I think if you want to really know a new place/city/region/country and its culture, you don't visit them as a tourist but you get to know the people living there. Couchsurfing is perfect for doing exactly that. Also I'm easily intrigued by peoples' histories and travelstories, since i can't always travel myself.

Films: the life of brian, some like it hot, Pride, I Daniel Blake Books: The Revolution Betrayed, Momo, 10 days that shook the world, the never ending story, Anna Karenina, ... Music: Classical, New Music, Funk, Rock, Jazz, Metal, Cumbia, ... die ärzte, talco, bathory, AC DC, Tool, Shostakovich, Audioslave, Fausto Romitelli, Knorkator, Led Zeppelin, .. One of my favorite Songs right now: Ana y Jaime - Ricardo Semillas