About 10 years ago, I was reading Vanity Fair in a doctor’s waiting room and I came across the leading man interviews with George Clooney, Matt Damon and Daniel Craig. Interesting men all, but the really fascinating part was the questions, apparently an interview format developed by Marcel Proust. Or was it his brother Bob?
At any rate, I found a book in which VF had interviewed 101 mostly fascinating people asking them the same questions, so I decided to interview myself. I did it in 2014, and how I’ll do it again to see if I have changed or matured.
Here goes:
Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A (2014). My children and grandchildren.
A (2021). The earlier answer would still be in the running, but at age 71 and going on 29 years with the love of my life, I’d have to say being with my wife Nicole every day.
Q. What is your greatest fear?
A (2014). Hurting the people I love or seeing someone else hurt them.
A: (2021). Losing my wife, my children and/or my grandchildren.
Q. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
A (2014). H.L. Mencken.
A (2021). This is actually a tougher question than I thought, so I’ll stay with Mencken.
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A (2014). My daughter Pauline.
A (2021). Not that I admire Pauline any less, but with the way Nicole has dealt with health problems the last seven years, I’ll move my wife to the top of the list.
Q. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A (2014). I give up too easily.
A (2021). Intellectual laziness.
Q. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
A (2014). Self-righteousness.
A (2021). Yep.
Q. What is your greatest extravagance?
A (2014). My collection of movies on DVD.
A: (2021). A decade worth of books, movies and audiobooks on my Kindle.
Q (2014). What is your favorite journey?
A (2014). Ten days in Venice in 2003 with my wife.
A (2021). The journey from midnight to midnight with my wife, repeated day after day.
Q. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
A (2014). Patience.
A (2021). Pride.
Q. Who do you despise more than anyone else?
A (2014). Dick Cheney.
A (2021). Donald Trump.
Q. On what occasion do you lie?
A (2014). To spare someone’s feelings.
A (2021). Yep.
Q. What words or phrase do you most overuse?
A (2014). “I tell you what …”
A (2021). Yep.
Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A (2014). Being able to sing well.
A (2021). My golf game from 10 years ago.
Q. What is your current state of mind?
A (2014). Frustrated.
A (2021). Apprehensive.
Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A (2014). My work ethic.
A (2021). My ability as a teenager to separate what matters from what doesn’t matter.
Q. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
A (2014). I would make my wife healthier, both in spirit and in body.
A (2021). I would heal the rift between my four siblings.
Q. What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
A (2014). Playing the small role I did in helping my children grow from wonderful kids with great potential into high-achieving adults.
A (2021). Continuation of the same.
Q. If you could come back as something, what would it be?
A (2014) Someone with average intelligence who works incredibly hard. Or a kangaroo.
A (2021). Scarlett Johansen’s towel boy.
Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A (2014). The love of my family and friends.
A (2021). The love of my amazing wife.
Q. Where would you like to live?
A (2014). Wherever my wife Nicole is. Or maybe northern Canada.
A (2021). Waponi Woo, or at least far from the things of man.
Q. What is your favorite occupation?
A (2014). The five years I spent as a newspaper columnist.
A (2021). Yep.
Q. What is the quality you like most in a man?
A (2014). Unselfishness.
A (2021). Kindness.
Q. What is the quality you like most in a woman?
A (2014). Kindness. A good sense of humor. Also large breasts. Just kidding.
A (2021). Kindness and a good sense of humor are negotiable.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A (2014). The fact that I probably won’t live long enough to see how things turn out as adults for my grandchildren.
A (2021). That it took me so long to figure things out.
Q. What do you value the most in your friends?
A (2014). The wonderful history that we share together.
A (2021). That many of them are still alive.
Q. Who are your favorite writers?
A (2014). Pat Conroy, Robert B. Parker, Bob Greene, Dan Jenkins.
A (2021). Three of the four above are dead, So I’ll replace them with Michael Connelly, Greg Iles and Harlan Coben.
Q. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
A (2014). Atticus Finch, Jonathan Kent, Billy Clyde Puckett.
a (2021). Add to that Penn Cage, Harry Bosch and Tom Joad.
Q. Who are your heroes in real life?
A (2014). My wife and children.
A (2021). Yep.
Q. What is it that you most dislike?
A (2014). People who carry water politically for the mega-rich.
A (2021). Trumpanzees.
Q. How would you like to die?
A (2014). Peacefully, with the people I love close at hand.
A (2021). No time too soon.