Conversations
Raven Smith
Author, Vogue columnist and wit about town, Raven Smith has an irreverent humour that’s as devilish as it is delightful. Here, the silver-tongued social commentator shares a few of his favourite things…
The one thing you’re reading…
Anything by P.D. James. I binged her Mistletoe Murder mysteries over an August heatwave, which was perfectly jarring.
The one painting you wish you owned…
David Hockney’s The Room, Tarzana, 1967.
The one place you’ll keep going back to…
I’ve never had a bad dinner at The Camberwell Arms.
The one thing you’ll always wear…
Mr Marvellous eau de parfum by Byredo. I’m paranoid they’ll discontinue it.
The one thing that grounds you…
Re-reading Agatha Christie, preferably in the sun with a little bowl of crisps.
The one person you’d love to have dinner with…
The 6ft 6in, fez-wearing painter, Patrick Procktor – specifically for his stories of bohemian jaunts with Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark.
The one thing you can’t live without…
A daily walk. Wow, I sound like a nan. I love a decent night cream, but that’s quite “nan” too. What’ll make me sound younger? TikTok? Never actually been on it.
The one thing on your bedside table…
A Campari ashtray full of jewellery and Advil PM.
The one film…
Beetlejuice is a perfect storm. Witty and macabre, with Winona as a goth teen and Catherine O’Hara giving a perfect portrayal of a New York neurotic. And Harry Belafonte croons throughout. What more could you want?
The one piece of advice…
Don’t count your chickens. The truest cliché.
