Loves
“You can only go with loves in this life,” said the writer Ray Bradbury.
To which I say: “Totally, dude!”
In that spirit, here are works of Creativity that I truly love and fully recommend.
Books—
–All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks
–All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
–An Actor Prepares by Konstantin Stanislavski
–An Act of God by God & David Javerbaum
–The Alexander Technique: A Skill for Life by Pedro de Alcantara
–Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
–El arte de amar por Erich Fromm
–Apropos of Nothing by Woody Allen
–Atrévete a ser quien eres por Walter Riso
–Based on a True Story by Norm Macdonald
–The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
–Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
–Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury
–Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
–Candide ou l’optimisme de Voltaire
–A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
–La ciudad y los perros por Mario Vargas Llosa
–Creative Inspiration by Vincent van Gogh (curated by Kelly Shetron)
–Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese
–Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
–The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
–Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
–Don Quijote de la Mancha por Miguel de Cervantes
–La dualidad eterna: Don Quijote y Sancho por Patria Caride
–Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician by Joe Elliott, Carl Schroeder & Keith Wyatt
–El amor, las mujeres y la vida por Mario Benedetti
–Enamórate de ti por Walter Riso
–Food Rules by Michael Pollan
–Grieving Is Loving by Joanne Cacciatore
–Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
–How to Live by Derek Sivers
–Il principe di Niccolò Machiavelli
–In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Dr. Gabor Maté
–Indirect Procedures by Pedro de Alcantara
–Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld
–Los jefes y los cachorros por Mario Vargas Llosa
–Largo pétalo de mar por Isabel Allende
–Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
–Lettres à son frère Théo de Vincent van Gogh
–El libro de arena por Jorge Luis Borges
–The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
–Los límites del amor por Walter Riso
–Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
–Maravillosamente imperfecto, escandalosamente feliz por Walter Riso
–Meditaciones por Marco Aurelio
–La metamorfosis por Franz Kafka
–La muerte de Iván Ilich por León Tolstói
–The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté
–12 Notes: On Life and Creativity by Quincy Jones
–On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
–The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
–Patatita por Pilar Moreno Llorente
–Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn
–Peak by K. Anders Ericcson and Robert Pool
–Le Petit Prince de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
–Poking a Dead Frog by Mike Sacks
–The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
–The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
–Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen
–School of Sight-Singing: Vocal by Giuseppe Concone
–Selección de Cuentos de Antón Chéjov por Antón Chéjov
–Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher
–Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo
–More Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo
–Start to Finish: Woody Allen and the Art of Moviemaking by Eric Lax
–A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
–Los tesoros de Vincent van Gogh por Cornelia Homburg
–Three Plays by Henrik Ibsen
–Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
–Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings by Rainer Metzger & Ingo F. Walther (TASCHEN Bibliotheca Universalis)
–When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Maté
–Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison
–Ya te dije adiós, ahora cómo te olvido por Walter Riso
–Your Music and People by Derek Sivers
–Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Songs—
-“When You Say Nothing At All” by Alison Krauss
-“Arms of a Woman” by Amos Lee
-“Amazing Grace” by Andrea Bocelli
-«Il mare calmo della sera» di Andrea Bocelli
-«Vivo per lei» di Andrea Bocelli & Giorgia
-«Por el resto de mi vida» de Andrés Cepeda
-“Eternal Flame” by The Bangles
-“I Write The Songs” by Barry Manilow
-“How Deep Is Your Love” by Bee Gees
-“Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers
-“And So It Goes” by Billy Joel
-“Baby Grand” by Billy Joel & Ray Charles
