Table for Six

[Kerry]

Table for Six

Imagine you could hold a dinner party and invite any FIVE people of your choice, living or dead. Including yourself, it would be a “Table for Six.”

Which five people would you invite?

Tell us why you would invite them and what questions you would like to ask them?

[Kerry]

I’ll start the ball rolling with my five dinner quests:

# 1 – Alexander the Great

Probably one of the most amazingly dazzling individuals to ever walk the earth. And gorgeously handsome with it! I’d like to ask him so many questions. What was it like to be conqueror of the known world at such a young age? I would like to console him on the tragic, early death of his lover, Hephaestion, and ask him many questions about the love he and Hephaestion shared. Did he feel love for Bagoas or was it just sex? I’d be curious to know the secret behind the subtle sweet scent that he was said to exude. It was said to be a “gift of nature” in a time when personal hygiene was not widely known, but did he actually use the ancient equivalent of Givenchy or Chanel? Why did he burn Persepolis?  Where are his mortal remains? So many, many more questions for you, Alexander!

# 2 – Andrew George Scott alias Captain Moonlite

Andrew Scott was a truly enigmatic product of the Victorian age in an antipodean setting. Highly educated, articulate and erudite, I would like to ask him why he chose a life of crime. Why did he leave Ireland and come to Australia? Did he shoot Constable Bowen? If he didn’t shoot him, does he know who did? What were the circumstances behind his meeting with James Nesbitt in Pentridge Prison and the love they both subsequently shared? What went through his mind when James Nesbitt died in his arms? He wore a plaited lock of James’ hair on his finger when he went to the gallows – was James’ name the last word he uttered when the trap-door opened?

# 3 Caravaggio

My all time favourite artist and bad boy! Such an amazing talent, albeit an ultimately self-destructive one. I’d like to ask about his love for Mario. Was the murder in Rome an accident? What really happened on Malta? What were the circumstances behind his death? What really happened on that beach north of Rome? Was he murdered?  If he died of natural causes, what were they? Where is his body located?

# 4 Peter Tchaikovsky

Rather than sit at the dinner table, I would ask Peter Tchaikovsky to play his exquisite melodies for us on the piano during dinner, while I provide him with morsels of food as he does so. I would like to hear him play so many of his timeless melodies from Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Francesca da Rimini, Symphonies 5 & 6, just to name a few of my personal favourites. Is there one of his melodies that he is most fond of? What was it like to be gay in Tsarist Russia? Why did he marry? Was Vladimir the love of his life? Did he deliberately drink the cholera infested water, thus resulting in his suicide, or was it an accident? If suicide, was he bullied into taking his own life? If so, by whom?

# 5 Marcel Proust

I would ask Marcel Proust to tell me his childhood memories. What is his favourite cake?    His relationship with his mother and father, especially his mother. Of all his many relationships, does one stand out as a love-match? His views on etiquette. His favourite characters in “A la recherche du temps perdu.” Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, would he have been more succinct and concise in his writing style? What did he make of his fame?   What’s with the cork-lined bedroom? Would he describe himself as agoraphobic? The maid? Was he at peace and prepared to die when he did or would he have preferred to live longer? After dinner, over port, I would ask Marcel to read from “A la recherche du temps perdu” in the original French (I will be able to miraculously understand French, just for the duration of the dinner party), while Peter continues to play on the piano.


What a night! How fabo!  Can’t wait!  

[CellarDweller]

#1. Jesus Christ




I'd want to hear from Him what His and His Father's views on homosexuality really are, and how many other ways the bible was twisted to serve the wrong purposes.






#2.  Martin Luther King Jr.





I'd want to thank him for his bravery, and his work on civil rights, and what direction we should go in now.







#3.  Harvey Milk




To thank him for his work for the gay community, and what direction we should go in now.   (Yeah, I know.....same as above....don't reject knowledge)







#4.   Barrack Obama





To congratulate him on his win, remind him of certain promises, and to let him hear from Milk & King.






#5.   Madonna





To thank her for all the help her music gave me all the years, and to see if she's as much as a bitch as she presents herself.

[Kerry]

#5.   Madonna

To thank her for all the help her music gave me all the years, and to see if she's as much as a bitch as she presents herself.

