Red strikes again: 

1. What’s the first thing(s) you read in the morning?  After my email?  Usually Lileks.

2. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure website? I’m not sure that I have many “guilty” pleasures. 

3. What job do you fantasize about having?

Dennis Miller’s talk show.

4. Last movie you saw?

Ahem; South Park, 1999.

5. Last book you read? House to House, David Bellavia – the account of an Army squad leader in the Second Battle of Fallujah.  I liked it so much, I interviewed him.

6. Best show legendary biz/movie star encounter.  There are a couple.  Timothy Leary playfully hip-checked me back in 1986, in the “green room” on the Vogel show.

And back in 1999, after Springsteen’s show at the Target Center, I waited out on Seventh Street by the loading dock until about 3AM for his customary trip out to meet the hardcore fans and get my ancient copy of Darkness on the Edge of Town autographed.  I got to the front of the pack, and handed Bruce the slipcover as Patty Scialfa and Chuck Plotkin looked on in the background.  “I’m such a huge fan, I named both of my kids after you”, I said.  Bruce looked up, seeming mildly alarmed.  “You did?”  

“No, no”, I replied.  “I’m a fan, not a stalker”.  The three of ’em got a good laugh. 

7. Proudest media moment?

Good question.  I mean, I’ve worked in or around the  media on and (mostly) off since I was 16.  I’d say the big ones were:

1. Interviewing Rochelle Olson on NARN
2. Smacking down Marjolyn Bijlefeld of the National Coalition to Ban Handguns on my old KSTP show in ’86
3. This incident from the Vogel show
4. May 27, 1980, at KEYJ in Jamestown – my junior year of high school.  I was in noon-hour orchestra practice, getting ready for graduation the next day.  The fire alarm went off.  Ozone and smoke laced the air as everyone evacuated.  I slipped away from the rest of the group, found the fire chief, got the story (there was an electrical fire, and a woman was trapped in one of the elevators), and called it over to Darrell Williams, the station’s news director.  Got major kudos – heady stuff for a punk kid.

8. Ever had a brush with the law? Describe.

In the winter of 1990-1991, my at-the-time wife and I were flat broke.  We also had no space in our garage, so for one reason or another we ran up like 14 snow emergency parking tickets.  We couldn’t afford to pay ’em – we were donating plasma to buy diapers, for crying out loud.  Unfortunately, I didn’t go to court or anything.

A year later – the day after I started my first decent-paying job as a tech writer – a couple of deputies were waiting for me at home with 14 arrest warrants.  I spent a couple of hours in the lockup, until my at-the-time father-in-law came down to bail me out. 

That was about it.

9. If you got a unicorn what would you name it?

“President Hillary”

10. What does your TiVo think about you?

I don’t own a Tivo.

11. Character of fiction you most resemble?

Not really sure there is one.  I’d like to think Dolokhov from War and Peace, though.

12. Who plays you in your bio-pic?

I’ll shoot for the stars and say John McGinley. 

13. What’s your ringtone?

The one that my cell phone came out of the box with.

My kids’ phones have the “Techno” tone.  I think an ex-girlfriend has some Euro thing, but I haven’t heard it ring in a long time, and may have trashed it.

Oh, and I can’t find my cell phone.

14. Favorite electronic device?

Today?  The IPod I bought – used – two days ago.  I’m finally able to listen to the Dennis Miller show!

15. What do your friends say is your best quality?

Ooof.  Hopefully how I listen, but I have no idea.

16. What do your enemies say is your worst?

My enemies?  As distinct from my friends?  That I crush them mercilessly yet easily.

My friends might say it’s that sometimes I’m pretty cluelessly insensitive.

17.What natural talent do you wish you had?

Domestic talent.

18. What’s your theme song?

“Gloria”, U2

19. Do you believe in love at first sight?

I could be persuaded.

20. When’s the last time you volunteered? Where?

Neighborhood cleanup day.

This entry was posted by by Mitch Berg on Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 4:55 am and is filed under mitch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.