-“The Great Suburban Showdown” by Billy Joel
-“Leningrad” by Billy Joel
-“Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” by Billy Joel
-“Piano Man” by Billy Joel
-“River of Dreams” by Billy Joel
-“Vienna” by Billy Joel
-“Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin
-“Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin
-“Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan
-“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” by Bob Dylan
-“Masters of War” by Bob Dylan
-“Against the Wind” by Bob Seger
-“The Fire Inside” by Bob Seger
-“The Eye” by Brandi Carlile
-“Who You Thought I Was” by Brandy Clark
-“Dancing In The Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
-«Candela» de Buena Vista Social Club
-«Por una cabeza» de Carlos Gardel (versión de la película Scent of a Woman con Al Pacino)
-«La bohème» de Charles Aznavour
-«Bon anniversaire» de Charles Aznavour
-«Noël à Paris» de Charles Aznavour
-«Je m’voyais déjà» de Charles Aznavour
-«Mes emmerdes» de Charles Aznavour
-«Que c’est triste Venise» de Charles Aznavour
-«Un siglo sin ti» de Chayanne
-“Ungodly Hour” by Chloe x Halle
-“The Lonely” by Christina Perri
-“BrokEn” by Coldplay
-“The Scientist” by Coldplay
-“Everything that Glitters” by Dan Seals
-“Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker
-“Rusty Old American Dream” by David Wilcox
-“Top of the Roller Coaster” by David Wilcox
-«Cantar hasta morir» de Diego Torres
-«Por ti yo iré» de Diego Torres
-“American Pie” by Don McLean
-“And I Love You So” by Don McLean
-“Castles In the Air” by Don McLean
-“Crying” by Don McLean
-“Empty Chairs” by Don McLean
-“Everybody Loves Me, Baby” by Don McLean
-“The Grave” by Don McLean
-“Homeless Brother” by Don McLean
-“Mountains O’Mourne” by Don McLean
-“Vincent” by Don McLean
-“Desperado” by Eagles
-“Hotel California” by Eagles
-“Peaceful Easy Feeling” by Eagles
-“Take It Easy” by Eagles
-“The A Team” by Ed Sheeran
-“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John
-“Your Song” by Elton John
-“Stan” by Eminem
-“Layla” by Eric Clapton
-“Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton
-“Promises” by Eric Clapton
-“OK, It’s Alright With Me” by Eric Hutchinson
-“The Take Over, the Breaks Over” by Fall Out Boy
-“Thnks fr th Mmrs” by Fall Out Boy
-“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
-“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
-“Never Going Back Again” by Fleetwood Mac
-«Te mando flores» de Fonseca
-“Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
-“Glad to Be Unhappy” by Frank Sinatra
-“I Wanna Be Around” by Frank Sinatra
-“In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by Frank Sinatra
-“I’ve Got a Crush on You” by Frank Sinatra
-“One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” by Frank Sinatra
-“The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra
-“You Make Me Feel So Young” by Frank Sinatra
-“Nocturne No. 20 in C# minor” by Frédéric Chopin
-«El cantante» de Héctor Lavoe
-«Periódico de ayer» de Héctor Lavoe
-“You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson
-“You Give Me Something” by James Morrison
-“Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor
-“Shower the People” by James Taylor
-“Cold In Ohio” by Jamie Lawson
-“Wasn’t Expecting That” by Jamie Lawson
-“If We Were Vampires” by Jason Isbell
-“Last of My Kind” by Jason Isbell
-“Traveling Alone” by Jason Isbell
-“Be Where Your Feet Are” by Jason Mraz
-“Have It All” by Jason Mraz
-“I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
-“Living In the Moment” by Jason Mraz
-“Wordplay” by Jason Mraz
-“Always With Me, Always With You” by Joe Satriani
-“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
-“Imagine” by John Lennon
-“3×5” by John Mayer
-“Badge And Gun” by John Mayer
-“Belief” by John Mayer
-“Born and Raised” by John Mayer
-“I’m Gonna Find Another You” by John Mayer
-“No Such Thing” by John Mayer
-“Stop This Train” by John Mayer
-“Vultures” by John Mayer
-“Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” by John Mayer
-“Why Georgia” by John Mayer
-“The Long Way Home” by John Paul White
-“My Dreams Have All Come True” by John Paul White
-“Please Don’t Bury Me” by John Prine
-“Sam Stone” by John Prine
-“Spanish Pipedream” by John Prine
-«Milonga del moro judío» de Jorge Drexler
-«Amnesia» de José José
-«Un velero llamado Libertad» de José Luis Perales
-«Que levante la mano (Merengue)» de Joseph Fonseca
-“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
-“Lilac Wine” by Jeff Buckley
-“Mama, You Been on My Mind” by Jeff Buckley
-“Merry Go ‘Round” by Kacey Musgraves
-“My House” by Kacey Musgraves
