Full Name: Joseph Michael P.
Age: 26
Location: New York, NY
Occupation: Video Editor (for real this time!)
Hobbies: Karate, Guitar, Bass, Photography, Unnecessary Capitalization
Pets: Four fish: Neil, Neon, Dawkins, and The Phantom ( * R.I.P. Crazy, Other Neon, and all the babies Neil had... you are all deeply missed.)

1: the heavy part
Hard to believe you've now been here two years. How has your life changed since you arrived?
It seems too simple to say I'm an entirely different guy than I was two years ago, but there's no escaping that truth. I was 24, engaged to be married, broke, homeless, jobless, and following my fiancée's dream. So I moved to New York. Now that I've lived here this long, I've become single again, I've cycled around a few jobs and eventually landed on a good one, I've regained a love of music and photography that I had lost, and I'm well-established and happy.

And I got a tattoo. So that's different.

How have you changed since you arrived?
I'm more creatively active than I was back then, and more aware of how therapeutic creative expression is for me. I bought a digital camera a little over a year ago, and it was one of the best purchases I have ever made. I've never felt like I was a fantastic writer, or that I could convey my thoughts clearly in written form...I think I'm too visual. This way I can capture what I see in the world around me, and let the image speak for itself. I'm also more enthralled by music these days; I'm playing in two bands, I try to get to at least a couple concerts per month, and I'm just more aware of why I love music and what music I love.

I'd say I feel generally healthier, mentally speaking. I'm a realist; one of my favorite quotes has always been "That that is, is... That that is not, is not... That is it... Is it not?" That's come to mean a lot to me since moving here: shit is going to happen, and some of it will be really bad... so accept it, learn from it, and move on.

How have you stayed the same?
My goals are still the same... Even when I was not really myself, I aspired to be a professional editor. Now that I've at least achieved that, I can keep learning and excelling, aiming toward editing feature films. That's been my goal for a long time. I have no aspirations to direct, and I'd only ever act again if a friend asked me. Editing has been a passion for quite some time. I feel like it's a part of who I am rather than a profession or hobby. So that, and most of the other foundational things that make Joe Joe are still well intact: I love movies and music, I value my Faith, I treasure my family, I'm infatuated with sharks, and I'm an A/V nerd.

How do you like New York?
I never want to leave. No, that's not true... I don't want to leave until I'm a bit older, but I'd also love to live in Philadelphia proper. I grew up outside the city, and my family is still there, so it would be nice to have them so close again. For now though, I absolutely do not want to leave New York. I've carved out a nice little niche here, and for now I'm enjoying life.

Some words about Spanish Harlem, where you've lived the past two years?
This neighborhood is a huge reason I love the city as a whole. It's very Spanish, and it's lively all the time. Spanish music is pretty much everywhere, the street vendors have the best food, and it's not gentrified yet. It feels like a throwback to thirty years ago, or at least my conception of what that was like. I don't think I was too perceptive at age -4.

I've lived in this neighborhood for my whole New York life, so I kind of feel like I own my part here.

Is your job as cool as it sounds?
Hmm... This question has a long answer and a short answer. The short answer is yeah, it's pretty cool. But the long answer takes the negatives into account. Some days, I can take my shoes off and listen to music all day while I work. It's a simple thing, but things like that win it for me. Plus they feed me every single day; I've put on about 20 pounds since starting there... I guess I should have mentioned that after the "how are you different" question. I wear what I want, don't have to shave if I don't feel like it, and the people are reasonably cool. But, then there are the negatives... For being a professional full-time editor in New York, I don't get paid enough. But our flow of work has been really slow, so I myself can't even justify asking for a raise, because they'd just pay me to keep "seeming busy." I mean, don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to sit shoeless while I work on AfterEffects compositions, eat free restaurant food, drink cup after cup of decaf tea, and listen to post-rock for 8 hours at a time; but I also need to challenge my creativity sometimes, not just be comfortable. And I haven't been challenged there in a long time, plus I need to up the cash flow a bit. So yes, the job is great and I'm very thankful for it, but I hear a clock ticking somewhere out there.

Ideally, what will your life look like on New Year's Day 2006?
Well, most importantly I'll be alive and healthy enough to make it to January 2nd. Beyond that, it'll all work itself out.

Plans for the future?
I guess in the absolute immediate future, I plan on having a cup of tea. That'll happen within the next half hour. But that's probably not what you mean. In looking forward to the summer, I know I want to travel a bit... nothing too ambitious, but a few trips out of the city. I know I'm going to North Carolina at the end of June to see my brand new niece (Lindsay Audra Pisch, born on June 1st to my brother and his wife), and I'll definitely make it to the Jersey shore at least once or twice. I'd like to work a California trip in there, too.

I also want to continue studying karate... I started about 6 months ago and have loved it so far. I advanced to yellow belt a couple weeks back and I'm striving to be at orange by the fall.

As you know I'm recently, somewhat grudgingly single. Any tips?
I recommend designating an open-ended amount of time, post-relationship, as a "misogyny period." It's something that really helped me: grow a beard, read some Bukowski, and just be angry at women, using your ex as the representative. I am by no means a misogynist in my everyday life, but after a breakup it can help to work through that righteous indignation before moving on.

I'd also recommend getting out there and meeting as many people as possible. My dating experience before entering into my long-term deal was pretty limited, and since I've been single again after almost five years I've been trying to broaden my horizons. It might be best to do this after the misogyny period though... the two are equally beneficial, but they can conflict.

And above all, be yourself and have fun. I don't care how fly a woman is... she's not worth betraying who you are. Your soul is permanent.