Great choices, Chuck. I don't know a lot about Madonna so was curious to read the above. It made me wonder if perhaps some of her songs are directed specifically at gay people. If so, can you post a YouTube clip that will win me over as a fan? I'm open to conversion! 

[Kerry]

OMG, Gary, that Little Richard clip is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I LOVE it!  

Chuck and Gary, could I ask you both to not hold your dinner parties on the same night as mine? I'd like to be able to attend your dinner parties too. Could you find a spare chair for me? If not, I'd be happy to sit in the corner and listen to the conversation.  

(P.S., I don't at all believe that Socrates corrupted the morals of the youth of Athens, but he sure as hell did open their minds.)

[Monika]

hm...hard one but here goes. I don't have that many questions though, I think I'd just let the conversation flow in whatever direction.

# 1

Annie Proulx.
I would love to know a little more about how her mind works. I find her utterly fascinating.



# 2

Oscar Wilde
A man who fought with words instead of weapons and whose wit and intelligence I greatly admire. For me, he´s  the perfect dinner party guest.
Hopefully he and Annie will get into a conversation about writing.


# 3

Ennis del Mar
I'm nor sure he would have much to add to the discussion, but the temptation to see him next to Wilde is just too big




# 4

Gertrude Stein
Oh the stories she could tell....

(on the left)



# 5

Nina Simone
Another person I´ve always found fascinating. Strong-willed, intelligent and unique. And always so damn vibrant and alive.

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And as a stand-in (in case someone has to cancel) I'd pick the former The Smiths singer Morrissey. I don't think there's even a slight possibility that the conservation will ever turn dull with him around
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and for some music. One of my favorite bands
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that was fun. Great idea for a topic, Kerry

[David In Indy]

hm...hard one but here goes. I don't have that many questions though, I think I'd just let the conversation flow in whatever direction.

# 3

Ennis del Mar
I'm nor sure he would have much to add to the discussion, but the temptation to see him next to Wilde is just too big

Just give him a bottle of "Old Rose" and he'll probably sing like a canary!


Kerry, I just saw this.... give me a quick minute... well maybe a day, and I'll add my contributions. Lots and lots to think about here!

Nice thread btw, sweetie!

[Ellemeno]

I decided to limit it to living North American women, plus one. 

Ina May Gaskin

Mother of modern midwifery





Sandra Dodd

Homeschooling advocate





Barbara Kingsolver

Writer of splendor




Medea Benjamin

Courageous founder of Code Pink





Joni Mitchell

Songwriter and musician extraordinaire





Judy Chicago

Artist of birth, vulvas, and the holocaust





And Stephen Fry

Wittiest human on Earth

[Sason]

Very interesting choices, Ellemeno!!!

Way back when, in my hippie youth, I read a book called (I think) The Farm. Or something like that.

I seem to remember that Ina May Gaskin was one of the founders, and very active in developing home births.


Never heard of Judy Chicago, but it would be interesting to know a little more about her.

[Monika]

And Stephen Fry

Wittiest human on Earth


[/center]

Oh, I´m a big fan too. He´s briliant.

[Ellemeno]

Very interesting choices, Ellemeno!!!

Way back when, in my hippie youth, I read a book called (I think) The Farm. Or something like that.

I seem to remember that Ina May Gaskin was one of the founders, and very active in developing home births.


Never heard of Judy Chicago, but it would be interesting to know a little more about her.

Yes, that's Ina May.  Lowest Caesarean rate anywhere in America, lowest maternal mortality rate.  A goddess!  And no reason hospitals couldn't emulate and learn from her.  No effin reason for criminal obstetrical behavior.

Judy Chicago - I haven't kept up on her career in years, but her most well-known (and very controversial when it came out) art project is The Dinner Party, which finally found a permanent home at The Brooklyn Museum.  I've actually never seen it. 
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/home.php

[Ellemeno]

Oh, I´m a big fan too. He´s briliant.

Do you listen to his infrequent podgrams?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry's_Podgrams  The guy is a miracle of language.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

I would invite:

Jesus



I would want to ask him what he thinks about ehat has been made of his message, and who his beloved was.

Cary Grant



and I would probably be too tongue tired to ask him anything.

