JP: So we’re sitting by the fire.

Patrick: Yep and the fire is doing fine.

JP: Yep and we’re doing it in the inefficient way. The door is open, the flue is open.

Patrick: Yep, but it’s, uh – It’s lovely to look at but it burns up a lot of wood. (Sound of door closing) At least we’ll get a little more heat if we block the flue. One flue over this cuckoo’s nest. That was a great film.

JP: Yeah. I never read the novel, did you? Sure you did.

Patrick: Yeah, I just read it recently because I hadn’t read it, but I saw the film, and it’s good. And… Something… what’s the other one?

JP: Something Wicked This Way Comes?

Patrick: No, I know that film. Another one by the same author. (Pause) Never mind. In the redwood country.

JP: So, I’ve been here a month now. We haven’t killed each other.

Patrick: That’s good. We’ve killed a lot of time.

JP: Yeah, we drank a fair amount of wine, enjoyed a fair amount of… some wonderful food, lots of wonderful food.

Patrick: I think it was better at the beginning but that’s because of vanity.

JP: Well yeah and I got a… I mentioned to Suzy I think that… or maybe it was Marianna… I’ve enjoyed more of your cooking. I mean Remedios is a great cook, I’ve liked what she cooked, but I’ve enjoyed more of your stuff.

Patrick: Diana was a bit… what’s the word… denigrating? I’ve invited her here maybe twice and once I made the orange sauce for the fish and she’s always saying “Oh you always make salmon with the orange sauce.”

JP: Okay

Patrick: So what? When she has a dinner party, she has her maid come up with the stuff prepared.

JP: Yeah, catered.

Patrick: Yep. It’s very good, but Diana is an excellent French cook. She was in Paris, cooking and entertaining, she is very good, but it’s just a lot of trouble. And when she has a party, it’s six or eight people. It’s a lot of work and so now she gets Marguerita to come and she has great stuff. Really good sauces. She has her nice salads and she likes the smoked salmon easy to fix with sour cream and stuff. But she’s not very – what’s the word – somebody very – “supportive” is in there – nourishing – nurturing – very – in that direction.

Patrick: Stephanie thought that the worst thing you could say against her was that – once I must have said to her “you limit me.” I must have been angry about something. And I found in her notes, she said “You said you limit me. That’s the worst criticism anybody’s ever made.”

JP: Wow.

Patrick: Diana’s the other way. She constantly…

JP: Squeezes every…

Patrick: Trying to diminish which is – once in awhile I snap.

JP: I’ve met several of your circle [of friends] here this trip, many of whom I’ve met before. Let’s see – so, Carol, Marianna and Jeff, Suzy, Diana, Nicole, Mei Wah, Ondine, let’s see – who else?

Patrick: Tony Bonner

JP: Tony Bonner and Hanna, I mean…

Patrick: Eve. Too bad Hanna couldn’t come.

JP: Yeah, yeah. So with that…

Patrick: Francesca…

JP: Imagine that. Carl and Antoinette are in Munich and working their way down here later.

Patrick: They’ll be down here next week. Just missed ‘em.

JP: Yeah, uh, any of the others that are really, would you say, core to…? I met George.

Patrick: Oh, you didn’t meet Owen.

JP: No, I didn’t meet Owen. I met Steve.

Patrick: Yeah, hell fell well met.

JP: So, who would you say are others in your closest circle?

Patrick: I think you’ve met just about everybody, except for Frank Bruhns who is coming. He lives in Berlin – and his wife.

JP: And Lionel.

Patrick: Yeah, Lionel would be another one but that’s a different arrangement … with the “ornamental feet.” Other than that, well, there are people I know, like Mike and Philippa.

JP: Yeah, Mike and Philippa.

Patrick: Did you meet them before?

JP: I don’t think so. We were going to try to get together even without the birthday celebration.

Patrick: It didn’t happen. She was – the day that we were going to go over there – she and he had fish poisoning.

JP: Yes.

Patrick: He’s a composer and she makes her own jewelry and likes to redesign houses.

JP: I met Claire.

Patrick: Yeah, Claire, and you met, Sarah, her daughter.

JP: Yes, that’s right, at Mei Wa’s.

Patrick: Yeah. She just dried out – very nice. Interesting thing is her… Claire was married more than once. Her son is from a writer who wrote only two books in his life. One’s called “Memoirs of an Aged Child” and the second one is “Difficult Women” – about forty years between those two books. He died not too long ago, so the son that you met was Mathias.

JP: Oh, right, right.

Patrick: He’s one of my favorite people but we very seldom see each other. And then, his half sister is Sarah whose father is a black guy. So she’s mulata, I guess. So the funny thing is, her son – wait a minute, who is the father of her son? I’m not sure I know. I think he’s a black guy. So there’s this whole thing going on in that family. Which is interesting, because none of them married. Anyway – Alfred Derstin – he is the father of Matthias – from a wealthy family, and wrote the book “Memoirs of an Aged Child,” an interesting book. So you’ve met just about- you didn’t met Arturo Rhodes.

JP: No. Is he the guy that took over the festival?

Patrick: No, Arthur Rhodes is a painter who paints sort of puns. You know Laurel and Hardy?

JP: You mean like laurel leaves and a hardy branch?

Patrick: Well, you know Stanley saw ??? with the dirty hat. There was one we saw the other day. I forget where it was. It was in one of the restaurants we were in – it was one of his funny paintings. Anyway he’s an English gypsy and he likes to read novels about serial killers.

JP: Yeah, sort of like Lois and Allison. They watch the crime channel.

Patrick: Lois watched whatever was on, lying sideways. I don’t know how you can watch TV sideways. If I’m lying down, I can’t really see it right.

JP: Maybe that helps her with her…

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The conversation was recorded on 11 Dec 2011 in Deia.
Recording filename: 111211-patrick-circle-of-friends.mp3