President Trump promised the Austria ambassadorship to someone who has seen The Sound of Music 'like 75 times'
The Alps. Sigmund Freud. Coffee. The scenic nation of Austria has made a name for itself in a number of notable ways, but do not discount being the setting of the The Sound of Music among them. In fact, President Donald Trump has reportedly promised a Sound of Music-obsessed musician the ambassadorship to Austria on a handwritten note, The Palm Beach Daily News reports.
The musician, Patrick Park, is a concert pianist, not to be confused with a guitarist by the same name whose accolades include writing the final song for the series finale of The O.C. This Patrick Park is instead described by The New York Times as "a regular on the Palm Beach social calendar who is an active charity fund-raiser." He has also seen The Sound of Music "like 75 times."
"I know every single word and song by heart. I've always wanted to live in the Von Trapp house," Park said. The Palm Beach Daily News writes that the president thought Austria would be a "good match" for Park because the nation "is steeped in musical culture."
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"I'm flying to Vienna to check out the embassy, and then I'm going to Salzburg to see if the Von Trapp house is for rent," Park joked. "And then I'm going to learn to like schnitzel and sachertorte."
He added, "I have known [Trump] almost 20 years. Seeing the great things he has done makes me want to be part of his team. I'm excited beyond words."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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