Joe: Me and you, we think alike. Anyway, what does a 1981 Burning Spear concert from Hamburg, Germany have to do with Urban Climber Magazine’s Interview Issue?
Joe: Foggy Road.

Joe: Foggy Road?
Joe: Yep. For some strange reason, while Mr. Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney was singing Foggy Road, I began thinking about how much story lies behind each story we write. Climbers are really interesting characters. Sure, we get all fired up when we read about JC Hunter, mother of four, sending solid double-digit problems; or Alain Robert, the “French Spiderman”, soloing a 1,000-foot NYC Skyscraper; or Chris Sierzant, climber/entrepreneur, just killin’ it in the South. But we usually only get the point, the very meat of the story, and that can leave so much more to be said. I guess it’s like traveling down a foggy road: You’ll get where you want to go, but you won’t take in much scenery along the way.

There’s nothing better than an interview to give us real insight. They can round out bits and pieces of history, bring another side to the story, and bring the larger-than-life-untouchable-super-deities down to earth where you and I live. It’s inspiring to find the humanness in people - that they don’t chew on steel for dinner or, as William Wallace put it, shoot lightning bolts from their arses. Good chances are they didn’t just wake up one morning and make headlines, nail that The North Face sponsorship, open a climbing gym, or start a successful business making crash pads and chalk pots. It doesn’t happen that way.

So, by listening to their reasons and recollections, we can catch a glimpse of reality and a refreshing sense of what it really takes to stand out. Whether the person’s a big waller, alpinist, sport climber, soloist, boulderer, competitive climber, builderer, or an industry leader – it makes no difference. Interviews lay bare our passions and dedication, which are hard things to convey in a news report. Basically, they add little scenery. So, that’s why I wanted to do an interview issue.

Joe: Well, I guess that makes sense. I like that.
Joe: I know you do.

Joe: Cool. See you out there?
Joe: Like I have a choice.

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