07. Interview with Catherine D’Amico: Part 2

24 June 2011

-I didn’t mean to mention Les. He’s—forget Les. He doesn’t matter.

– He’s just—

– Tony?

– Oh, Les? Les was—whatever, you could say Les was a character. I guess he played a part in everything that happened, in a sense. I mean—[Ms. D’Amico clears her throat nervously] Les was an artist, a true artist. A genius. No training, just a natural master of the art form. I mean, you should have seen some of his stuff. I wish you could have. You would have appreciated it.

– No particular reason. Anybody would have appreciated it, I mean. Lots of people did, all those visitors at the gallery that night, the night Tony died, they loved Les’s stuff. Loved it. Fact that he died that night made the exhibition even more popular too, screwed up as it sounds. I swear, if you can find a Les Palmer painting right now for under three grand, you’d be lucky. I’d buy it quick too, if I were you, before the person selling realizes they’re being ripped off.

– What did Les have to do with Tony.[Ms. D’Amico smiles and shrugs]I guess you could say they met when Tony moved here, around the same time I met Tony actually. He and Les kind of just—took to each other. [Ms. D’Amico laughs]

– I’m sorry, no. It’s just that—I guess you could say Les and Tony were inseparable. In a sense.

– That’s the best way I can explain it. I barely know you. So, to you, Les and Tony were inseparable.

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