Interviews
I’ve always found interviewing people one of the most interesting and rewarding parts of being a journalist.
Over the years I have interviewed a broad range of people, from Premiership footballers including Michael Owen and Joe Cole, to bands such as Foals and the Killers, to the world’s top surfers, such as Stephanie Gilmore, and snowboarders, such as Jenny Jones. I especially loved speaking to the ultrarunner who’d overcome drug addiction Charlie Engle, and the cyclist Daniel Kish, who used echolocation to navigate while out on rides.
Here are some of my favourite interviews.
“I discovered pretty quickly that I was an outstanding partier…”
Mpora – Charlie Engle On Beating Drug Addiction To Run The Sahara
“He’d emerge from a six-day celebratory bender with the mother of all self-loathing comedowns to find bullet holes in his car and vague memories of being shot at by his dealer…” Charlie Engle spoke to me about quitting drugs to become one of the world’s top ultrarunners.
“Not many people know that Eddie the Eagle was actually a very good downhill skier…”
Mpora – Eddie The Eagle: A Working Class Hero
“Most of the athletes were great but one or two were a bit snooty as the only reason they could ski so well was because they had rich parents and they could afford to. Their parents probably owned a chateau or chalet in Val d’Isere so they could be out there all the time…” I spoke to Eddie Edwards ahead of the Hollywood biopic about his life.
“How often do you get snowboarding and a girl on the front page of a newspaper?”
Cooler Magazine – Jenny Jones On That Winter Olympic Bronze Medal Win
“A day later and there are more tears at the newsagents as I see Jenny’s face shining out from every newspaper’s front page…” I interviewed Jenny Jones after her historic bronze medal in slopestyle snowboarding in Sochi.
“I sought consolation in this wild and lonely place…”
Mpora – Sir Chris Bonington On Grief & Mountain Therapy
“Whatever your problems there’s a soothing quality through the beauty of nature…" I chatted to Sir Chris Bonington about grief and the healing power of the mountains.
“The quieter I became, the more I heard…”
Mpora – Erling Kagge On How To Clear Your Head In A Hectic World
“We live in the ‘age of noise’ where ‘silence is a luxury we should seek out, not to mention a crucial rite of passage…” I interviewed the Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge about the importance of silence in modern life.
“Set up a blanket on the beach, take a range of boards and you won’t want to leave until sunset…”
Guardian Travel – The Surfer Stephanie Gilmore On Bryon Bay
“When I was a kid, Byron was all about packing the tent and surfboards into our VW Combi vans and setting up at First Sun Caravan Park right on the beach at the Wreck. I absolutely loved those trips…” I interviewed the multiple women’s world title-winning surf champion about Byron Bay.
“We wanted to make it more accessible to people…”
Amuse – Mathias Dahlgren On Meat-Free Dining in Stockholm
“I’ve been in the restaurant business for 30 years but over the last 10 years my cooking has become greener and greener; I’m using far more vegetables…” I spoke to the celebrated Swedish chef about the growth of clean green eating in Stockholm.
”Jurek ran the 2189-mile Appalachian Trail in a record time... powered only by plants…”
Mpora – Scott Jurek On Being A Top Ultrarunner Who Is Powered By Plants
“Nothing about the map – or the Appalachian Trail itself – invited even the contemplation of speed. For starters there’s the magnitude of it…2189 miles long…imagine running 84 marathons. Consecutively over the gnarliest and oldest mountains in the world…” I chatted to Scott Jurek about combining veganism with record breaking-ultrarunning.
“Chatting to the real-life Batman…”
Mpora – Daniel Kish On Cycling When You’re Completely Blind
“Kish has been dubbed “the real-life Batman”. Not because he saves Gotham but because he uses a technique called echolocation to navigate his way around. Like a bat. And a whale as it happens, but “Whaleman” doesn’t have quite the same superhero sheen to it…” I spoke to the amazing Daniel Kish about how he rides his bike when he can’t see.