Miss Ella Ewing



I would like to hear her story from her perspective

Carter Bealer



I would love to ask him what happened to him on the 16th of September 1916 in Rock Creek Park.

Marie Rudisill



The Fruitcake Lady. I would like to ask her what her nephew, the young Truman Capote, was like, and what ever became of her Japanese husband who her family made her divorce.

[Monika]

Do you listen to his infrequent podgrams?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry's_Podgrams  The guy is a miracle of language.

No, I don´t. Thanks for letting me know about them.
I think he could probably just read a phone book, and I would be completely in awe.

[Kerry]

# 4

Gertrude Stein
Oh the stories she could tell....

(on the left)

Will Alice be able to come along with Gertrude?  Sure hope so. 

Loved the clip of Nina Simone singing "I Got Life". That took me waaaaaaay back to the 60s, when I first heard that song sung on the stage here in Sydney -  in "Hair".

[Kerry]

And Stephen Fry

Wittiest human on Earth

I'm ashamed to admit that I've not heard of many of your dinner guests, Clarissa, but I sure enough will be Googling them! 

I love Stephen Fry. He is a delight. Recently saw a gem of a TV series, which saw him driving across America, east to west, in a London cab. It was excellent. Have you seen it? Alas, I fear, however, that much of his wit and humour went right over the heads of many people he met along the way - that is, if blank looks are any indication.

[Kerry]

Jesus

I'll be having to do a lot more Googling, Truman, and I'm looking forward to finding out who these people are/were. 

Absolutely LOVE the pic above. Why is it that He is never depicted laughing and smiling? I'm sure He did a lot of laughing. It's a beautiful image. 

[Kerry]

Just give him a bottle of "Old Rose" and he'll probably sing like a canary!


Kerry, I just saw this.... give me a quick minute... well maybe a day, and I'll add my contributions. Lots and lots to think about here!

Nice thread btw, sweetie!

Looking forward to seeing who's going to be at your dinner party, David. 

[Ellemeno]

That is a great picture of Jesus.  And Cary Grant.  And Ella Ewing.  Maybe someday we can visit her old house together, Truman.

Kerry, I haven't seen that television show you describe, but I've heard Stephen Fry talk about it in his podgrams a bit.

I wish I had seen Hair when it was on the stage.  We had the album when I was younger, and I learned many, many words from it.     I love those songs and can probably still sing them all with maybe 85% accuracy, though I haven't tried in years.

[David In Indy]

That statue of Jesus Truman posted is from the movie "Dogma" starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. I love it too Kerry. And like you, I'm certain Jesus smiled a lot. A LOT!

It's a shame Christianity (to a large degree) forgets it sometimes...

[Katie77]

Loved the clip of Nina Simone singing "I Got Life". That took me waaaaaaay back to the 60s, when I first heard that song sung on the stage here in Sydney -  in "Hair".

Great thread Kerry, I havent worked out my dinner guest list yet, but saw this and just wanted to comment that my husband and I also saw Hair at the Metro Theatre in Kings Cross, Sydney, in July 1970......and I still love the music.
I always remember the time, because exactly 9months later our first son was born.

[Kerry]

Great thread Kerry, I havent worked out my dinner guest list yet, but saw this and just wanted to comment that my husband and I also saw Hair at the Metro Theatre in Kings Cross, Sydney, in July 1970......and I still love the music.
I always remember the time, because exactly 9months later our first son was born.

Yep, that's where I saw "Hair" too, Sue - at the Metro Theatre in Orwell Street (more like a lane really) at Kings Cross. I saw it several times there in the late 60s. It had a long run in Sydney. It was very popular here. I'm not surprised to hear that you fell pregnant after seeing it! It was that kinda show! I too loved the music, Clarissa. I  wish you'd've (Thanks, Holden!) seen it on stage, because I'm sure you would never forget the way the first song "Aquarius" opens the show at the very beginning. The rhythmic, iconic, triple drum beat (dum-dah-dum, dum-dah-dum, dum-dah-dum) of Aquarius started really softly in the distance and took a long time building up until it was practically orgasmic, and then the most amazingly powerful solo female voice came in with those unforgettable lyrics, "When the Moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars . . ." and the cast started entering the stage, singing as they came, from the rear of the theatre, walking through the audience - walking past me - as they did so. It was very exciting for a bespectacled, closeted teenage kid from the 'burbs way back then, not least of all because there was an openly gay member of the Tribe. What was his name? Was it Wuff or Woof? Something like that. He sang a very naughty song, the lyrics of which I can still recall verbatim! Ah, they were the days!    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UJgPIfiOGg&feature=related

[Katie77]

Ah yes Kerry, your memories rekindled mine about the opening of the show.

