Oh Jasper

There is a new Jasper Johns exhibit at the Met, so I thought it would be appropriate to dig up this interview published in the December 2007 Vanity Fair. Regardless of what you think of his art, it is a totally great interview...below are some of the highlights.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I am not strong on perfection
What is your greatest extravagance?
a frugality that seems to confuse people who work with me
What is your current state of mind?
something like very slow panic
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
desire for approval
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
the tendency toward self-description
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
virtue itself
What is your most marked characteristic?
never knowing whether to expand or contract
What do you dislike most about your appearance?
what I imagine to be the general effect
On what occasion do you lie?
when I think it is useful
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
no one, no thing
Which talent would you most like to have?
the ability to remember or forget at will
If you could change one thing about your family,what would it be?
no one thing would do the trick
What is your most treasured possession?
my refrigerator
What is it that you most dislike?
seeing fish with silver skin marinating in cream
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
unlikely
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
must I decide before I die
How would you like to die?
effortlessly
What is your greatest regret?
an absence of clarity
What is your motto?
I have none