Mel Brooks: Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? — FLAPSS

The question

Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

MB

Mel Brooks

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Probably me, but I don’t think I’m supposed to say that!

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 2021 source ↗

Others on this question

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Steve Jobs Co-founder and chief executive of Apple; co-founder of NeXT; chief executive of Pixar

You know, Dr. Edwin Land was a troublemaker. He dropped out of Harvard and founded Polaroid. Not only was he one of the great inventors of our time but, more important, he saw the intersection of art and science and business and built an organization to reflect that.

Recorded David Sheff, Playboy Interview, February 1985 source ↗

Jaime Winstone English actress

My Nanny Frances, my mum's mum.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 August 2012 source ↗

Daniel Clowes American cartoonist and writer

It's a fool's errand to waste time admiring anybody.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 July 2012 source ↗

Tess Daly English television presenter

Bruce Forsyth, because not only is he the most talented showman, he is the most generous individual.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 December 2016 source ↗

More from Mel Brooks

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Question Which trait in yourself do you like least? Identity & self

Being too damned self-absorbed.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 2021 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

A Broadway theater filled with nothing but critics.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 2021 source ↗

Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

Probably during my childhood growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 2021 source ↗

Question Which quality in your friends matters most to you? Relationships

Taking daily showers and always being there when I need them.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 14 December 2021 source ↗

Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Being in a Broadway theater full of people laughing their heads off at one of my shows.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 14 December 2021 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

Never picking up the check.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 2021 source ↗

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