Excerpt: 'Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire'
DAVID BOWIE
What is the quality you most like in a man?
The ability to return books.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
The ability to burp on command.
RAY CHARLES
What is your most treasured possession?
My hands. They guide everywhere I go, and they allow me to play the piano and other instruments, which has been my lifeline since an early age.
NORA EPHRON
What is your greatest fear?
A dental emergency in a Third World country.
FRAN LEBOWITZ
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Sloth.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Industry.
BETTE MIDLER
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
The wind.
ARNOLD SCHWARENEGGER
What is your greatest extravagance?
I am a major shoe queen.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Maria, I said I’m sorry” and “Yes, dear.”
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