Enjoying popcorn at The Strand in Rockland, Maine - Photo by Mark Fleming
In March of 2010 I was contacted by Down East Magazine, to talk about why I chose to move to Maine and live there year-round. I agreed, and this article is the result.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been interviewed for a magazine article before, but it’s not quite as exciting as everyone says it is. No big lights, no throngs of assistants catering to your every whim, no flashy studio, in fact, no hype at all. Just a free cup of coffee and two hours of your life slipping by as you talk about the most boring subject in the world, yourself. And, I think I paid for the coffee.
The writer, Ed Beem, however, was a treat. He was thoughtful, seemingly interested in my prattling on and on and I think he may have even laughed at my attempt at telling a joke. Or, perhaps he laughed when I told him I moved to Maine, practically sight-unseen. Actually, that was it.
When we finished our chat, Ed thanked me for my time and we parted ways. I walked out of the North Star Cafe on Portland’s East End into a chilly, breezy March afternoon and I supposed Ed continued to enjoy his free cup of coffee while desperately attempting to craft a coherent story out of my babble.
Three months later, the article appeared.
I don’t know if you’ve ever read an article about yourself or seen a picture of yourself in a magazine. First, you can’t believe you said the things that the magazine says you did. It sounds like someone else speaking – someone who has a few things in common with you, but is even more two-dimensional and less interesting. Second, the picture staring back at you looks more like a distant cousin than yourself. Go figure.
On second thought, perhaps you shouldn’t read it.