2: the not-heavy part
Describe a good night out...
I'm usually pretty easy to please. These days, my favorite nights out are with a small group of people at a dive bar, usually no more than four or five. Any night I can hang out with friends, drink cheap-but-good beer, listen to rock on the jukebox, and just be relaxed is a great night. I like a good mix of people-watching and life-pontificating.

And a good night in the apartment?
Since living with Zack, I've really come to appreciate the kind of night where we both stay in and just shoot the shit. We usually wind up watching a movie or two, our neighbor Cory usually comes down (he lives two floors up from us), and we all just sit and converse. Those nights are always laid back and fun.

Current favorite ethnic food and, if possible, dish.
My front-runner for ethnic food used to be Thai, but two years in New York has challenged that. There's just so much other stuff out there. Indian is still pretty prevalent in my food rotation, as are Mexican and sushi. Plus like I said before, the food all around Spanish Harlem is excellent.

What have you been listening to?
Specifically during this interview, I've been listening to Mogwai, New Kingdom, and I busted out Tindersticks' album Curtains for some unexplained reason. More broadly, I've been on a big post-rock bender lately, and I can't get through an average week without listening to Neil Young's Zuma. There's a hip hop group out of North Carolina called Little Brother, and they've got a side album under the name The Foreign Exchange... both of those albums have been regulars lately too.

Was hast you been reading?
I hast been fighting my way through One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and I keep telling myself I'm going to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before going to see the movie... we'll see if that happens or not.

What have you been watching on TV?
Honestly not much... Most of my TV viewing has been limited to shows now out on DVD. Topping that list has been "Chappelle's Show," "Arrested Development," and "Samurai Jack." Let me say, "Samurai Jack" is nothing short of gorgeous... It's like watching a moving painting, and their use of sound is revolutionary.

Seen any movies lately? What did you think?
I saw Episode III, which I liked more than I expected to. I felt like he solidly tied the whole saga together and answered the questions that needed answering. I'm by no means an aficionado, so I'm sure there are legions of nerds out there clamoring for Lucas's head because he forgot to explain some throwaway piece of minutiae that somehow matters to them. Last week I saw Unleashed with Jet Li, and it was watchable but not much more. And Kung Fu Hustle, which I watched at my apartment on bootleg DVD, should win best picture of the year. I'm not kidding.

You're getting ready to go out: Which song do you blast on the stereo?
Hmmm... An always-reliable sendoff song is "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by the Beatles. Also, an excellent one-two punch to get a night going is Kanye West's "Get ‘Em High" followed by the Punjabi MCs and Jay-Z remix of "Beware of the Boys." One of HOV's lines in that is "P.I.M.P., I am simply attached to the track like SMPTE," which speaks to a video nerd like me.

3: the cocktail party
So you're having a cocktail party: list five A-list guests, other than Jesus, me and your friends...
I'm tempted to say the female cast of X2: Kelly Hu, Rebecca Romijn, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and Famke Janssen. But then, I wouldn't want anyone else to be there. Except Jesus, because he'd be there anyway.

* FROM LEFT: Kelly Hu, Rebecca Romijn, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen.

And I'm not good at cocktail parties, so I'd make mine a barbecue. The guests would include: 1) Neil Young, because I'd love to just drink beer and bullshit with that guy; 2) Anderson Cooper, of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," because he's a funny ass dude; 3) Kurt Vonnegut, because he's Kurt Vonnegut; 4) the character Quint from Jaws... not Robert Shaw, who played him, but the actual character Quint; 5) Strong Bad. Just because.

Here's an artist's conception of what that would look like:

* FROM LEFT: Anderson Cooper, Joe, Strong Bad, Kurt Vonnegut, Quint, Neil Young.

And what the hell, the X2 ladies can come too, and I'll just have to contain myself.

What drinks will you serve?
I'd serve ice-cold bottles of Yuengling, margaritas, and fresh lemonade, like the kind they have at New York street fairs this time of year. Kurt would sip on pousse cafés the whole time, and Quint would slug whisky from the bottle.

What will be in the stereo?
The music will be an avant-mix of rock, stoner rock, classic rock, and hip-hop. Neil wouldn't feel compelled to play some tunes, but would anyway, and Quint would regale us with some old sea shanties, like "Farewell and Ado to You Fair Spanish Ladies."

Conversation topics will include...
Anything and everything... I'm guessing Anderson would hold court on current events, and do so eloquently and hilariously. Neil and Kurt would both be very candid about their lives and viewpoints. Quint would share some of his countless stories from the high seas fishing for sharks, and Strong Bad would walk around the whole party commenting a la his emails, as only Strong Bad can do. Everyone would just hang out and talk and laugh a lot.

Since it's a barbecue, many of the guests would be playing Wiffle Ball and Frisbee, and Jesus would school EVERYONE, because He's Jesus. I'd take a turn at the grill, cooking burgers for the guests. And yes, I'd have some veggie burgers on hand for my vegetarian friends.

In the middle of the party, Vandal Savage would fly in from the future, swoop down and challenge Jesus to a game of Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby. Jesus would agree, and he and Vandal Savage would pound home run after home run while everyone spectated, until ultimately, Jesus prevails. Then they'd have a beer and back Neil up on "Danger Bird."

Here's an artist's conception of what THAT would look like:

How will the evening end?
The guests would all slowly filter away as the party wound its way into the wee hours of the morning. Once everyone else was gone, the X2 ladies and I would all watch episode after episode of "Samurai Jack" while they lavished sexual attention on me. And each other.

* Special thanks to photography assistant, Cory Hayes.