Bobby Short

Social Study

Since the 60s, Bobby Short has been belting out the strains of Cole, Noël, Duke, and many others at New York's Cafe Carlyle. Now, in his memoirs, Bobby Short: The Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, he muses over 65 years at the piano, and this month, he plays a little ditty of his own for V.F.'s Proust Questionnaire

What is your favorite journey?

Coming home to New York City.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Ten consecutive hours of sleep.

What is your greatest fear?

Fear itself.

Which living person do you most admire?

My multitalented pal Carroll O'Connor.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My occasional unbridled enthusiasm.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My occasional unbridled enthusiasm.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Music.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Boredom.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Extravagance.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Envy.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Isn't it wonderful!

What is your greatest regret?

Having been born too late to live among the people I most admire.

On what occasion do you lie?

Only when I feel there's no other way out.

When and where were you happiest?

When I was cutting my teeth in Paris.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Survival.

What is your most treasured possession?

My piano.

What is your favorite occupation?

Working.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Humor.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Humor.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Duke Ellington.

How would you like to die?

In my sleep.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

One ride is enough for me.

What is your motto?

There's always tomorrow.