Bonnie Raitt
Singer and guitarist
Being out in a gorgeous natural setting with time to enjoy.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Originally asked
Vanity Fair, to its interview subject, The Proust Questionnaire
Verbatim recurring item in Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire; two publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
A plate of fettuccine ragù with my kids.
The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 24 February 2021 source ↗
Others on this question
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Neil Patrick Harris
Actor
Probably being granted all-access to a Disney theme park with my husband, David, and a group of close friends—and just us—while we wandered and drank tropical tiki drinks. No judgment, no lines, no bad weather, and no hangovers. Oh, and our twins would be there too, but only when they’re happy and meltdown-free. I guess the same would go for David.
T Bone Burnett
Musician and record producer
Perfection is a second-rate idea. I would guess, however, that perfected happiness would be joy, the most intricate and mercurial of all sensations. The moment one recognizes joy, it flees. I’m not sure where Proust is going with this line of questioning, and I don’t want to be evasive, so I will say my idea of perfect happiness is the end of economics; we grow like flowers and fly like birds; the lion lays down with the lamb—a ridiculous idea.
Julie Taymor
Theatre and film director
A fall day on the beach with Elliot and my dog, Luna, and the sea, sand, and sky.
More from Sophia Loren
View profile →In the hospital when my children were born.
I’m a perfectionist; it’s boring.
To overcook that plate of fettuccine.
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