Dinner Party Guest List--Any Ten People Who Ever Lived

Deb, You wanna be in the kitchen with all those fascinating people sitting around your dinner table? Call a caterer.

jjorge, Big shock, huh? No shrubbery on anyone's list--so far.

Jes, Thanks for the info on Moe. He sounds like someone it would be fun to sit next to at a dinner party.

I picked Agatha Christie because I was a voracious reader of her books. I love the intrigue her mind can come up with.

William Shatner because I am entertained by him and he seems like a genuinely lovely man - I have seen him interviewed many times and I nearly wet my pants laughing in the movie "Showtime" with Eddie Murphy and De Niro when he aped himself as TJ Hooker - hilarious.

Doris Day - because I adored her movies. She was the attractive, funny, entertaining hottie and adorably wholesome at the same time. She can flirt with the best of them.

Sean Connery - hotter now than when he was Bond. I just want to sit on his lap and purr while he talks about .... well who cares what he talks about!

Stevie Nicks - maybe she'll belt out a rendition or two for us, plus I want all the juicy details about the interesting twists and turns in her life.

Marilyn Manson - I think is an interesting and intelligent specimen. He may look freakish and get off on strange actions but I think he has an incredible mind and would be extremely interesting to talk to.

Sandra Bullock - because I'd want her as my best friend. I'd love to hang out with her.

Eddie Izzard - he better be wearing full makeup, his dress and heels. I find him strangely attractive as a trannie and he is my cup of tea humorwise.

Eminem - an interesting young man. I enjoy his song lyrics and wouldn't mind chatting with him.

Robin Williams - again, another one that entertains and cracks me up.

I noticed that many of you chose intellectuals but, while I can admire those types of people, I really don't want to have long conversations with them or have them come to dinner. I want a fun and entertaining evening with people who might belt out a song and lots of laughter.

2. Gandhi The man that brought independence to his country with non-violence.
3. Mozart The musical genius that played the piano at three
4. van Gogh The art genius with a unique style, but gone mad
5. Monet One of my favorite impressionist painters
6. Charles Darwin Who brought the concept of evolution to the world
7. Abe Lincoln Immancipation proclamation changed the US foreever
8. Ramses II The greatest phaoroh of Egypt
9. Aristotle His deductive method of logic
10. Ghengis Khan One of the greatest warriors of the past

My wife
George Washington Carver
Jim Thorpe
Helen Keller
Jimmy Carter
Thomas Jefferson
Florence Nightengale
Joan of Arc
Sequoah
SiddhArtha Gautama Buddha

They are all my heros and stand for the good of mankind. Something that is saidly missing in the world today. If I could get this group of people together, then there is a possibility of creating a much needed change in this sad place.

I would definitely add Gandhi as my eleventh. Since 11 is my lucky number, it is appropriate for me to have 11 and make the 11th person the chairman.

Thanks for asking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great topic!

Here's my list:

Rodrigo Diaz Del Vivar, Mío Cid.- A militar genius, a great person & a hero, it would be great to meet the warrior who conquered Valencia.

Friedrich Nietzsche.- It would be great to hear his theories from his mouth.

Helen of Troy.- Just to know the cause of the Trojan War, besides i'd like to know if she was really that beautiful.

Ovid.- I would like him to tell me more mythological stories, besides i'd like to know why he got exiled from Rome.

H.G. Wells.- So I can comment Time Machine with him

Herodot.- Just to tell me more amazing stories of the ancient world.

Mika Waltari.- just to tell me in what he planned to end his novel, John, the pilgrim

Alexander Dumas.- so he could clarify some points about his novel the Count Of Montecristo

Napoleon.- just to hear from his lips the story of his life.

Thomas Moro.- to comment Utopia

Heeven, BillW, and c.i., Thanks for coming back and telling us the thoughts behind your selections.

BillW, Don't worry about having an extra guest, especially if it's Gandhi.

c.i., I admire van Gogh's work tremendously. Not sure if I'd want to sit next to him at a dinner party though.

