"Walking on Sunshine" The Muse Interview

As you know, Friday is interview day here at "The Beach". This week I had the opportunity to ask a few questions to The Muse. Her site "Strip Search City" is a place we all love to visit. For your Friday reading pleasure, here is my interview with the one and only Muse.

CMAC- What single event in your life most shaped the person you are today?

MUSE- Its really hard for me to narrow it down to a single event - there are so many milestones in my life, from the birth of my sister who is 10 years my junior (and OMG, I'm not the only child anymore), to my grandmother being diagnosed with cancer, to the death of my grandfather... but I think the event that would unconditionally have resulted in me being a different person had it not happened, was the move from "big-city" Las Vegas, NV to rural town C'ville, GA. Although I had moved several times before, it had all been within the same city, and this was a cross-country move which changed EVERYTHING in my life. I knew none but my own family, and I didn't really even know my cousins. I no longer lived in a neighborhood with kids my age - they were all younger and went to county schools. Everything about the system was different, the way they taught subjects, class set-up, expectations. I was forced to make completely new friends and figure out how to make it on my own. It was even a clean slate for me - a challenge because no one knew who I was before the move. I was known as "the chick from Vegas" or "Erin's cousin." I could shape my own identity. Without that move, it is highly unlikely that I would've gone to UGA and ended up here in Atlanta today. And it was in those first few weeks of adjustment that I met the girl I'm proud to call my best friend of 11 years, Lana.



The Muse is always shining her light on us all..... 

CMAC- Each relationship is different and the chemistry with different couples varies, but at what point do you think it is "acceptable" to have sex with someone? (ex: 3rd date, a month, etc.)

MUSE- For me, it all depends on what I'm feeling between me and the guy and how long I've known him. If its a friend of some time that I've suddenly started dating, there's already a foundation, and it would happen maybe around the 3rd date or so. With a guy that I meet and then date, if the chemistry is real, I can visualize it happening very early on in the first date (why else would there be subsequent dates?) but don't act on it. Usually, by the 3rd or 4th date, I've determined if there's something other than lust - if our personalities mesh, if he honestly makes me laugh. The anticipation of it is part of it, so for myself, I think the "acceptable" point is one date past where you want to tear his clothes off before you even have the appetizer at dinner.

CMAC- What are your five favorite movies of all time and why?

MUSE- The Princess Bride: I've watched this movie hundreds of times and still don't find it boring. I can quote every line, and the soundtrack is beautiful (one of Mark Knopfler's best, in my opinion). Any time I'm not feeling well, my mom would put it on and my grandmother would make me homemade soup. Its part of my childhood.
- The Goonies: Another childhood favorite. There's adventure, fantasy, a little puppy love and an adorable Sean Austin. I've passed on my love of it to my younger sister, and now we watch it together when I'm home.
- Singles: The epitome of 90s pop culture with a very honest look at the game of dating. And it makes me want to use the line "I was just nowhere near your neighborhood..."
- Road Trip: Not a classic. Definitely not a film masterpiece. But it was filmed on the UGA campus my freshman year, and every time I watch it, I'm brought back to that moment in time when I was still an art major, and I felt like I was in an MTV whirlwind (this movie, they were casting for the Real World, and there was a Loveline scandal on my hall all around the same time). It just is part of my college days.
- Kevin Smith movies (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl): All of them cover something/sometime in my life that is important. From Chasing Amy - what happens when you overstep the bounds of friendship and how it changes you and your relationships, Dogma - my theological debating years, to Jersey Girl - knowing that my life could've been very similar to Gertie's, had we not been very, very lucky.

CMAC- Where do you see "The Muse" 5 years from now in 2010? Where would you like to be and where do you actually think you'll be in reality?

MUSE- In five years, I'll be nearing my 30th birthday, so I'll probably be trying to fit in all the crazy things I'd like to be able to explain away later as, "Oh, back in my 20s..." even if its 5 days after my 30th birthday, and mere weeks separate that day from the event. I would like to be nearing completion on the novel I've been writing on and off since I turned 21. I would like to be the proud owner of a home. I would like to be well-established in whatever career choice I've made. I would like to be in a loving, stable relationship. In reality, I'll always be a work-in-progress, as will be my book, my home, my career and my relationship. But I'm becoming more and more comfortable with that idea every day. (Not without a little prodding from my friends, of course.)

CMAC- Tell us about the first time you fell in love, then tell us how that feeling of being "in love" differs from your view of love today.

MUSE- Honestly, I don't think I've ever been in love. I've had some all-consuming crushes over the years. I've experienced a severe case of lust. I've been in love with the idea of being in love. I told an ex that I loved him, knowing that's what he wanted to hear (he said it first), and knowing that's what I should've been elated to "finally" say. I never wanted to admit it to anyone, or even to myself, but even then, I knew it sounded hollow. Like it was something I was supposed to do, rather than a verbal expression of true feelings. But that's what a lot of our relationship was based on - going through the motions of what we were supposed to do/say/feel. And I regret not being honest with myself and him at the time. But, either way, it was certainly a learning experience. My view of love today is still evolving. I'm still shaking off some of the idealistic, Hollywood-fed cliches, the romances. Maybe its because I'm more jaded.

CMAC- What is the best live concert you've ever been to? What made it so good and memorable?

MUSE- The band is simple, as I've been a fan of Cowboy Mouth for over 9 years, but there isn't a single show I've seen of theirs hasn't been memorable. The first one, of course, because I had never had a more cathartic experience in my entire life. I was sweating, hoarse from screaming, exhausted and completely happy (sounds like something else rather cathartic, doesn't it?). Another, I reconnected with a guy that I met at a previous show where we failed to exchange numbers, but this one he wrote my number down in sharpie on his arm and we later dated for a few months. Another, I met the band at the sushi restaurant next door and they signed my liner notes. At a show in Athens, the tour manager made sure that a friend of mine could get in the venue, even though there was a strict 18-over policy (she was 18, but had no valid ID, as her wallet had been stolen). And I met CB at the most recent one. There are at least another 5 shows that I've seen where it was just being there that was memorable.

CMAC- Finally, what feeling/lessons/etc do you want your readers to get each time they log on to "Strip Search City"?

MUSE- I really just want people to be able to laugh with me (or at me - I don't care, as long as there is laughter involved). To serve as some part of entertainment or escape for a small portion of the day. That people aren't alone out there in their frustrations, ranting, happiness or elation. And honestly, I think I learn more from my readers and their reactions to my goings-on than anything else. Plus, its just fun to put a part of myself out there and let it fly.

Thanks to the MUSE for taking the time out to answer my questions and for sharing part of her life and experiences with all of us.