-“Coward of the County” by Kenny Rogers
-“The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers
-“She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers
-“Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me?” by Lawrence
-“The Weather” by Lawrence
-“Girl Crush” by Little Big Town
-“Pancakes for Dinner” by Lizzy McAlpine
-«El día que me quieras» de Luis Miguel
-«Por debajo de la mesa» de Luis Miguel
-«Una furtiva lagrima» di Luciano Pavarotti
-“Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5
-«Te quise olvidar» de MDO
-“Baby Be Mine” by Michael Jackson
-“Stranger In Moscow” by Michael Jackson
-“Inhale Exhale” by Nao
-«Nunca es suficiente» de Natalia Lafourcade
-«Tú sí sabes quererme» de Natalia Lafourcade
-«Bebé» de Nenito Vargas
-«Un beso y una flor» de Nino Bravo
-“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
-«El breve espacio en que no está» de Pablo Milanés
-«Qui a le droit…» de Patrick Bruel
-“The Kiss of Venus” by Paul McCartney & Dominic Fike
-“My Valentine” by Paul McCartney
-“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon
-“Boy In the Bubble” by Paul Simon
-“The Cool, Cool River” by Paul Simon
-“Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes” by Paul Simon
-“Graceland” by Paul Simon
-“Hearts and Bones” by Paul Simon
-“Kathy’s Song” by Paul Simon
-“The Obvious Child” by Paul Simon
-“Rewrite” by Paul Simon
-“Slip Slidin’ Away” by Paul Simon
-“Still Crazy After All These Years” by Paul Simon
-“Think Too Much (b)” by Paul Simon
-“Funeral” by Phoebe Bridgers
-“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
-“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
-“Killer Queen” by Queen
-“Radio Gaga” by Queen
-“Karma Police” by Radiohead
-“Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine
-“I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman
-“Louisiana 1927” by Randy Newman
-“She Chose Me” by Randy Newman
-“Deeper Than The Holler” by Randy Travis
-“Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis
-“Simple Things” by Randy Travis
-“Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis
-“You Don’t Know Me” by Ray Charles
-“Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” by Regina Spektor
-“How” by Regina Spektor
-«Ella y él» de Ricardo Arjona
-“Emoções” do Roberto Carlos
-«Plástico» de Rubén Blades
-«Vete y dile» de Sergio Vargas
-“Tomorrow” by Shakey Graves
-“Word of Mouth” by Shakey Graves
-“You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain
-“Si tu vois ma mère” by Sidney Bechet
-“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel
-“The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel
-“Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel
-“Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel
-“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
-“Abracadabra” by Steve Miller Band
-“Tightrope” by Stevie Ray Vaughan
-“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
-«Ave cesaria» de Stromae
-«Bâtard» de Stromae
-«Carmen» de Stromae
-«C’est que du bonheur» de Stromae
-«Défiler» de Stromae
-«Tous les mêmes» de Stromae
-“Happiness” by The 1975
-“I’m In Love With You” by The 1975
-“It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” by The 1975
-“Looking for Somebody (To Love)” by The 1975
-“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
-“A Day In the Life” by The Beatles
-“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
-“Michelle” by The Beatles
-“Penny Lane” by The Beatles
-“All I Have to Do Is Dream” by The Everly Brothers
-“A Dustland Fairytale” by The Killers
-“Human” by The Killers
-“Read My Mind” by The Killers
-“Romeo and Juliet” by The Killers
-“Them Changes” by Thundercat
-“Amei te ver” do Tiago Iorc
-“Coisa linda” do Tiago Iorc
-“Saudade boa” do Tiago Iorc
-“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
-“Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots
-«El farolito» de Voz Veis
-«El gran varón» de Willie Colón
-“Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson
-“Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain” by Willie Nelson
-“Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band
Films—
–Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles (1941)
–City Lights directed by Charlie Chaplin (1950)
–A Streetcar Named Desire directed by Elia Kazan (1951)
–The Producers directed by Mel Brooks (1967)
–The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
–Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks (1974)
–Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks (1974)
–The Godfather Part II directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1974)