Actually, we had a unique experience that night. We had been driving thru the Cross with nothing on our mind to do, when we saw the theatre and decided on the spur of the moment to go and see the show. It was nearly starting time, and Bob dropped me off at the ticket office while he went to park the car. Just as I approached the office to buy my tickets, two American marines who were in Sydney on R&R leave from Vietnam, came up to me and asked me if I was about to buy tickets for the show. I said "yes" and they handed me two tickets. Apparently they had bought four tickets, expecting someone to meet them there, who didn't turn up, and now being so close to starting time, they knew they had been stood up, and so gave me the tickets. We sat next to them in the theatre, and had plans to take them for a drink after the show to thank them, but they did not return after interval.

It probably wasn't exactly the best show for those guys to be watching, when they were actually over there fighting the dam war.

Sorry for going off topic, just taking a trip down memory lane.

[Kerry]

Ah yes Kerry, your memories rekindled mine about the opening of the show.

Actually, we had a unique experience that night. We had been driving thru the Cross with nothing on our mind to do, when we saw the theatre and decided on the spur of the moment to go and see the show. It was nearly starting time, and Bob dropped me off at the ticket office while he went to park the car. Just as I approached the office to buy my tickets, two American marines who were in Sydney on R&R leave from Vietnam, came up to me and asked me if I was about to buy tickets for the show. I said "yes" and they handed me two tickets. Apparently they had bought four tickets, expecting someone to meet them there, who didn't turn up, and now being so close to starting time, they knew they had been stood up, and so gave me the tickets. We sat next to them in the theatre, and had plans to take them for a drink after the show to thank them, but they did not return after interval.

It probably wasn't exactly the best show for those guys to be watching, when they were actually over there fighting the dam war.

Sorry for going off topic, just taking a trip down memory lane.

Go off topic all you like, Sue. It's like we're having a conversation over dinner here at this thread and that's what happens over dinner.

You've got some great memories there, Sue. Do you remember the old Metro Theatre? It was a bit seedy and run-down, but had great character. 

[Katie77]

Go off topic all you like, Sue. It's like we're having a conversation over dinner here at this thread and that's what happens over dinner.

You've got some great memories there, Sue. Do you remember the old Metro Theatre? It was a bit seedy and run-down, but had great character. 

Thanks Kerry......

Only time I ever went to the Metro was that one time to see Hair.

Actually, back in 1968 me and hubby (who was then fiance) spent a bit of time at the Cross. Bob was in the navy, so I would often go in there to meet him when he was docked at Garden Island. We woud often sit in The Village near the Wax museum, as there was also a TAB there and we used to listen to the races and have a few bets. Back then I never thought twice about walking thru the Cross even though I was only 17. It was not as seedy then as it is now, or maybe in my innocence I didn't notice what was going on.

Another great show we saw was Jesus Christ Superstar...cant remember where it was on at. Reg Livermore was in the show and also John English played Judas. Did you see that one too?

I worked in the Imperial Arcade between Pitt and Castlereagh Street. The PMG department had three floors of offices there, and we did telephone accounts. We used to get huge big meter books, with the previous meter reading and the current reading, and we subtracted one from the other to get the number of calls made. Calls then were 3 for 10cents. Everything was done manually, long before computers and even before calculators. I actually used a machine called a comptometer, which I had learnt to use in a business course at Sydney Tech.

Wow, now I am tripping down memory lane. Even though I was a girl from the western suburbs, I spent a lot of time in Sydney town back then.

