Scott Bateman
writer/animator
Asked: 4/23/12 at Hot Tub at Littlefield
Scott Bateman writes Disalmanac and makes animations.
- cheese
- Stereolab
- The Falls
- World on a Wire
- Stunt Rock
- Portland, OR
- the Internet
- Maker’s Mark
- new shoes
- black mock turtlenecks
Maura Johnston
writer/editor
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Shabbos, Lower East Side, NY
Maura is the music editor of the Village Voice an an adjunct professor at NYU.
- a new song that thrills me
- a nice breeze on a really hot day
- flash-fried Brussels sprouts with orange zest on top
- when a car drives by my apartment blasting a good song
- hearing or producing a really good launch
- looking at a body of water and seeing the sun glint off it in a really beautiful way
- finishing the Saturday NY Times crossword
- flipping through music video channels
- surprise emails from old friends
- a really satisfying make-out session
Bex Schwartz
writer/director
Asked: 4/4/2012, Chelsea, NY
Bex is a television enthusiast who is quite fond of pandas.
- Panda, the cat
- pandas, the pandas
- snorkeling: especially at cephalopods, particularly watching reef squid communicate by flickering
- extremely carbonated water, either from my sodastream or preferably Vichy water
- Twin Peaks
- The Hold Steady
- R.E.M.
- Picnic Club
- Chiang Mai
- wine nights that turn into dance parties
Erik Bryan
Editor
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Erik Bryan lives in Brooklyn with a large orange cat. He excels at entertaining himself. Erik, not the cat.
- Zelda games
- The Morning News
- Twin Peaks
- James Joyce
- Katharine Hepburn
- rocking out
- Bulleit bourbon
- social justice
- New Orleans
- whatever the opposite of listing favorite things is, but not listing things you hate, because that’s equally frustrating
Ben Leonard
Audio Engineer
Asked: 3/19/2012 at Hot Tub at the Littlefield
Ben Leonard is an audio engineer, originally from Indiana and currently living in New York City. Among his accomplishments are the facts that Keith Richards once winked at him and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits once called him a “homo.” Also, once in college, he passed a course without ever setting foot in the classroom.
- cheese
- bacon
- Columbus, IN
- The Diamond J Ranch in Ennis, MT
- on the beach at Lake Michigan, Glenn, MI
- Star Wars
- building things, and fixing things
- finding the most appropriate song for any given moment
- road trips
- Disneyworld
Lilit Marcus
writer
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Shabbos, Lower East Side, NY
Lilit Marcus is a Brooklynite by way of North Carolina, which means that she’s a snob about fried chicken and people who take taxis. Her first book, Save the Assistants, was published in 2010 and is now available en espanol. Her work has also been published in Glamour, The Forward, The New York Post, and Cosmopolitan. It’s pronounced “Lil-leet.”
- hats
- British Indian food
- travel
- sparkly nail polish from Essie
- guys with Southern accents
- guys with French accents
- bluegrass
- Steel Magnolias
- a really proper cup of tea
- acupuncture
Jeremy Balon
Comedian/Filmmaker
Asked: 3/16/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Jeremy L. Balon is a writer, actor and co-creator of ManBoobs Sketchy Comedy. In addition, he Produces and works as Editor on much of the online content under his company, Destroyer Digital. Jeremy began his career as a Property Master and has over 10 years of experience in the New York film industry, working with such names as Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), David Wain (The State, Stella) and Jason Sudeikis (SNL) among others.
- my ManBoobs
- Formula 50 Vitamin Water
- the State of Ohio
- water near Beaches
- cheese
- The Manatee Café
- my fam!
- pajamas
- Mr Show: The Complete Collection
- key-lime Pie
Natalie Kuhn
Actor/Dancer
Asked: 3/19/2012 at Hot Tub at Littlefield
Natalie is a performer living in Queens. She has worked with Adam Rapp, Karen O, David Byrne, Annie-B Parson, Evan Bergman, Miranda July, Arto Lindsay, Charlene Kaye, Avan Lava, and other artists, since graduating from NYU in 2007. She has performed at 59E59, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Radio City Music Hall, Williamstown Theater Festival, Royal Festival Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Her TV and film work includes: Ride Risa Roar, Law and Order, Are We There Yet?, Going Local, and The Pit.
