A very amusing 22 minutes in the company of Johnny Rotten.
My record of successful interviews with celebrities is poor.
As followers of the site may recall, my big moment came last summer when I received an invitation to interview Boy George prior to his gig at Stipanska. It was one of the finest evenings of the year – absolutely top quality – with one missing ingredient: the interview with Boy George. I got into some trouble for calling him an idiot, especially when the claim appeared in the Croatian press, but I was not wrong.
So when I got a phone call and was offered a 10 minute interview with one other journalist with none other than Sex Pistol legend Johnny Rotten, memories of young George came back. Could I possibly fail with another celeb interview? Arriving at Hotel Dubrovnik in Zagreb, I was a little underwhelmed to find a horde of journalists waiting to interview him.
“Don’t worry, let them finish their press conference, and then we will have a private meeting,” I was assured.
Panic set in. A private audience with Johnny Rotten, what the hell would I ask him? I nervously waited outside his room for the call, and soon after it came. And there he was. Johnny Rotten. Saying hello to me.
There were three of us. One Irish journalist (from the same town as Johnny), one pretend journalist (me) and a representative of the British Embsassy, which Mr. Rotten found very amusing.
A full report on the interview on Google News in the morning, but suffice to say that I have met few more engaging, committed and genuine people in my life. Amusing, intelligent, warm and passionate about his music, it was a privilege to meet this musical genius, and I look forward to the concert tonight. Conversation ranged from whether or not Rooney would sign for Arsenal to Croatian entry into the EU, and all was done with thought and humour.
But one thing I can confirm – the Lydon stare IS really scary, and woe to the journalist who asks the wrong question. A fascinating 22 minutes, all of which I recorded, but some editing is required before uploading…
