THE CRISP SANDWICH
I had been looking forward to The Big Interview’s Dublin trip, not least because I knew I’d be flying Aer Lingus. They are the only airline who offer a ‘crisp sandwich’. They also take customer service to new levels. Once I was sitting beside a well-heeled businessman who asked the stewardess for a cold beer. “I’ve got one left, but it’s hotter than lava.” He politely declined.
Graham flew in on Ryanair from Barcelona. He got involved in an armrest war with a Colombian weightlifter occupying the seat beside him. Graham waited until the bloke fell asleep then nudged his chunky forearms off the armrest. When you travel as much as Graham, these little victories take on immense proportions.
MADE IN NIGERIA
Graham reached our accommodation at 11.30pm. We knew we had the whole of the next morning to prepare more thoroughly for that day’s Damien Duff podcast, but at 2am we were still discussing the 1997 and 1999 FIFA World Youth Championships, staged in Malaysia and Nigeria respectively. In 1997, under Brian Kerr, Ireland finished third, with Duff performing brilliantly. Two years later, Duff, alongside Robbie Keane and Gary Doherty, were knocked out in the last 16 on penalties by hosts Nigeria.
The 1999 tournament pops up in Graham’s ‘Spain’ book. Spain – with a team including Xavi, Casillas, Carlos Marchena, Pablo Orbaíz, Pablo Couñago and Dani Aranzubía – eventually won the tournament but only after crises in the camp. Traumatised by horrendous living conditions, gun-play, religious intolerance, corruption, malaria, poor sanitation and high temperatures, the players told the Spanish federation that they wanted to fly home before their quarter-final with Ghana.
Having eventually been persuaded to stay, the youngsters saw it through and thrashed Japan in the final to become world champions for the first time at any level. Early seeds were sown on the path to Spain’s domination just over a decade later. We wanted to get Damien talking about Malaysia and Nigeria – how those experiences forged his character.
Before these chats, most of the basic research has been done. A week before a podcast, we circulate a two or three page document with links, themes, quotes and general musings on our forthcoming guest. Graham also watches a lot of video footage. We also contact our mailing list and ask them to submit questions. We are always blown away by the level of personal insight some listeners have. We pick out some of interest with the aim of integrating them into the interview.
Finally, Graham always phones someone with an insight into the guest. In this case, he contacted Tim Sherwood for his memories of a young Damien at Blackburn. Tim’s insights formed a big part of the podcast.
Then, the trick is to put it all to the back of the mind and let the interview take a natural flow.
YAKKETY YAK
We booked a corporate box at the Aviva – which I still insist on calling Lansdowne Road – for the interview. I emailed Damien the details. “Back to my old haunt!” he replied.
The interview was scheduled for 2.30pm. We arrived at the Aviva at 1.30pm, recorded a promo video with Graham then set the room up for the podcast. Damien arrived at 2,15pm. I won’t go into the detail of the podcast, but Malaysia, Nigeria and Sherwood were key topics at the start. Afterwards, he stuck around talking football for 45 minutes.
After every interview, there is a heart-stopping moment when we check that the recording has worked. We now record with two devices – Zoom H4Ns, for any audiophiles out there – to stave off potential disasters. I immediately transfer the audio files to our editor. The following day Graham records the intro and outro you hear either side of the interview, we discuss any cuts or potential legal issues… and another podcast is in the can.
FIESTA
The main reason for the Dublin trip was our Kickstarter backer’s party on the Friday evening. This was our third, following Aberdeen and Glasgow. We have been tinkering with the format of these events. In the previous two, we launched straight into a Q&A. In Dublin, Graham opened with some off-the-mic stories from the podcasts, before the Q&A. It was the smallest room we have played, and it worked well. The questions were fascinating, the atmosphere was relaxed… and I could enjoy a beer and a crisp sandwich!
