» Interview with Kevin Strabane

Interview with Kevin Strabane

March 30, 2011

For a little something fun, I thought I would share “interviews” with my boys, both Kevin and Tyler.  Here’s my “interview” with Kevin, and Tyler’s is coming right up!

It was a chilly Thursday morning when I sat down for a chat with Kevin at the Celestial Café.  I ordered a cup of maté, perfectly brewed by café owner Lukas Zamora, and Kevin sat down with a mocha latte and a breakfast quiche, apologizing that he hadn’t had much time for breakfast before leaving the house that morning.  Despite that, Kevin is obviously relaxed and in a good mood, as evidenced by his warm smile and handshake.

Jessica Skye Davies: Kevin, welcome.  Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today

Kevin Strabane: You’re welcome, Jessica, it’s a pleasure.

JSD: Tell us a bit about yourself, Kevin.  What do you do for a living?

KS:  Well, I’m either a gallery owner who flagrantly displays his own work or an artist lucky enough to own a gallery.

JSD: Where do you make your home and have you always lived there?

KS:  I live here in the Westcroft neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the gallery.  Once the gallery took off I went house hunting in the area and found an awesome old Victorian place.  I put some work into it and it’s a real gem now.  Of course, it wasn’t really my home until Tyler moved in with me.  I actually grew up in the next county on a small farm with my grandparents.

JSD: How’s the love life going?

KS: Great as ever, thanks!  Tyler is the single most incredible part of my life, ever.

JSD: You and Tyler have any pets?

KS: We do.  We’ve got a cat, Teddy.  Tyler named him that because Teddy reminded him of a teddy bear when he was a kitten.

JSD: When you’ve given yourself a calorie “hall pass,” what’s your favorite pig out food?

KS: I could very easily destroy my physique on barbecue pizza and a few India pale ales.

JSD: Who’s your favorite entertainment icon?

KS: Humphrey Bogart.  An understated performance is worth a thousand words.

JSD:  Absolutely.  Favorite movie?  Bogey or in general or both.

KS:  For Bogart it would be Casablanca, naturally.  That’s pretty high on my all-time list too, but my favorite favorite would probably be Greg Peck’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

JSD: What was your resolution for the New Year, or did you have one?

KS: Nah, I quit doing that a long while ago.  I never honestly meant it when I did try to make them.  I find it difficult to just sit down and single out some thing about myself that I’m going change beginning January 1.  I prefer to use the end of the year to take some time to take stock of the past year and assess my hopes for the upcoming one.

JSD: Is there anything you wish you could quit doing?

KS: Some people think I’m a little bit of a control freak when it comes to the gallery.  My safety codes put OSHA to shame.

JSD: Tell us something you’re a complete sucker for?

KS: Ty has a habit of hanging around the house in pajama pants and practically threadbare t-shirts.  I think he looks better like that than in anything he wears going out.

JSD: If there’s one thing you could teach the next generation, what would it be?

KS: Everyone is special.  And that doesn’t mean that some people are more special or less special than others.  Everybody is different and those differences should be thoroughly accepted.  Nobody starts life hating, and nobody has to hate, ever.

JSD: What’s the worse advice you were ever given?

KS: Keep your head down and your mouth shut.

JSD: What’s your pet peeve?

KS: Clichés?  It’s really intolerance, though.

JSD: What would you say is your biggest accomplishment in life so far?

KS: I own a successful gallery/studio and I have established a local business association specifically for GLBT friendly businesses.  But finding the love of my life has been a lot bigger than either of those things.

JSD: What was your most humbling experience?

KS: I can’t remember ever feeling as helpless as I did the first time I saw Ty’s back go out.  I’ve woken up with mine pretty locked up a few times, but seeing Ty go through that and not really being able to make it stop was difficult.

JSD: Off the top of your head, what are a few things that are in your refrigerator right now?

KS: A couple loaves of the zucchini bread I baked Sunday, leftovers from last night’s Chinese takeout (we had rice noodles with chicken and peanuts and Tyler always orders extra so he can have some for lunch the next day), an assortment of fresh veggies, and some salmon steaks I’m planning to cook up tonight.

JSD: That sounds great, Kevin.  How about inviting us to dinner some night?

KS: Absolutely, Tyler and I love to entertain guests.

JSD: Well thanks for entertaining us this morning and letting us get to know you a little better.

KS: You’re welcome, anytime.  Come on down to the gallery some time and have a look around, you might fall in love with something and want to take it home right away – I know I did!