For a Polaroid of a person’s soul, ask them to name three things they can’t live without. After they list the obvious (family, friends, sex…) and the ones you can’t actually own (Tower Grove Park, KDHX-FM, Sheldon Concert Hall), some interesting answers emerge. At least that was the case when SLM queried a handful of well-known St. Louisans.
Airport Priority Lanes for Frequent Flyers. “It saves me more often than not, because I’m always late to the airport. It is something I could not live without.”
-Amit Dhawan
Managing Partner, Synergy Productions
Others:
• My morning Diet Coke.
• Sansun Galaxy cellphone, it’s my lifeline to the world.
Tommaso Augusta Bike. “I ride it around the city. It has a single speed, and it gives you a really good workout. It’s not a hipster fixie bike.”
-Bill Keaggy
Author, 50 Sad Chairs and Milk Eggs Vodka; Co-Founder, The Tremendousness Collective
Others:
• A park by your house. His is Tower Grove.
• A long, non-shrinking t-shirt.
Multiple Highlighters. “I have green, pink, blue, yellow, and orange, and they each have different purposes. I started it in law school, and I’m still in law school. I can’t read without them.”
-Sue McCollum
Chairman and CEO, Major Brands
Others:
• My NFL ticket that allows me to watch my Buffalo Bills every Sunday.
• Vente Americano with an inch of steamed nonfat milk prepared by the fine baristas at the Central West End Starbucks.
• My purple Saucony running shoes.
Gucci Shoes. “I only wear loafers. Oh my God, I don’t want to age myself—I have worn Gucci loafers for 20 years.”
-Robert Lococo
Owner, Lococo Fine Art Publisher
Others:
• Family.
• Friends.
Wonder Woman Coffee Mug. “Wonder Woman has been my hero since I saw her on the cover of Ms. magazine and the TV show… Who wouldn’t want to go for peace, justice, and sexual equality?”
-Nathalie Pettus
Owner, Overlook Farm and Nathalie’s
Others:
• Hunter boots.
• Overlook Farm.
Skinny Pop Popcorn. “It’s 39 calories per serving—I probably ingest hundreds of calories. It is so good. I introduced it to one of the news managers at KMOV, and he came back and said, ‘You’re getting ripped off, sister. Why don’t you get some Orville Redenbacher?’”
-Jasmine Huda
Anchor and Reporter, KMOV-TV
Others:
• Nespresso maker
• CBS Sunday Morning
My Brown Handcrafted Coffee Mug. “Bridget Flood, executive director of the Incarnate Word Foundation, makes great-looking coffee mugs that my wife and I gave to each other one Christmas. When we moved, it was the first thing we unpacked. Hers is blue and mine’s brown. My 2-year-old son knows the difference between the mommy cup and the daddy cup.”
-Antonio French (pictured left)
21st ward alderman, St. Louis
Others:
• My iPhone
• Netflix and Tivo
Parmigiano-Reggiano. “The real one from Parma, Italy—the one with the stamp on it. My husband and I spent six weeks last summer in Mexico. We had a beach house, and we were so homesick for the foods we get here.”
-Zoe Robinson
Restaurateur, Bar Les Frères, Bobo Noodle House, and I Fratellini
Others:
• Arugula
• Good olive oil. She frequents the Olive Ovation.
Kale. “I just love kale—it’s so healthy. I like all foods, but I really couldn’t live without having a major portion of my food being healthy.”
-Andy Trivers
CEO and Architect, Trivers Associates
Others:
• Cool eyeglasses that he buys at Erkers and See Eyewear.
• The New York Times
My Library. “If my house was on fire, I would hope it would be very slow-burning. First, of course, I would make sure my wife and my cat, Henry, were safe. And then I would start grabbing my books. I have a library with thousands of books that mean a lot to me.”
-Peter Wyse Jackson
President, Missouri Botanical Garden
Others:
• The garden
• My passport
Glasses. “I’ve worn glasses since I was 11 months old. I remember when I first started caring about my glasses in seventh grade, and I got these round wire-frame glasses that made me feel like John Lennon. I really loved those glasses, but now I realize they probably made me look like a huge nerd.”
-Paige Brubeck
Musician, Sleepy Kitty
Others:
• Saint Louis Art Museum
• Fender Super Reverb
Facial Toner. “My face doesn’t feel clean unless I put on toner. I’m not a jewelry freak; I’m not a clothes horse—for me, clothes are just various uniforms I have to put on. If I had my way, I’d be in yoga pants all day long. I’m a very practical person.”
-Ruth Ezell
Reporter and Producer, KETC-TV
Drum Set. “I’ve been playing my Tama Starclassic drums for 13 years, and they’ve seen me through several different bands and lots of cities. It’s a beautiful device that has gotten better with time.”
-Evan Sult
Musician, Sleepy Kitty
Others:
• Retro 101 on Cherokee
• KDHX
My Four Martin Guitars. “They’re the most beautiful guitars in the world. The one I like best is a small-body, finger-picking guitar with a wide neck made from Adirondack spruce… I’ve been playing seriously for three years and not seriously for about 40.”
-Jeffrey Bonner
President and CEO, Saint Louis Zoo
Others:
• Our cabin in the Adirondacks.
• The penquins at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Paint-Covered Pants. “Since I have been painting, I can’t tell you how many people have asked me if I can do to their pants what I’ve done to mine. They don’t have any interest in buying the painting—they just want the pants.”
-Brad Kessler (pictured right)
Criminal-Defense Attorney Turned Artist
Others:
• A beat-up vehicle to drive. It’s ridiculous that people spend a lot of money to drive cars when there are all these junkers around that need driving.
• Duct tape wallet.
Textiles. “I love fabrics, beautiful linens, rugs. That all comes from my mom, who was a weaver.”
-Kiku Obata
President, Kiku Obata & Company
Others:
• Olive oil on sourdough toast
• Dopolo espresso Macchiato at Starbucks, which is basically two hits of espresso with a little bit of nonfat foam.
• I love flowers and plants. I have all these jade and aloe plants and I make cuttings all the time and give them to people.
Nothing. “There isn’t an object I couldn’t live without. I’m a bit of a minimalist.”
-Dave Murray
Chief Meteorologist, KTVI–TV
Others:
• My wife Janice. We’ve been married for 33 years and she’s the love of my life.
• Forecasting the weather.
• Being outside with my dogs, Sky and Rain.
Sheldon Concert Hall. “It’s one of the best-sounding concert halls in the country. When people get up on stage, they really mean it when they say it’s one of the best places to play. I have a joke that I would watch grass grow in the Sheldon because even that would sound good.”
-Chris Reimer
Vice President of Social Media, Falk Harrison
Others:
• Kaldi’s Coffee
• The Hill
By Nancy Curtis and Christy Marshall
