the woods, and wasn't shown again.
Thanks for the playlist help, I'm gonna do that next
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: fantastic happy dinner man ]</p>
Comic Books - I still will pick up some and read them. Feel like a kid again.
Cartoons - I have the entire Ren and Stimpy collection. Some Anime too.
Shlock movies - You know the kind; "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", "Danger Diabolik", "Faster Pussy Cat Kill, Kill Kill!" or "Barbarella". John Water's and Ed Wood films...
Porn - Need I say more? Thank God for the Internet.
Fast Food and greasy spoon joints - Especially after a night on the town... <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
Musically I had a guilty pleasure listening to early KISS recordings...until they started selling condoms and coffins...then I drew the line. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Seems that old movies make some friends of mine go
I watch "The Gilmore Girls"
I still watch wrestling.
I listen to "Disco Saturday Nights" on KBig 104.
I pretend I just wiped the dirt with Ricky Carmichael's ass when I'm out riding.
I wish I had hair like Cory Nastazio.
I think the crocodile hunter really is funny.
I love all the old 40's and 50's musicals.
"Alice in Wonderland" is my favorite animated movie.
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: Shanny ]</p>