Phoebe Kate

Here are the gents (living or dead) whom I’d invite to my fantasy dinner party, and why they’re on my list.

In alphabetical order:

– John Cheever (1912-1982.)  I’d like to thank him for writing ”The  Swimmer” and so many other stories that inspired me to become a writer when I was just a little kid reading him in my parents’ copies of The New Yorker. 

– Bill Clinton.  In April 2000, when I was in Washington, DC for my father’s burial, my elder son and I happened to be standing on Constitution Avenue when the presidential motorcade passed by.  By a peculiar twist of fate, we were the only two people standing on that particular corner at that time.  Bill rolled down his window and waved at us and called “HI!” Now, that’s a good ol’ Southern boy.  Gotta love him.

–Johnny Depp.  My favorite contemporary actor.  I want him to attend in his Jack Sparrow attire, of course.

–Bob Dylan.  As a kid, I learned how to write poetry listening to his lyrics.

–Siddhartha Gautama.  The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are as much a part of my spirituality as the Ten Commandments.

–Edward Hopper (1882-1967)  My favorite painter.

–Jesus of Nazareth.  Considering the party invitations he got from the wealthy, powerful people of the day, he was clearly an A-list guest –charming, intelligent, charismatic, witty and a lover of good food and wine.  Do we ever think of God as a fun kind of guy?  I think we should.  

–Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)  Quotable quotes flowed from this man like nobody else I know.  ”I would only believe in a God that knows how to Dance.” “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” “The great end of art is to strike the imagination with the power of a soul that refuses to admit defeat even in the midst of a collapsing world.”

–Peter Sellers (1925-1980)  My favorite actor of the past.  What hostess wouldn’t want Inspector Clouseau to fall into her punchbowl?

–M. Night Shyamalan.  My favorite contemporary  film maker.  People either love his movies with a passion or hate his movies with a passion.  I think he’s a genius.

–Socrates (470 B.C.-399 B.C.) After that hemlock cocktail, this man deserves a dry martini and a chance to chat with congenial people.

–Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Such a short, sad, difficult, misunderstood life he had, but oh! those paintings!

–phoebe kate