The Media That Influenced Me

One of the most popular questions I get is why are you doing this. It is tough to come up with a simple answer. But maybe giving a list of movies, television shows, books and songs that influenced me will help complete the picture. I will update this list periodically as I recall more influences.

Into the Wild - (Book & Movie)
Can be credited with giving me the final nudge to actually undertake this project. Movie was pretty true to the book. Utimate freedom seeking mentality.

Survivor (TV) - I always was fascinated with the tough environment the contestants competed in. Always wanted to participate. Was turned off by underhanded personality drama. I only watched the first few seasons.

Frontier House (PBS mini series)- A documentary of 3 families placed in 1880's era Montana to see if they could live off the land. I watched this 6 hr show 5 times. Big inspiration.

Fight Club-(Movie & Book) I really identified with this movie and then I read the book. I subscribe to the notion that our culture has taken a dive because of the importance of materialism and consumerism. It should go without saying, I don't subscribe to the idea of blowing up buildings to achieve a better life.

The Amazing Race-(Television) The greatest reality game type show on TV. Even if it is edited to provide the most dramatic storyline, that is the nature of TV, or nobody would watch.

Eco-Challenge- (Endurance Race) Before he created Survivor, Mark Burnett produced and televised this race in the 90's in which teams raced across countries over the course of 3 weeks. I remember thinking that was the coolest thing I ever saw. Probably ought to be credited with first planting the seed in my mind that there was something else out there.

Road Rules (MTV show)-A show in the 90's that I thought was pretty cool. Mixing travel in an RV and adventure, what a natural combination.

Man Vs Wild-(Discovery TV) Bear Grylls and the survival minded show always captivates me. One of the Discovery shows that got me thinking of videoing my future expeditions.

Survivorman- Similar to Man Vs Wild, but he is also his own camera crew, so he is always truly alone.

Grizzly Man (Movie) This documentary about a guy living in Alaska with Grizzly Bears is fascinating. The guy was a little strange and perhaps misguided, but he took some incredible videos before he got ate.

Alone in the Wilderness (Documentary) A 51 Year old man builds a cabin with only simple hand tools in the Alaskan Wilderness in 1967. His is a story of self sufficiency and resourcefulness. He stayed at his cabin for the next 30 years. A true inspiration.

Into Thin Air- The story of a Fateful Mt Everest climb. One of the first outdoor adventure books I read. It was on the same trip that the IMAX crew was on.

Mythbusters- (Television) Show that made the scientific principle interesting and uses it in real life applications. My whole life sometimes feels like one big experiment at times. Just the way I like it. I like a dash of education in my entertainment.

Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer- These classics are two of the best stories I have ever read. In fact, I need to add 'Make a homemade raft and float down a mile of the Mississippi' one of my things to do before I die.

U2- Almost any song but 'Beautiful Day' in particular. Google the lyrics. Bono said it is basically about "a guy losing everything and being happy about it. Imagine that." The upbeat tune speaks volumes of the attitude.