1 December 2006

It's not what you know, but who you know

A common and banal question often asked is who would one like to have as guests at a dinner party, living or dead. Well, anyone can avoid interesting and scintillating conversation when glugging booze and gushing over the lightness of the beetroot mousse or cauliflower froth. A far more telling situation would be when browsing in a bookshop, in a booth at the local pub, or sitting in the waiting room of a sexual health clinic, for example.

This is my list...
Simon Amstell
Jo Brand
Colin Firth
Cleopatra
Paul Merton
Margot Fonteyn
Jon Ronson
Nancy Mitford

I, of course, would be far too intimidated and terrified to utter a word however.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

my list would keep Simon Amstel, obviously, but would then include:
Nancy Banks Smith
Barabara Trapido
Doris Lessing
Janet Street Porter
and probably some oter people who I will think of over the next few days.............

Anna said...

All yours are women (apart from simon), don't you require a little bit of eye candy? Although, living in this house, I can understand that you may crave a little female company as respite from the inane and ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Okay - Daniel Craig and Colin Firth can come but they don't have to speak.............

Anonymous said...

This is about conversation and personality, is it? That shortens my list considerably.

I would include:

Desmond Tutu
Germaine Greer
Leonardo da Vinci
Christopher Fry
Betsy Fremantle
Ross Noble
Ted Nelson

BTW, who is Simon Amstell?

Anna said...

He is a young and popular (and therefore unknown to you) social commentor on shows such as 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks'. He also happens to be a genius. Who is Betsy Fremantle? Luvng ur txt speak, btw indeed!

Anonymous said...

ditto Betsey Fremantle?????

Anonymous said...

Betsy Fremantle is/was a famous diarist whose active diary covered from 1815 onwards. She went lots of places and saw lots of people, and wrote it down.

Anna said...

Aaah, and now we know. I'm not sure you've sold her to me though. I may require further evidence of her right to be in your list. Good name however, which is something.