SHAUN MICALLEF'S ONLINE WORLD AROUND HIM                               Back           Home
	SHAUN MICALLEF:The ANSWERS What material possession couldn't you live without? I honestly can't think of one. Mind you, I can't say I've spent any more than 30 seconds pondering the question. My glasses I suppose - are they a material possession or a prosthetic device? Not sure. What book do you return to most often? The book I have re-read the most is The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. I have read it probably three times, which is a lot for me. A book I keep trying to read is The Idiot by Dostoevsky (only because I like the title) but I still find it a bit impenetrable. I must have tried to read it at least five times, but can't get past the train ride on page 15 or so. If money were no object, where would you live? Adelaide. Or Neptune. What would your last meal be? My 99th birthday cake. What do you love about Melbourne? The work. The fairy lights in the trees outside the Arts Centre. The trams. And hate? I don't hate anything about Melbourne. Although that skinny woman who comes up to me in the mall and asks for money because her purse has been stolen is starting to bug me. I've got a good mind not to give her anything next time she tries it. What has been the happiest day of your life? A whole day? That's a tough ask. Probably the day I spent on pethadine after my sigmoidectomy. I certainly felt happy, but it was a passing fancy. What do you regret? Nothing yet. I wish I was a nicer person sometimes (like my wife), but this is only a fleeting concern every now and then and probably doesn't qualify as a regret. Where do you escape to? Switzerland. Donald Pleasance and I stole a plane and made for the border while Roger and the others headed for the town. Unfortunately we were captured again. What are you afraid of? Being alone. And werewolves. What's your favourite sound? The sound of a tennis ball being hit. My mother used to play for the local parish side and my sister and I would go down to the school and watch her. Although I guess I didn't watch her - I would draw pictures with my back to the court (a disdain for sport I carry with me to this day), but the sound of the ball was a reassuring one. And smell? Percolated coffee. I don't drink it, but I do love the smell. What makes you happy to be alive? My wife, my children, and the Marx Brothers. When did you last cry? When a horse trod on my foot. What was the last thing you bought that you shouldn't have? A dolphinarium. What are you good at? I'm not good at anything in particular, but I'm not appalling at many things and this is my great strength. Have you ever had a mentor? Steve Walsh, QC was my mentor when I was an articled clerk. I used to dress like him, much to his embarrassment. Eventually he gave me his suit to wear. This was even more embarrassing; me in two suits and him naked. There was a scandal. What's your favourite piece of music? Message to My Girl by Split Enz. When did you last get drunk? 1989. Whom did you last kiss? My sons.