The Proust Questionnaire with Brian Walker
The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.
May 8, 2019
What is your idea of perfect happiness? To live on my own island, like Brando.
What is your greatest fear? I don’t live in fear.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Aging.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? A judgemental stare.
Which living person do you most admire? Non-family member? Paul McCartney.
What is your greatest extravagance? Beer and pizza.
What is your current state of mind? Busy.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Temperance.
On what occasion do you lie? When I need to play nice.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? My hair isn’t what it once was.
Which living person do you most despise? Entitled, ignorant professional athletes, Antonio Brown tops the list at the moment.
What is the quality you most like in a man? Creativity.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Grace.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Fuck.
What or who is the greatest love of your life? My wife and three children.
When and where were you happiest? The good times throughout my marriage.
Which talent would you most like to have? Elite painter.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My age.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being a parent.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Painter.
Where would you most like to live? In a NYC loft, but my current residence is not so bad.
What is your most treasured possession? My home.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? When my children are unhappy.
What is your favorite occupation? Painter.
What is your most marked characteristic? I work all the time.
What do you most value in your friends? Understanding.
Who are your favorite writers? Malcolm Gladwell, various New Yorker fiction writers.
Who is your hero of fiction? Mickey Rourke in the ‘The Pope of Greenwich Village.’
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Frank Serpico.
Who are your heroes in real life? Geoffrey, Jonathan, and Neal (my sons).
What are your favorite names? Geoffrey, Jonathan, Neal, and Mick Jagger.
What is it that you most dislike? Politicians, both red and blue.
What is your greatest regret? You can always do more.
How would you like to die? Drift off blissfully, with a sense of accomplishment.
What is your motto? We don’t do what other people do.