StoryCorps: a predetermined friendship

Corinn Flaherty and Gregory Bartlett are best friends. And like many best friends, they share a similar sensibility about life. Though Gregory lives in San Francisco, and Corinn is out in Boston, they talk every day – sometimes more than once.

Well, the way these two people became best friends … that's an interesting story. And there's a third party involved in that. It's Brian, Corinn's boyfriend at the time. Brian had a feeling when he met Gregory at an art school in Boston and, well … we'll let Corinn and Greg take it from there. They sat down at the StoryCorp booth at the San Francisco Jewish Contemporary Museum, to tell their story.

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GREGORY BARTLETT: It was my second year at the museum school I was about to leave.

CORINN FLAHERTY: Mm hm.

BARTLETT: And I was going on a papermaking field trip, because that's when I was really into papermaking, at the time. And Brian was into papermaking. So we started chitchatting, and it wasn't even that far into the conversation that he was like – and I told him I was going to Mass Art [Massachusetts College of Art and Design] – "You're going to be best friends with my girlfriend." And I was like, "Who is this man? I just met him!" (laughs)

We haven't spoken for more than like, it couldn't have been more than an hour, you know? And he's telling me about my new best friend, who I have yet to meet, at this school that I haven't even started at yet … I'm like, "This guy's weird." And it's art school, whatever, but like, it was kind of like…

FLAHERTY: He's intense!

BARTLETT: Yeah, I was just like, okay…

FLAHERTY: He doesn't waste any time! He went to class and he came home and he said, "I met your best friend." (laughs)

BARTLETT: How did that feel?

FLAHERTY: I was like, "Really?" And Brian was pretty on, he knew me pretty well.

BARTLETT: Yeah!

FLAHERTY: And so I said, "Okay…" And he said, "He's coming to Mass Art, so you'll probably meet him." And that was that. He didn't try to introduce us…

BARTLETT: Yeah.

FLAHERTY: Magical forces just so happened that we both took projects in wood at the same time. (laughs)

BARTLETT: Exactly.

FLAHERTY: And, I mean, neither of us really wanted to take projects in wood.

BARTLETT: Hardly.

FLAHERTY: And I was sitting alone at the table ... I think I was alone…

BARTLETT: I think Zoe was there.

FLAHERTY: (laughs) So … I was sitting with Zoe, and you came over and said, "Can I sit with you?" And we said yes. And then you said that you knew Brian. And I said, "Oh, this is my best friend," in my head, but I didn't tell you that you were my best friend. (laughs) I just got excited so I let you sit there, of course! And that was it!

BARTLETT: I know. That's so funny.

FLAHERTY: Brian was right.

This interview was edited by Judy Silber and recorded at the StoryCorps Booth at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in downtown San Francisco.

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