My Fifteen Artists

So my friend Chris Downs tagged me in a post:
The Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen Artists who've influenced you and that will ALWAYS STICK WITH YOU. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag 10 friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what artists my friends choose...

I made my list, the original being this:1] Warren Ellis
2] Stephen King
3] Amanda Conner
4] David Grohl
5] Brody Dalle
6] John Carpenter
7] The Kids in the Hall
8] Alan Moore
9] Berkeley Breathed
10] Kurt Cobain
11] Howard Bloom
12] Frank Black
13] Roald Dahl
14] Mel Brooks
15] Chuck Jones

It was fun, and thought provoking. So, caffeine infused, I'm going to get into the whys, as well as a few that should be included. Here goes.

  Warren Ellis, Alan Moore and Amanda Conner are all from the comic book world. Amanda, being an artist in the graphic medium, has a amazing style that can fit in nearly every medium. Odds are you've seen her work even if you don't read comics. To me, her ability to put so much expression into her work has helped me a great deal in advancing my own work.
 Mr. Ellis and Mr. Moore are writers, and have created works that have changed the way I see the world. From Black Summer and Transmetropolitan to Watchmen and V for Vendetta, these two fine gentlemen have crafted some of the most inspiring, beloved, thought provoking and simply amazing stories ever created. They also created V and Spider Jerusalem, two characters that embody principles that distinctly influenced  the development of my personal moral core.
 Do I really need to tell you why Stephen King is on the list? I was reading this guy in fourth grade, and he fostered an already healthy love of reading and horror, as well as being probably the chief reason I have the ability to compose this very blog.
 David Grohl is one of my biggest musical inspirations from the early days, and introduced me to the glory of playing drums. Along with Kurt Cobain, they created the music that made me feel like a part of me that had been stolen had finally been given back.
 Frank Black, a.k.a Black Francis of the Pixies, and Brody Dalle are the other two musicians that have touched my life the deepest. Their works have helped further define that stolen part of me, inspired me musically, and have helped reel me back from the pit of despair when nothing else seemed to work.
 The Beatles are not on the list, but they really should be. I will forever associate several Beatles songs with most my happiest, most cherished childhood memories, no doubt due to their presence on my folks record player during holidays and the like back then. To this day, almost every time I listen to The Beatles my eyes involuntarily leak tears of joy.  
 Roald Dahl was an amazing writer who helped expand the frontiers of my already fertile imagination, and did a better job than any other literary work of teaching me the dire consequences of being a shitty person. My dad read probably everyone of his books to me and my sister while we were children, another good association.
 John Carpenter gave me The Thing. I'll forever be grateful to him for that. It's pretty much my all time favorite movie period, and one of the best movies of all time, in my humble opinion. His films are essential for any true horror fan.
  Berkeley Breathed is the cartoonist who created Bloom County, which my folks had several books collecting the strips. In edition being one of the earliest introductions to comics, Bloom County helped shape(and warp) my sense of humor, despite my complete lack of a point of reference to 80's culture and politics at the time. A lot of his stuff is timeless however, attributed by the strips I have proudly displayed on my wall.
 The Kids in the Hall are my favorite comedy troupe ever. I was really into them when I was younger, but forgot about them until I met my girlfriend Jess. Now they are part of the unique bond between Jess and I, and have a special place in the history of our relationship. Jess still mercilessly mocks me for my unrepentant man-crush on Scott Thompson.
 Mel Brooks is another person who had a big effect on me in my youth and helping shape my much beloved sense of humor. Space Balls was the first comedy I remember seeing, watching Dracula: Dead and Loving It with my friends was one of the few great memories of high school, and Young Frankenstein is the only movie that ranks with The Thing for my favorites. 
    Howard Bloom wrote a book called The Lucifer Principle. This brilliant piece of literature brings to light and explains the subtle underlying relationships between evolution, religion, the path of civilized history and the many forms of the human condition. It gave me a unique perspective on not just the way the world is, but why it's the way it is, fueled many amazing discussions over the years and reinforced my life-long passion of science.
 Chuck Jones is one of the people who made the greatest animated shows of all time, in the form of the original Loony Tunes. You can also thank him for the wonderful animated version of How the Grinch stole Christmas. Chuck, as a writer, director and animator, created several key characters and episodes of  Loony Tunes that above all lit my youth up with some of the most hilariously brilliant shit ever created. His work was beautiful, hysterically funny, politically incorrect and can never be recreated. Chuck Jones taught me that nothing in life is worth taking so serious that it completely eclipses humor and joy.
   
Now, here's some other artists that have made a notable mark on my life:

 Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. These men should be known to all true horror fans, as the contributions to the genre are priceless. They starred in the monster movies that were really my first love, and their work is unique and timeless. To me, these fine men are the Beatles of horror.
 Well, if it were not for Artie Denny, I literally wouldn't exist. Artie is the chief contributor to my artistic abilities, thanks to genetics. To me, Artie is one of the best graphic artists in the western hemisphere, despite anything else that may be thought of him. Had fate dealt him a fairer hand, Artie's work would have had a place in any museum; instead of being plagued by his own demons, he could have created whole worlds that would have inspired and entertained innumerable minds.  
 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the worlds first, and still the best, superhero, Superman. Over fifty years later, the big blue boy scout is still an icon of nobility to me.
 Bill Finger, who should get far more attention for his importance in the creation of Batman. Bob Kane is a bit of an asshole for taking all the credit.
 Everyone who worked for Wizard magazine through the 90's and early 00's, who taught me so much about Comic books, their writers and artists, comic book history, and the fine art of potty humor.