These guest lists are so diverse, fascinating, etc. I wish I could be a guest at the parties.

It's not contagious except for extremely close contact Roberta!

OK--Here goes (In No Particular Order)
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Nelson Mandela

Martin Luther King

Roberto Clemente

Rachel Carson

Noam Chomsky

Leonardo Da Vinci

Bruce Lee

Paul Wellstone

Christ (To ask what he thinks of what people have done to HIS religion)

The Dali Lama.

How's that for a mixed bag!

Are we allowed to have a reserve team in case anyone of our orignals drop out for any reason, like being double booked, required for a war, book being published, or simply having a temper tantrum

Heevan:
You want to have lunch with William Shatner, you go to BEN's off of 7th Avenue, 37th or 38th Street, who's counting? He's there three or four times a month with his cronies. Order the matzo ball soup, it's as good as talking to William Shatner.

Joe

Wow, Roberta, this is a fascinating study.

Golda Meir would be first on my list. She was tough, motherly, couageous and smart. Defintiely one of my heroes.

Anonymous. Imagine all the women who had to remain anonymous because it was indecent for them to have minds of their own--to be able to invent and discuss and compose with the best of the men.

Vaclav Havel, for the reasons mentioned plus his courage in writing directly to the government, staing his reasons for wanting a free society.

Ben Franklin, just because I've always loved him and, of course, because he was one of the most creative and brilliant of the founding fathers. (Actually, if the virgin Mary came, I'd seat her next to Ben. It's about time that poor woman had some fun!!)

J.S. Bach, a brilliant composer and a family man who passed on his love for music along with his talent. Too many great men could only focus on their own careers, always leaving their families in the background.

Average Citizen. Probably of ancient Rome, but I'd like to have a discussion with the average person from each era. Famous people made an impression on society, but the average person quietly lived in the real, everyday society.

Stradivarius, the great violin maker. Artisans are always wonderful people to know. They live their passion everyday with a perfection few ever experience.

My grandmother. She taught school in Texas, living with each child's family for a couple of months at a time. She was so intelligent and tough, with a dry sense of humor. She also had a soft lap and could read stories like no one else. She smelled like Ivory soap.

Seamus Heaney, the poet. He writes of small things and ordinary people, bringing to life the beauty of ordinary things.

Gandhi. Leaders of his caliber are all too rare. We need him so badly right now. Maybe he could shame some of the arbitrary, greedy politicians that are in power. No, I don't think so, they wouldn't get it.

Hey, Roberta, how about you coming over? They all should meet a goil from da Bronx!!

Hmmmm.....my list.....

Craven de Kere
dyslexia
oldandknew
Booman
cavfancier
Diane
Letty
TerryDooLittle
quinn
Mapleleaf

A nice mix, I think.

oldandknew, By all means, have some stand-bys in the wings. You're right that many of our selections might be temperamental or be otherwise engaged.

BillW, What's not contagious? What am I missing?

Diane, I accept. And aren't you kind, thoughtful, and good-hearted to but a goil from da Bronx on your list. BTW, I would love to meet your grandma.

Neo and Rae, Why have you chosen to invite the people on your lists?

Robin Williams
Leonardo Davinci
Einstein
Jesus Christ
Salvador Dali
Johnny Depp
Berenice Abbott
Gore Vidal
Madame Toussard
Lily Tomlin

Awjeez, do I hafta?

Okay, okay, okay.....

Craven ~ because I've 'known' him for a long time and I would just love to spend time with him. (I'm old enough to be his mother ~ nothing weird going on there!)

dyslexia ~ because he I just want to meet him.

oldandknew ~ because I've corresponded with him. He's a lovely person and we have a lot in common ~ especially blues music.

Booman ~ pretty much the same reason as above. But, I think we may have even more in common. Plus, he's just a sweetie-pie and makes me smile endlessly!

cavfancier ~ because he simply cracks me up! We also share a lot of common interests with work and relate to each other very well.

Diane ~ because even behind those beautiful blue eyes, there is a lot to her ~ I could listen to her talk for hours and hours. She's a lovely person and I didn't have enough time with her in April.

