the pearly gates!
It was announced today that James Lipton has died. He was one of my all-time favorite guests we had on Katie’s talk show, and TBH what popped into my head today was remembering how surprised I was at his small stature just as much as I was all the other secretly miniatoor celebs that I have been around in person (exception: Bradley Cooper but more on him in a minute). Literally all celebs except for Tim Robbins and Bradley Cooper are so short, you guys. I also remember thinking he was sort of a diva? And that it was cute how his wife was his handler? Tony and Mere can fact check me on that. He was tiny, though, that much I can confirm on the record.
What a life! He loved his work! Isn’t that a nice thing to say about someone who lived until they were 93 and you met while they were still actively working in their 80s? The master class he created at the New School in New York became known for his televised interviews, but, really, it was a class just like the ones all of us took and trudged/loved our way through during college which I always loved and tried to remember when I watched the show. I think Inside the Actors Studio was the first show I ever DVRd? That makes me sound/feel ancient. If you have never seen him interview Bradley Cooper, OMG treat yo self! Bradley graduated from the program in 2000 and when Lipton welcomes him onto the stage as an accomplished actor many years later, he is clearly emotional about it. They both are! I die! (Editor’s note: trigger city on Bradley Cooper/talk show memories. Those who know. Know.)
Listen, actors can be...annoying. And Jimmy is kinda to blamer for why we have to hear them “talk about craft,” I’ll grant you. But writing and acting and directing are all sort of lofty goals and it was pretty neat to hear from the tiny percentage of people who actually succeed in achieving them talk about how they got there. Philip Seymour Hoffman struggled with so many demons, and - like so many addicts - left a trail of heartbreak when he died. His interview is good, but he comes up in SO many other interviews which I always thought said a lot about him. Paul Newman’s favorite word was “try.” Bette Midler cried about her best friend growing up who died in a car crash, but with whom she credits making her ever think she was funny. He let Dave Chapelle rip cigs! During the Bloomberg era! And don’t get me started on Will Ferrell doing James for SNL! BTW Amy Poehler (my spirit animal) made him let her give one set of serious answers, and one set of comedy answers.
I love Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire as you may know, and the series of questions he asked at the end of every interview was rooted in Proust, and later the French journalist Bernard Pivot. These are fun questions to answer at different phases of your life, or to do with your significant other from time to time. Here are mine. And here’s hopin’ God had a good line for James at the pearly gates.
What is your favorite word? Home.
What is your least favorite word? Moist.
What turns you on? Laughter - at oneself.
What turns you off? Pretention.
What sound or noise do you love? The sounds of a dock: metal masts clanging, bumpers squeaking, rope stretching, and boats bumping up against pilings.
What sound or noise do you hate? From the tarmac: “Ladies and gentlemen…”
What is your favorite curse word? Shit...prefaced by “Well,”.
What profession other than yours would you like to practice? Floral arranger!
What profession would you absolutely NOT like to attempt under any circumstance? I always feel so badly when I see roadkill and think about the person who has to dispose of it - so that, I guess! A road kill scraper-upper.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates? “You must be exhausted.”
Thanks for reading. xo