–Love and Death directed by Woody Allen (1975)
–Annie Hall directed by Woody Allen (1977)
–The Jerk directed by Carl Reiner (1979)
–Manhattan directed by Woody Allen (1979)
–Broadway Danny Rose directed by Woody Allen (1984)
–The Purple Rose of Cairo directed by Woody Allen (1985)
–Hannah and Her Sisters directed by Woody Allen (1986)
–Three Amigos directed by John Landis (1986)
–The Godfather Part III directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1990)
–The Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme (1991)
–Scent of a Woman directed by Martin Brest (1992)
–Groundhog Day directed by Harold Ramis (1993)
–Toy Story directed by John Lasseter (1995)
–The Usual Suspects directed by Bryan Singer (1995)
–Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery directed by Jay Roach (1997)
–Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant (1997)
–Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me directed by Jay Roach (1999)
–Toy Story 2 directed by John Lasseter (1999)
–Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott (2000)
–How the Grinch Stole Christmas directed by Ron Howard (2000)
-All the Harry Potter films (2001-2011)
–A.I.: Artificial Intelligence directed by Steven Spielberg (2001)
–The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring directed by Peter Jackson (2001)
–Austin Powers in Goldmember directed by Jay Roach (2002)
–The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers directed by Peter Jackson (2002)
–Minority Report directed by Steven Spielberg (2002)
–The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski (2002)
–Finding Nemo directed by Andrew Stanton (2003)
–The Last Samurai directed by Edward Zwick (2003)
–The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson (2003)
–Love Actually directed by Richard Curtis (2003)
–Mystic River directed by Clint Eastwood (2003)
–13 Going on 30 directed by Gary Winick (2004)
–Man on Fire directed by Tony Scott (2004)
–Match Point directed by Woody Allen (2006)
–The Pink Panther directed by Shawn Levy (2006)
–The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan (2008)
–Law Abiding Citizen directed by F. Gary Gray (2009)
–Toy Story 3 directed by John Lasseter (2010)
–Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen (2011)
–The Hunt directed by Thomas Vinterberg (2013)
–Spotlight directed by Tom McCarthy (2015)
–Wind River directed by Taylor Sheridan (2017)
–Jojo Rabbit directed by Taika Waititi (2019)
–Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho (2019)
–All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Edward Berger (2022)
–The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent directed by Tom Gormican (2022)
–The Fabelmans directed by Steven Spielberg (2022)
–Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan (2023)
Other—
–Community (Comedy TV)
–Nathan For You (Comedy TV)
–Only Murders in the Building (Comedy TV)
–Parks and Recreation (Comedy TV)
-Conan O’Brien’s late-night shows (Comedy TV)
–Seinfeld (Comedy TV)
–Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (Comedy Podcast)
-Norm Macdonald (Stand-Up)
-Steve Martin (Stand-Up)
-Woody Allen (Stand-Up)
-Kevin Nealon (Stand-Up)
-Mark Normand (Stand-Up)
-Danny Jolles (Stand-Up)
-Demetri Martin (Stand-Up)
-Bo Burnham (Stand-Up)
-Bill Burr (Stand-Up)
-Maria Bamford (Stand-Up)
-Sebastian Maniscalco (Stand-Up)
-Johnny Carson (Stand-Up)
-Pete Holmes (Stand-Up)
-Trevor Noah (Stand-Up)
-Jerry Seinfeld (Stand-Up)
-Gene Wilder (Comic Actor)
-Martin Short (Sketch Comedy, Panel)
–Medici: The Magnificent (TV)
–Dix pour cent (TV)
–Il processo (TV)
–House of the Dragon (TV)
–The Vietnam War directed by Ken Burns (Documentary)
–The Wisdom of Trauma directed by Zaya Benazzo & Maurizio Benazzo (Documentary)
–Roman Empire directed by Richard Lopez and John Ealer (Documentary)
-Vincent van Gogh (Painter)
-Claude Monet (Painter)
-Henri Matisse (Painter)
-Don McLean (Singer)
-Charles Aznavour (Singer)
-Luis Miguel (Singer)
-Andrea Bocelli (Singer)
-Alison Krauss (Singer)
-Billy Joel (Singer)
-Michael Bublé (Singer)
-John Paul White (Singer)
-Regina Spektor (Singer)
-Connie Francis (Singer)
-Jason Mraz (Singer)
-Paul Simon (Singer)
-Bobby Darin (Singer)
-Frank Sinatra (Singer)
-John Mayer (Guitarist)
-Paul Simon (Guitarist)
-Don McLean (Guitarist)
-Eric Clapton (Guitarist)
-Mario Vargas Llosa (Writer)
-Woody Allen (Writer)
-Vincent van Gogh (Writer)
-Charles Dickens (Writer)
-Antoine de St. Exupéry (Writer)
-Miguel de Cervantes (Writer)
-Edgar Allan Poe (Writer)
-Dr. Gabor Maté (Writer)
-David Graeber (Writer)
-Franz Kafka (Writer)
-Walter Riso (Writer)
-Seneca (Writer)