Letty ~ oh my.....Miss Letty. What can I say? This lovely lady has so much to tell. And she is such an avid listener ~ and wants to get at the heart of things with her curiosity. If you are in Letty's company, you will have her undying attention ~ her questions are wonderful ~ will even make you think. (Which is what she wants to hear anyway.....)

TerryDooLittle ~ because I look up to her. At least to me, she seems like she's got it all together and I look forward to hearing about her success'. I'd love to sit and have a beer (or four) with her.

quinn ~ because she's always been so nice to me ~ and darnit, I just love nice people! She doesn't know it, but she helped me name my kitty, too. So, she's really a member of the family.

And Mapleleaf ~ I just love him to bits. And didn't get to spend nearly enough time with him as I would have liked. Once you get him talking, he opens up and it's so cool to see!

Well, I like down to Earth slobs, like Henry Miller, and I consider Ben Franklin one of the best all around men I could name. Philip Wylie, whom I once used for my father figure. Leonard Cohen, to try and get into his head. Bob Dylan, cause I love everything he does. Jean Harlowe, for that bit of spice. Harry Belafonte for his politics and magnificent voice. Buddha, whom I would like to study first hand without centuries of dust on his message. Judy Collins, who is a great musician and one who practicises my brand of politics. Sitting Bull, a great statesman and human being.

the mood i'm in now, i'm thinking ...

johnny rotten
john cooper clarke
bez from the happy mondays (the guy on stage who didnt play any instrument)
iggy pop
george clinton
lee "scratch" perry
jim "cert" horacek
screamin' jay hawkins
bessie smith
josephine baker
bjork (back when she was cute, more rebellious pixie than vanity diva) - and einar, too
manu chao
jack kerouac
billy childish

i dont think that would be a group of people who'd care too much abou there being a chair or two too few ... it would be a true little interesting smashing dinner party thing ... & i thought the "background" music could be done by one of those goran bregovic-style balkan gypsy orchestras. let talk be rowdy, flirts be explicit, bottles go flying and fights be instant raw poetry, yeh.

group could do with a few more women, tho. anyone got any suggestions of women to add to these invitees (not janis joplin)?

Roberta, here is but a brief paragraph. In modern day society - we would say Van Gogh is a real 911 case:



Don't get me wrong, I think he is the best and would be a great friend for me! My kinda guy -----

Mo Berg was the only baseball player in the history of the sport to also be a spy for the USA. He spoke not only fluent Japanese but about a dozen other languages, including German. He once actually impersonated a German officer to get into a secret Nazi facility while working as an OSS agent (CIA precursor during WW II).

But I don't know if I'd invite him to my dinner party. From all I've heard, he was quite taciturn.

Shakespeare, of course, for reasons too obvious to mention. Besides, Roberta has already mentioned them.

Mark Twain and Jerome K. Jerome. I would love to hear these two get together and start discussing something -- anything -- with a straight face. They both had almost identical senses of humor.

Dorothy Parker. You need somebody who can deftly deflate the egos of some of the other guests.

From the Bible, I'd choose Abraham over Moses. I'd like to hear his version of what made him leave Mesopotamia in search of the land of milk and honey.

Kung-Fu Tze (whom we call Confucius). I've always wondered whether he can really be as great a bore as his writings would indicate. Seat him next to Socrates and the two can bore each other to death.

Three more? Abe Lincoln. Sparkling wit coupled with true human compassion. Ben Franklin. Another fine and incisive wit. Eleanor of Aquitaine (either that or Hildergarde von Bingham). Can't have poor Dotty Parker the only female present.


Damn! Why is it limited to 10? Think I'll throw another dinner party tomorrow night and invite 10 different people. There are certainly more than 10 historical figures I'd love to meet.

(BTW, I didn't mention inviting my wife because it is assumed she would be there as hostess, not as a guest.)

This would be the time to invite God, and clear up a lot of unsolved mysteries - yeah, that's the ticket!!!!!!!!!!!!!