Randy Elrod: Same Interview, Six Decades

October 30, 2023

15-year-old Randy (1973)

What is most important to you now? High school marching band.

Your biggest fear? Hell.

Your favorite artist? Chicago

Your favorite book? Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Your favorite movie? I’m not allowed to go to the movies.

What makes you happy in a relationship? Being together.

Describe yourself in four words. Shy, misunderstood, misfit, censored.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? My father’s control.

25-year-old Randy (1983)

What is most important to you now? Relocating to South Florida from the Appalachians.

Your biggest fear? Failure.

Your favorite artist? David Bowie

Your favorite book? In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters

Your favorite movie? Something Wicked This Way Comes

What makes you happy in a relationship? Communication

Describe yourself in four words. Curious, misunderstood, becoming, creative.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? Finishing my music degree.

35-year-old Randy (1993)

What is most important to you now? Getting out of Alabama, why did I move here?

Your biggest fear? Religious fanatics.

Your favorite artist? Mozart

Your favorite book? I Will Fear No Evil by Robert A. Heinlein

Your favorite movie? Groundhog Day

What makes you happy in a relationship? Freedom

Describe yourself in four words. Determined, misunderstood, growing, censored.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? My career moves.

45-year-old Randy (2003)

What is most important to you now? Creativity

Your biggest fear? Religious conservatives.

Your favorite artist? Metallica

Your favorite book? Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Your favorite movie? Big Fish

What makes you happy in a relationship? Freedom

Describe yourself in four words. Successful, misunderstood, creative, frustrated.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? My boss and my job.

55-year-old Randy (2013)

What is most important to you now? Freedom

Your biggest fear? Making it financially.

Your favorite artist? Alberto Vargas

Your favorite book? The Magus by John Fowles

Your favorite movie? The Dreamers

What makes you happy in a relationship? Intimacy

Describe yourself in four words. Free, misunderstood, crisis, hopeful.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? The loss of my friends and family

65-year-old Randy (2023)

What is most important to you now? Wholeness

Your biggest fear? Religion

Your favorite artist? Paolo Serpieri

Your favorite book? The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Your favorite movie? Emmanuelle (1974)

What makes you happy in a relationship? Freedom

Describe yourself in four words. Courageous, uncensored, growing, curious.

Biggest thing you are struggling with? American politics.

8 responses to “Randy Elrod: Same Interview, Six Decades”

Sharon

October 31, 2023

Thanks Randy for this post. It is so interesting to get to know the ever evolving Randy from the Randy I knew back when and realize we can all explore ourselves if we just take a chance. One thing for sure that has not changed, your sweetness.

1. Randy
  
  November 1, 2023
  
  Thanks so much, Sharon. Your words mean so much to me. Grateful for memories and the present and for friends like you!
  
JimBo Gulley

October 31, 2023

Fascinating questions and answers…very insightful. Thanks for the post, I suspect this is an exercise we should all do!

1. Randy
  
  November 1, 2023
  
  Thanks, Jimbo. Yes, I would recommend everyone doing it. The answers surprised me and gave me a lot to reflect on and be grateful for. There is something about looking back at the journey from the vista of a mature age.
  
Vanessa Cordes

October 31, 2023

Thank you for sharing such an intimate look into your evolution. I couldn’t help but note the shift in your description of self between 55 and 65 – movement past the feeling of being misunderstood into greater awareness and freedom. That journey takes a lot of courageous work!

1. Randy
  
  October 31, 2023
  
  Thanks so much, Vanessa. It was fascinating and encouraging as I answered the questions (and adding the year certainly helped) to see the progression. And yes, misunderstood was really the word for most of my life, but now in my sixties, it seems irrelevant.
  
randy

October 31, 2023

Thanks so much, Pam. Yes, isn’t it fascinating? Love, love, love, “losing our filters as we get older.” Thanks so much for your wonderful encouragement!

Pam

October 31, 2023

It is really fascinating how we evolve over time. What you once enjoyed no longer matters. How you just don’t want to put up with certain circumstances is reality. I guess that I am seeing how we can be viewed as losing our filters as we get older. Life is short and we need to surround ourselves with people, places, and things that truly bring joy! I do appreciate you sharing life with us! Enjoy yours!