I'd count among my most positive childhood life influences my Dad acquainting me with science, my Great Aunt Ella and her garden in Charlevoix, Michigan, the books about dinosaurs by paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, and rocket scientist Werner Von Braun ( http://www.google.com/imgres?q=werner+von+braun&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=NuaalO3G7aetEM:&imgrefurl=http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/disney_article.html&docid=vSnFmdd4xZZrXM&w=476&h=382&ei=w4duTsOfPMylsQLAu-C9BA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=146&vpy=230&dur=141&hovh=201&hovw=251&tx=98&ty=79&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=179&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&biw=1024&bih=571.

As an adult I have long been grateful to e.e. cummings,  the sculptors Brancusi, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Br%C3%A2ncu%C8%99i )

 and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, (   http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.artknowledgenews.com/files2010may/Laboratorio-Nagy-photographers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.artknowledgenews.com/2010-02-06-21-31-26-laszlo-moholy-nagy-exhibition-is-part-of-photoespana-2010-festival.html&h=601&w=725&sz=98&tbnid=TJYaXFkaWwxV3M:&tbnh=95&tbnw=114&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dlaszlo%2Bmoholy-nagy%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=laszlo+moholy-nagy&docid=wAoNrQscWo-dNM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VIFuTqTzNpKFsgLr18GsBA&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAg&dur=531 )

The Beatles, Rod McKuen, Marcel Duchamp, Pee Wee Herman and Yoko Ono for blessing me with mind fertilizers.

This live performance at Meltdown in London by Yoko when she was 76 is, for me, is an affirmation once again to just fucking go for it. The worst that can happen is that people will think you are crazy.  She's mega-rich, I'm not, but no matter. But we are both harmless.

John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdZ9weP5i68