JOHN BARRETT
the world according to . . .
QA&
AVENUE ’s back-page
column asks
New York notables our
version of the
questionnaire made
famous by Marcel Proust
John Barrett, celebrity hair dresser
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO NEW YORK?
Curiosity, youth and ambition . . .
and a green card won in the State
Department’s lottery!
WHEN DID YOU FIRST FEEL LIKE A
NEW YORKER? WHAT HAPPENED?
The first time I gave a cabbie
painfully specific instructions
for my preferred route.
AT WHAT ADDRESS WOULD YOU LIKE
TO LIVE?
Although I’m absolutely content with
my current address, I hope to one day
call the Beresford home.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORI TE WATERING
HOLE FOR LUNCH? FOR DINNER?
For lunch, BG (at Bergdorf Goodman,
7th floor); for dinner, The Mark.
WHAT NEWSPAPER COLUMN DO YOU
READ FIRST IN THE MORNING?
Peggy Noonan and Maureen Dowd,
who make me think and occasionally
scream; Richard Johnson, Cathy Horyn
and David Patrick Columbia, all of
whom generally make me smile.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORI TE NEW YORKER,
PAST OR PRESENT?
Silda Wall Spitzer, for all of her children’s
advocacy work—we need more like her!
WHO IS THE SMARTEST NEW YORKER
YOU KNOW?
Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia’s Earth Institute.
WHO IS THE FUNNIEST?
My dear friend Scott Lawrie, a
producer of “The Colbert Report.”
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE
DINNER PARTNER?
Anyone intimately linked to the show
we’re about to see. Or Frank Bruni.
WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Dawn Mello, the guiding light for
me and many other influencers in
New York and abroad.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NEW YORK
CLICHÉ? LEAST FAVORITE?
I love the idea of a “New York minute;”
it reminds me that time mustn’t be
taken for granted. My least favorite
is a neighborhood referred to as a
“hidden gem,” as though it’s been
eagerly awaiting your discovery.
WHAT’S THE ONE THING ABOUT
NEW YORK YOU WOULD CHANGE?
The historically high number of
homeless children.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE
NEW YORK MOMENT?
When I was asked by Dawn Mello
to take over the salon at Bergdorf
Goodman.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING
NEW YORK MOMENT?
Walking into Tony Blair and Rupert
Murdoch at a cocktail party and being
completely starstruck!
WHAT’S YOUR WORST “WORS T
DRESSED” NEW YORK MOMENT?
Being toe to toe with the well-heeled
attendees of the Met Ball—so humbling!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORI TE
NEW YORK SOUND?
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to
welcome you to John F. Kennedy
International Airport.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORI TE
NEW YORK LOGO?
Skylines on deli coffee cups that
include the Twin Towers.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORI TE WAY TO GET
AROUND NEW YORK, AND WH Y?
By foot, especially when it has just
snowed, because I enjoy watching
people slow down and pay attention
to what they’re doing.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU
GROW UP?
Without regret.;
©PATRICK MCMULLAN==PHOTO- PATRICK MCMULLAN/ PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORI TE TRANSPOR-
TATION MOMENT IN THE CIT Y?
Every moment of the walk, from east
to west, through Central Park.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT
LIVING IN NEW YORK?
Finding the time to occasionally leave
New York.