- Thanksgiving
- the start of a new project
- any time spent with my girlfriends
- brunch
- dancing my face off
- spooning
- Bill Withers and Wilson Pickett
- sweating
- the feeling I get when I hear my boyfriend’s ring tone
- cold alcohol on a hot night
Liam McEneaney
Comedian/Philanthropist
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Liam McEneaney has appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, and Vh1, has toured as a headliner all over the world, and recently made “Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film!”, based on his weekly show of the same name.
- the city of Berlin
- Bill Cosby
- the works of Kurt Vonnegut
- Bob Dylan, musician (not actor)
- kissing girls
- NY Mets
- my nephew, Alexander
- flying
- the movies of Woody Allen
- that stout beer that’s made in Cork that I can’t remember
Kyra Auffermann
Freelance Writer
Asked: 3/16/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Kyra Auffermann is the editorial coordinator at PRSA and a freelance writer. She’s an expert on memes, happy-hour specials and justifying why she skipped yoga today.
- bacon
- pizza
- red wine
- Moleskine notebooks
- stripes
- Costa Rica
- leopard-print ballet flats
- Vladimir Novokov
- coffee
- free drinks
Madeleine Davies
Writer/Comedian
Asked: 3/16/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Madeleine Davies is a writer, comedian and Real Housewife of Atlanta. You can read her daily on Jezebel.com
- my mom
- foreign music videos from the 70s and 80s
- being in the forest
- Snuff Box
- falafel
- trashy TV that’s honest about being trashy
- dogs
- the ocean (but terrified of it)
- pre-code hollywood
- the boots of glam rock
Cole Stryker
Writer
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Shabbos, Lower East Side, NY
I write. Mostly about the Web. I also help agencies and brands make their stuff go viral through content strategy and copywriting.
In 2011 I wrote two books. The first is about the hacktivist group Anonymous and the memetic culture from which it spawned. The second presents a broader history of anonymity as a social construct.
- Sophie’s Choice (novel)
- Leave Here a Stranger
- home fermentation
- Tumblr
- The Book of Job
- Starcraft II
- Xian’s Famous Foods
- The Office (BBC)
- Elizabeth Fraser’s voice
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Bob Powers
Writer
Asked: 3/23/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Bob Powers is the author of several humor books including Happy Cruelty Day and You Are A Miserable Excuse For A Hero. He is a staff-writer at someecards.com.
- my wife, Amanda
- my cat, Tubbs
- my immediate blood relatives, and the fact that none of them are dicks
- employment
- the knowledge that I have Ambien in my bathroom
- locking the front door before going to bed
- my other cat, Posey
- my bathtub
- bourbon
- my friends, even the dicks.
Scott Koshnoodi
Co-owner, Littlefield
Asked: 3/19/2012 at Hot Tub at Littlefield
Arrived in NYC in 2000 via Dallas/Austin. Two years as an Environmental Engineer, seven as a chef, and three as a venue owner. Don’t ask … long story.
- Garth Ennis
- goosebumps when first connecting with a song
- cooking
- Morrissey
- sarcasm
- Texas football
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- the smell of fresh bread during a morning jog
- wine and/or a proper cocktail
- charcuterie
Beth Hoyt
Host/Writer at My Damn Channel Live
Asked: 3/16/2012 at Whiskey Friday at The Onion
Beth is the host of My Damn Channel Live. Beth performed across the country and the interweb, including in Transition and Radio Play with Reggie Watts and Tommy Smith; plays by Christopher Durang; in the upcoming movie The Bachelorette (don’t blink); and in web series including Shut Up, Beth!, Gay’s Anatomy and Reggie and Jenny. Beth co-hosts a weekly comedy show called Big Effing Deal! with Trish Nelson in the East Village at 2A.
- Home Alone
- Catherine O’Hara in anything
- thinking about travelling
- my Backknobber
- day drinking
- night drinking, too
- Red
- going across Manhattan bridge into Manhattan in a cab
- my Sleep Cycle alarm clock app
- breakfast — but only at breakfast time
Whereby interesting people in NY are interrupted and asked on the spot to list their ten favorite things, in no particular order, interpreted as they wish, which are then presented here, without comment.Alcohol is usually involved.
