Hugh Hefner On California
"All the pretty ladies are livin' out here," Hefner said. "They've been coming here since the early twentieth century. And when they didn't get into movies they became shopgirls and waitresses and they got married and had beautiful children, so you have this per-capita beauty phenomenon going on here that is second to none."
From a fun, short interview with Hugh Hefner in the May 10 New Yorker. I'm not the biggest fan of the present-day Playboy persona, but I do kind of dig the Playboy vibe of the 1960's (which was, incidentally, when Hefner first moved to the Golden State.)
From a fun, short interview with Hugh Hefner in the May 10 New Yorker. I'm not the biggest fan of the present-day Playboy persona, but I do kind of dig the Playboy vibe of the 1960's (which was, incidentally, when Hefner first moved to the Golden State.)
Dining à Deux
"A happy marriage is simply a series of successful dinners."
-the aforementioned Mme. Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, in her very fun to read book The Men in Your Life: Timeless Advice and Wisdom on Managing the Opposite Sex
-the aforementioned Mme. Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, in her very fun to read book The Men in Your Life: Timeless Advice and Wisdom on Managing the Opposite Sex
The Tao of Lagerfeld
The aforementioned Vice interview with Karl Lagerfeld has been getting a lot of buzz, but it pales in comparison to a much lesser-known Lagerfeld interview I read a couple years back. Lagerfeld does not really suffer fools very well, so the Vice
interview is a little awkward at times: It seems that his responses are often terse, since he doesn't want to
waste energy giving his full insights to someone who can't
appreciate them.
In contrast, Stephen Short sat down with Lagerfeld for the March 2008 issue of Prestige Hong Kong, and was fully prepared, intellectually, to earn the respect needed to really bring him out.
Some of my favorite bits:
On the legacy of Chanel and his personal status as an icon:
May I tell you something? I like today better than before. The late ’80s were an awful time. I like today, or maybe I like my life today. I’m much happier today than I was then. And I never smoke, I never drink, I never take drugs. A lot of people today, they’re not that fresh, hmm? They don’t have that much energy.
When people talk about the good old days, I say to people, “It’s not the days that are old, it’s you that’s old.” I hate the good old days. What is important is that today is good.
On choosing a career:
I’ve never done anything else in my life and I don’t want to do something else, no. I’m not a frustrated writer or architect, I’m frustrated by nothing at all, and frustration is the mother of all crimes. I wanted to be in fashion and I’m in fashion.
On a classical education:
I’m very much in favour of teaching that [Latin and Greek] culture in schools. People are so uninformed today, hmm? The other day I had an interview with someone from a French magazine, who was so uninformed, I said, “Are you sure you were the right person sent to interview me?” I had to keep saying, “I don’t know what you’re saying, I don’t know what you want, so let’s just talk shop.”
...I hate amateurs. I hate improvisation. Serious work can only be improvised if you have a real base. It’s like the piano. When you master it, you can improvise everything.
On nightlife:
I don’t want to have a social life. I’ve had enough of that in my life. It’s démodé. It’s another era. Perhaps people are still excited by that era, but not me. It’s uninteresting today. It says nothing. It’s boring, pretentious and vulgar.
On staying healthy:
Have you never heard of pollution? Look [he takes off his gloves], I have no age spots on my hands. It’s not because I’m wearing gloves to cover them. I never went in the sun, so I don’t have them. I stopped sun because I saw how it worked on other people I knew and decided to stop a long time ago. I consider myself a kind of Ferrari, so I take care of myself.
In contrast, Stephen Short sat down with Lagerfeld for the March 2008 issue of Prestige Hong Kong, and was fully prepared, intellectually, to earn the respect needed to really bring him out.
Some of my favorite bits:
On the legacy of Chanel and his personal status as an icon:
May I tell you something? I like today better than before. The late ’80s were an awful time. I like today, or maybe I like my life today. I’m much happier today than I was then. And I never smoke, I never drink, I never take drugs. A lot of people today, they’re not that fresh, hmm? They don’t have that much energy.
When people talk about the good old days, I say to people, “It’s not the days that are old, it’s you that’s old.” I hate the good old days. What is important is that today is good.
On choosing a career:
I’ve never done anything else in my life and I don’t want to do something else, no. I’m not a frustrated writer or architect, I’m frustrated by nothing at all, and frustration is the mother of all crimes. I wanted to be in fashion and I’m in fashion.
On a classical education:
I’m very much in favour of teaching that [Latin and Greek] culture in schools. People are so uninformed today, hmm? The other day I had an interview with someone from a French magazine, who was so uninformed, I said, “Are you sure you were the right person sent to interview me?” I had to keep saying, “I don’t know what you’re saying, I don’t know what you want, so let’s just talk shop.”
...I hate amateurs. I hate improvisation. Serious work can only be improvised if you have a real base. It’s like the piano. When you master it, you can improvise everything.
On nightlife:
I don’t want to have a social life. I’ve had enough of that in my life. It’s démodé. It’s another era. Perhaps people are still excited by that era, but not me. It’s uninteresting today. It says nothing. It’s boring, pretentious and vulgar.
On staying healthy:
Have you never heard of pollution? Look [he takes off his gloves], I have no age spots on my hands. It’s not because I’m wearing gloves to cover them. I never went in the sun, so I don’t have them. I stopped sun because I saw how it worked on other people I knew and decided to stop a long time ago. I consider myself a kind of Ferrari, so I take care of myself.
A well-played "P.S."
Just in case you don't make it through all 19 pages of Berkshire Hathaway's annual report, you should know that arguably the best part is at the very end, when Warren Buffett expresses gratitude for his life and success without getting overly sentimental. At 79, Buffett could be forgiven for crossing the line into schmaltz, but he doesn't. Perfectly pitched, and textbook Midwestern (Buffett is, famously, from Omaha.)
And I think we all can appreciate a well-played "P.S."
And I think we all can appreciate a well-played "P.S."
"At 86 and 79, [Berkshire CEO] Charlie [Munger] and I remain lucky beyond our dreams.
We were born in America; had terrific parents who saw that we got good educations; have enjoyed wonderful families and great health; and came equipped with a “business” gene that allows us to prosper in a manner hugely disproportionate to that experienced by many people who contribute as much or more to our society’s well-being. Moreover, we have long had jobs that we love, in which we are helped in countless ways by talented and cheerful associates. Indeed, over the years, our work has become ever more fascinating; no wonder we tap-dance to work. If pushed, we would gladly pay substantial sums to have our jobs (but don’t tell the Comp Committee).
Nothing, however, is more fun for us than getting together with our shareholder-partners at Berkshire’s annual meeting. So join us on May 1st at the Qwest for our annual Woodstock for Capitalists. We’ll see you there.
February 26, 2010
Warren E. Buffett
Chairman of the Board
P.S. Come by rail.
