From T minus ten seconds and counting I wanted to go along. My earliest dream was to become an astronaut. It was a dream that lasted throughout my childhood, until a crushing encounter with algebra buried it under the reality of my mathematical ineptitude. (If not for my inability to figure out what the heck X was and move beyond that to more advanced calculations, I might be on the International Space Station today.) But in those early days my enthusiasm for space exploration was undampened and my heroes were NASA's astronauts. I wanted to be a space cowboy.
I remember that the Gulf service stations at that time gave out glow-in-the-dark cardboard punch-out and fold up lunar modules as a premium with every fill-up. I insisted that dad only fill up at Gulf, to which he happily obliged, and patiently inserted every tab A into every slot B. I would fall asleep each night gazing at the softly glowing LEM across the room on my dresser. I carried an Apollo XI lunch box until I got into junior high and wore my favorite Apollo XI T-shirt almost as long. My most traumatic childhood event was the day I came home from school to find that Mom had cut my shirt up for a dust rag. I would give almost anything if I could recover any of those artifacts.
I never did make it to the moon, but growing up to be a radio talk-show host has its advantages too. Not only do I get paid to spit the truth (as I see it) I also get to talk to interesting people from all walks of life. Sometimes I even get the rare treat of interviewing one of my boyhood heroes. Yesterday was such an occasion.
I had emailed Buzz Aldrin's office back in July to request an interview regarding the anniversary of the first moon landing. Unfortunately, at that time Buzz was in Europe on a speaking tour and wouldn't be available until September. I was advised to contact his office at a later date to see what could be set up. When I called his office yesterday to follow up I had simply wanted to check on his availability and perhaps schedule a live on-air interview at his convenience.
Over the years I had developed a special respect and affection for Buzz Aldrin. Of all the astronauts, he was the one I most wished to talk to. While most everybody remembers that a fellow named Armstrong was first to set foot on the moon, folks today are just as likely to tell you that it was Lance Armstrong who made that historic giant leap for mankind. No doubt many would be hard pressed to recall the name of the second fellow to make his imprint in the lunar dust. (I suspect even fewer would recall poor old Michael Collins sitting alone in his tin can while the other two had all the fun and got all the glory.)
But Buzz was there on the moon, his contribution lost (at least in the mind of the public) in the shadow of Neil Armstrong's one small step. Yet most people never realize that the iconic photos of the first men on the moon are mainly of Buzz. He bore all the risks of the journey, worked as hard, accomplished as much as his more famous companion, but could have easily been relegated to historical footnote. That would never do for a dynamic individual like Buzz Aldrin. He was bigger than the place others would assign for him in history. Buzz Aldrin has the right stuff; he is the real deal.
The lady who answered the phone in his office seemed a bit harried. Dr. Aldrin was leaving the next day for a series of symposium and panel discussions. Now was a bad time. He never does interviews when he travels, only during his down time, and he wouldn't have any of that until some time in October.
I explained that I understood, that I had contacted the office back in July, and that I was following up to see when he would be available. She asked what I wanted to talk to him about, which seemed a little odd to me-- popular music? The price of gasoline? His pick for the World Series? I explained that I knew he was a big proponent of continued space exploration and a promoter of private sector involvement in space, and that with the launch of the first female "space tourist" it seemed like a perfect time to interview him.
She asked me how much time I needed and whether or not it needed to be live. I told her that I would be happy with ten minutes and that whatever format the doctor preferred was fine with me. That's when she dropped the surprise on me. "How prepared are you?" she asked.
Startled, I replied, "Gee, I don't know. What did you have in mind?"
"Do you have a tape recorder?" She asked, "Dr. Aldrin has about ten minutes right now."
I fumbled with an explanation of modern digital recording techniques, but quickly cut to the chase. "It'll take me five minutes to set up. I'll call you right back."
In a jiffy I was speaking to the hero of my youth. Dr. Aldrin graciously conversed with me for almost 20 minutes. I can't even express what a big kick that was for me. It might have been one small chat for a man like Buzz Aldrin, but it was a giant thrill for my kind.
Download the full audio of the interview here. (13.6MB MP3)
Check out my Buzz Method High Roller Remix Here. Or
WOW! Now that was a thrill! I was a giddy kid, attatched to the PC listening to your interview. Very well done, you couldn't tell that it was a spur of the moment; the articlation and depth of your questions were right on point. Tehuti impresses us beautifully once again. Many of the things Buzz mentioned were exactly what I've mentioned to others for years: returning to space must be a consistant effort with goals of race preservation. WOw great sound bit.
Posted by: Falconmyst | September 21, 2006 at 10:03 AM