Phone Message Transcript: Jan. 10, 1997
[appearing on Anne's fan phone line]

"Hey there, everybody. It's January 10th. This is Anne Rice, and this will be a quick one. I just wanted to tell you I had a great, great adventure today. I went prowling around Magazine Street. It's no secret that we're trying to buy The Happy Hour Theater on Magazine to make it into the Cafe Lestat--hope, hope. And I went into the Shamrock Bar, this mysterious bar on the corner of Magazine and Jackson, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It was a real old, old fashioned down and out bar with one pool table, and I'm recommending, but I'm recommending it with caution. I don't know how safe it is, I don't know what really goes on in there after dark, I don't know if anybody should go wandering in alone looking for somebody to discuss philosophy with, but I think it's really the genuine New Orleans article in a beautiful way, and I just adore it. I just sent a whole bunch of my books over to the Shamrock Bar, to my friends at the Shamrock Bar. But it was just a wonderful taste of real, old New Orleans that I hadn't had in a long time.

Also wanted to remind you that my sister's book, BEGUILED, is really terrific. She writes better than me, I swear, and she has a book signing coming up at Britton's Garden District Book Store on January 25th. I won't be there. It's not my custom to come to Alice's book signings because really I want her readers to come and get the book from her. But I just wanted to tell you all about it. And also, reports are coming in from everywhere by phone that Antonio Banderas is just fabulous in EVITA, so I'm dying to see it. I haven't seen it yet, and I'm an Antonio freak, as you know. But I will go see it as soon as possible. And thank you, thank you, thank you for all the calls about our open house we had. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it and we will try to do something like that again soon. It really depends on the Garden District Association. We have to meet with them and have to consider their feelings and be friends. Good night everybody. Have a ball. Bye-bye."