Normally I don't like to inject myself, so to speak, into my articles. I like to report. I don’t like to use the words "I", "I’m", "I am", "In my opinion", etc...this is a different situation; however, and I hope you are able to tolerate the seemingly personal nature of this interview.
Over the course of about five days, I spoke to James Thompson three times.
Each conversation was longer than the last and I was able to really dig into this man, his career, and the many controversial events that have transpired within it. I also discussed his background, his personal interests, and what his childhood was like etc...
It took quite a while for me to put this together—largely because I had many conflicting statements to deal with and he seemed to change his feelings about this or that in each conversation. He really and truly is a very well spoken individual with a large vocabulary and he is obviously a sharp guy. That aside…lets just say we all have our problems.
I hope you enjoy this interview, it was a lot of work, but worth it.
Marco:
Well it is nice to finally get a chance to talk to you James.
James:
It's my pleasure, I enjoy interviews.
Marco:
Well I am glad to hear that because this one should be a lot of fun and I hope, enjoyable for you.
I think we should start with your childhood—I know that we talked about that a couple of nights ago, but this being our final chat for awhile—I mean you can call me anytime that’s fine by me, but in terms of this interview I'll be wrapping things up tonight and asking some of the more poignant questions as you might have expected.
James:
Yes, I think you have worn me down a bit, you are very persistent. Please ask whatever is on your mind.
Marco:
Well as I said we should start with your childhood, what was it like growing up for you? I mean—in 500 words or less that is.
James:
Yes, very funny you are. Really though I didn’t have that bad of a growing up. I had my mum and she always supported me. My father wasn’t around much and he did have a tendency to be very strict and discipline was harsh.
Marco:
Harsh? You mean violent?
James:
Yes, something like that. Its not something I really want to talk about—I would rather focus on my fighting career. It doesn’t bring up good feelings and I don’t like to feel bad on purpose. In some ways my growing up was good and in some it was not. That’s how it is for most people isn’t it? I will say that I was kind of a loner as a child and I very much enjoyed reading.
Marco:
Really, what are your favorite books?
James:
I’m not sure people care about that, but I did enjoy The original Chronicles Of Narnia series, A Wrinkle In Time—which fascinated me, and of course The Lord of the Rings.
Marco:
We have that in common James. I read all of those and really liked them.
Were you a bully or a nerd then?
James:
Well I was a bit of a nerd I suppose, but perhaps one that you didn’t want to bother. I was very good at sports, and I grew almost every day.
Marco:
When you became an adolescent—did things change in your life at home?
James:
…Well yes of course. I seemed to grow exponentially and I was very good at sports. Every year I was bigger and bigger. I began to lift and that’s when I really became the large man I am today. I have been the same size since I was about 19-years-old.
Being that large and having a penchant for trouble because I didn’t like to be at home anymore. My father sipped the whisky quite a bit you know…he seemed to get worse all the time. Even with my mother there, I could not take it. She was worn down too. I didn’t want to be a burden upon her and I wanted to help at the same time. She had always been so good to me.
Marco:
So what did you do to help out? Get a job? Something else maybe?
James:
Quick to the chase it seems. It doesn’t matter though, the truth is I did some things I am not proud of and will also never admit to.
Marco:
Didn’t you just do that?
James:
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