Giving a speech in high school at a pep rally that wasn’t going so well and the dean unplugged the mic. Apparently, I was rambling and the spirit of the cafeteria was being weighed down.
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What does love feel like?
Relationships
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Appearing on a Paris catwalk in a beard.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 March 2008 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 122 →
Shakin' Stevens
Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter
I was in the musical Elvis, and after a costume change I went below stage to be raised up on a platform. As I was raised up, I blanked and couldn’t remember the first line of the song King Creole. I mumbled the first few lines and hoped nobody would notice.
Kathy Lette
Australian-British author
Bumping into my male boss at a nudist beach.
Sofia Coppola
American filmmaker and actress
Being on the cover of a magazine at 18 with the slogan: “Did she ruin The Godfather?”
More from Erin O'Connor
View profile →Learning to surf - a 6ft frame is a real hindrance for the sport.
As a little bit naughty and a lot nice.
An emergency landing in a snow storm in Philadelphia.
'Excuse me, madam, you have a thong hanging out of your handbag.'
Not reading my bank statements thoroughly enough!
Like I've been kidnapped of my senses.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 366 answers
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 63 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
Also answered this
John Simm, Richard Coles, Jared Harris, Jack Davenport, Lucy Beaumont, Indira Varma
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All failure & regret questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject