I have a good appetite but never talk when eating for fear of strangling

Erik Satie's daily schedule

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Erik Satie. Photo: Getty.

Born in 1866, Erik Satie was a French pianist known for his love of the absurd, his compositions attracting attention far and wide thanks to their offbeat, angular, jaunty nature. But his eccentricities weren’t limited to his music. In his 1913 book, Memoirs of an Amnesiac, he listed his “precise daily schedule.” It read as follows.

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A MUSICIAN’S DAY

An artist must regulate his life. Here is my precise daily schedule.

I rise at 7:18, am inspired from 10:30 to 11:47.

I lunch at 12:11 and leave the table at 12:14.

A healthy horse-back ride on my property from 1:19 to 2:35.

Another round of inspiration from 3:12 to 4:07.

From 5:00 to 6:47 various occupations (fencing, reflection, immobility, visits, contemplation, dexterity, swimming, etc.).

Dinner is served at 7:16 and finished at 7:20.

Afterward from 8:09 to 9:59 symphonic readings out loud.

I go to bed regularly at 10:37. Once a week I wake up with a start at 3:14 A.M. (Tuesdays.)

I eat only white foods: eggs, sugar, shredded bones, the fat of dead animals, rice, turnips, sausages in camphor, pastry, cheese (the white varieties), cotton salad, and certain kinds of fish (skinned).

I boil my wine and drink it cold mixed with fuchsia juice. I have a good appetite but never talk when eating for fear of strangling.

I breathe carefully (a little at a time) and dance very rarely. When walking I hold my sides and look steadily behind me.

Being of serious demeanor, it is unintentional when I laugh. I always apologize very affably.

I sleep with only one eye closed; I sleep very hard. My bed is round with a hole in it for my head to go through. Every hour a servant takes my temperature and gives me another.

For a long time I have subscribed to a fashion magazine. I wear a white cap, white socks, and a white vest.

My doctor has always told me to smoke. He even explains himself: “Smoke, my friend. Otherwise someone else will smoke in your place.”