[Kerry]

Gee, you're bringing back a lot of memories for me, Sue. I left Sydney in the late 60s to study and was away from the city for a time, but I did do a lot of living before moving away. I didn't return until the 70s were upon us, when I met my to-be partner, George (Royal Australian Navy - coincidence), and disappeared back into the suburbs for 15 years with him. But I managed to do a lot of living before that happened. And it was the best time to be alive in Sydney, when I was young and, yes, as you say, the Cross didn't seem so seedy.

I got to know the Metro Theatre very well because I saw "Hair" several times there. And just opposite the Metro, in Orwell Street, there was a little coffee shop that was so tiny, I swear it  could only seat about 10 people (or so I recall), but they somehow managed to squeeze about 50 people in there! And it only started to fill-up after midnight. All the bohemian and gay crowd went there in the 60s. There was a pocket handkerchief sized kitchen and they somehow managed to produce the best meals, which me and my friends would devour - we'd just spent hours on the dance floor at the Aquarius Club in Darlinghurst Road and were really hungry by the time we got to Orwell Street at 2 a.m.!

The Aquarius Club held exclusively gay dances in the Jewish Macobean Centre up near St Vincent's Hospital. They used to get big name rock/pop bands there. Zoot used to play there quite often. After the dance, we'd walk (roll?!) along Darlinghurst Road, a group of us arm-in-arm, shrieking and giggling, en route to Orwell Street. We'd often pass policemen along the way, doing the beat, but they'd only ever smile and tip their caps at us, as if to say "Evening girls!" They never harassed us. It was a more innocent time. Party drugs were unknown back then. Crikey, my friends and I didn't even smoke. We did enjoy a drink, though!

I do indeed remember "Jesus Christ, Superstar." I loved that show. I saw it a couple of times in the 70s. It had a long run in Sydney. It was on at the Capital Theatre in Haymarket, a fabulously ornate, grand old theatre in high Baroque/Rococo style. A beautiful theatre.

[CellarDweller]

That statue of Jesus Truman posted is from the movie "Dogma" starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. I love it too Kerry. And like you, I'm certain Jesus smiled a lot. A LOT!

It's a shame Christianity (to a large degree) forgets it sometimes...

If I remember correctly, in the movie the church wanted people to view Jesus differently, and they called that statue "Buddy Christ".

 

If you type in a google search of "Jesus laughing", you'll find pics for it.

[CellarDweller]

[Monika]

who knew Bob Marley was really Jesus?

[Sason]

LOL Monika!


 

[CellarDweller]

Great choices, Chuck. I don't know a lot about Madonna so was curious to read the above. It made me wonder if perhaps some of her songs are directed specifically at gay people. If so, can you post a YouTube clip that will win me over as a fan? I'm open to conversion! 

from Wiki:


[edit] Life as a LGBT icon
Madonna was introduced to the gay community while still a teenager. It was her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, a gay man, who first told Madonna that she was beautiful.[3] He also introduced her to the local gay community of Detroit, Michigan, often taking her to local gay bars. Flynn also encouraged Madonna to walk away from her full scholarship to the University of Michigan and move to Manhattan to pursue a career as a professional dancer.[3] Upon her arrival, some of the first people she befriended were drag queens and gay rentboys.[citation needed]

After the launch of her music career and her entry into public consciousness, Madonna began to solidify her reputation as a gay icon. In the 1980s, Madonna was one of the first major celebrities to lend her support to AIDS causes. Many of her friends and inspirations, such as her ballet teacher Christopher Flynn, choreographer Alvin Ailey, artist Keith Haring, and photographer Herb Ritts -- as well as her brother Christopher -- are gay males, and some of them have died of AIDS. The song "In This Life" from her fifth studio album, Erotica, is about the loss of Madonna's (gay) friends to AIDS, containing the lines, "Have you ever watched your best friend die?" and "It shouldn't matter who you choose to love".

One of Madonna's biggest hits, 1990's "Vogue", is a song in tribute to the underground dance form known as vogueing which first found popularity in gay bars and discos of New York City.

In the same album, "Deeper and Deeper" deals with a homosexual coming in terms with his/her homosexuality after falling in love. The 11th track of the album "Why's It So Hard?" protests freedom of loving anyone we choose and to challenge the system. The song also contains the line "Why can't we learn to accept that we're different before it's too late"

More here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_as_gay_icon

[Kerry]

Thank you kindly, Chuck. I'm off to YouTube.