Guilty Pleasures
Marion Pauw
Once I read an interview with Marion Pauw and knew; I want to meet her because she is too fun not to know. Thank goodness she didn't find me totally unpleasant either, so we saw each other now and then and I enjoyed her sharp sentences that she sometimes wrote for me. One thing led to another and another led to more with the incredibly delightful apotheosis that Marion can now also call herself an Amayzine editor. Our integration ritual is briefly with our butts exposed in the Guilty Pleasures. Dear Marion, welcome aboard our little ship and take it away…
What is your most used excuse?
‘I’m actually trying to use fewer excuses, but just to tell how it is. That’s not always easy. But I do notice that friends find it a relief when you say that you totally forgot something or that you just prefer to sit on the couch instead of going to a dinner and that kind of thing. We tend to want to cover everything up or embellish it for each other. I’m learning that people have the right to their own reactions and feelings. If you come up with an excuse, you take that piece away from them. But it’s difficult, you know!’
Which movie, TV show, or series makes you cry every time?
‘About that YouTube video of the lion Christian. Two very nice gay men buy a baby lion at Harrods in the seventies and name him Christian. Of course, Christian becomes a bit too big for their hip apartment, so they give him to a wildlife park in Zimbabwe. Years later, they go to visit him. They call his name and Christian runs up to them and jumps into their arms. I find that so touching. In fact, I can’t even type this without getting emotional.’
Your ultimate guilty pleasure?
‘My Uggs. Ha! As a writer, I spend a lot of time behind a desk and Uggs are just the most comfortable footwear. Sorry.’
Which bad music can you secretly enjoy immensely?
‘‘Jeanny’ by Falco. I can rap it word for word. In German.’
What is your secret hobby?
‘Puzzling. Really. I love making a puzzle of 1000 pieces. It completely relaxes me.’
And your strangest trait?
‘I actually don’t know. I’m alone too often to still know what’s normal and what’s strange.’
Do you have an obsession?
‘Yes, I always go to the bathroom at least three times before going to bed. Because I’m terrified that I’ll need to go once I’m under the warm blankets.’
What would people really not expect from you?
‘I don’t really know either. I think people expect pretty much everything from me. Well, I do notice that most people don’t expect me to have very big children. A daughter of 18 and a son of 17. Anyway, many people don’t see me as a motherly type.’
What is your biggest pointless irritation?
‘That my 17-year-old son doesn’t go to bed on time and can’t be dragged out of bed in the morning. I’m trying to let that go now.‘
And in terms of food? What do you secretly eat on the couch that you really shouldn’t?
‘Very cliché, but the answer to this question is Tony’s caramel and sea salt. And I also really like cheese.’
Which word do you actually use just a little too often?
‘Fuck. Or fucking this, fucking that. When there are little kids around, I suddenly realize how coarse my language is.’
