Hmm. I'm not a fan of most of the names mentioned. They might be fighting words, but I'd wager that Tom Hanks is the most overrated actor of our time.
I like the round table idea.
How about more women? In the Willie Nelson vein, how about Dolly Parton? She's Nelson's songwriting equal. Or Mavis Staples? Or Michelle Obama?
While I'm tempted to argue the absurdity of the original question (no offense intended, OP, my mind immediately went to visualizing the size and placement of the table, how one would even know where the head was and who sat there, etc.), I think it does lead to an interesting cultural question: who is the defining character, the embodiment, of American (literary) culture? England has Shakespeare, Russia has Pushkin, Germany has Goethe, Poland has Mickiewicz (nice statue of him in Krakow!) -- who is the quintessential American author, the "father" of American literature? We also could have the same discussion about other art forms -- who is the embodiment of American music? Etc.
Probably Mark Twain. But there's also Hemingway, Hawthorne, Whitman, Poe, Dickinson (mother of American literature?) to choose from.
I like the idea of Mark Twain, but it might depend on at what age. An elderly Twain would rake us all over the coals with his feelings about "the damned human race".
If we are going to include those not among the living, I would consider this fine gentleman, John Muir:
Or this amazing lady, Helen Keller:
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Comments
Fine , I'll choose Natalie Portman then...
how about Justin Timberlake? does anyone dislike him personally? maybe not a fan of his music but seems like a cool dude.
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
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Hell no...
This is funny!
You do know how long it takes him to answer questions right?
Chuck Norris- yeah, I went there
No whackos please!
Chadwick sits at the head of the fucking table.
even if I look and act really crazy.
Mr. Tom Hanks - either as himself or as Mr. David S. Pumpkins.