The BIG Interview

Okay I asked a few people to send me 10 things about them because I had an idea for a new type of blog that I would do on either a weekly or two weekly basis depending on how many responses I got. Ive had a few so here is what I came up with. If you want to take part then the questions are below, they wont change and drop me an email with your answers and a photo if you want. So here is the first of The BIG Interviews.

WHO ARE YA?
I'm Anthony Hodgson father of four beautiful kids, married to Sarah for 13 years. I'm a budding writer, with aspirations to leave my job behind and do what I love before I die. I have many passions in life and the attention span of a goldfish with amnesia if I'm not interested. I belive in honesty and respect, and the value of a family. I have strong views on certain subjects and have a knack of being very good at sussing people out quiet quickly. I may be told I'm wrong but I haven't been proved wrong yet as people cannot hide their true selves all  the time.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE DECADE?
Oh it has to be the 90's. I met my missus at the start, bought my first place, got married, and my wife fell pregnant with our first child before the end of the decade.

YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Without doubt the one thing I loved more than anything as a kid was my yellow teddy chair. It had three legs and was bright yellow. I lost a leg off it once and propped it up against the wall so I could still sit in it. I must have been 5 or 6 when I got and had it for years.

EVER BEEN ARRESTED?
Nope not quite been close a few times but always managed to talk my out of it. The closest I came was after England had been beaten by Germany at the World Cup in 1990. I was with a load of mates running onto Gants Hill roundabout with Marc Wards mum's bed sheet that we had nicked and painted a huge St Georges cross onto for the game. I was desperate for a wee so Marc suggested we go down an alleyway. Was just about to go when we heard voices and ran up the fire escape onto the roof. Down below us was a load of police who were trying desperately to control the crowds and people running onto the roundabout. We walked over to the edge of the roof and got the sides wrong and relieved ourselves onto the police below, who to say they weren't amused would be putting it lightly. It took 12 of them to arrest 2 of us. We were put in the van where we relayed the story to the Sergeant who thought it was hilarious and let us go. We got lucky that night.

IF YOU COULD ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Write simple as that. If I could get up in the morning and commute to my PC and spend the day writing I would be the happiest man alive.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT EVER?
Oh this is a cracker and I still think back to this every now and then and wonder what the hell I was thinking lol. Okay when I was at school one of our teachers wanted someone to bring in Dancing in the Streets by Jagger and Bowie to be played before assembly. So I taped it off of Top Of The Pops as you did back in the day. Only problem was I forgot to turn it off and taped the start of Eastenders as well. Took the tape into school and it was played, Eastenders theme tune as well. You may think that is the end of the story nut oh no theres more. The next day I was sitting in assembly with Marc Ward (why does all the stuff that gets me into trouble happen when hes there?) and the teacher said it wasn't quite what he wanted but thanks anyway. At which point Marc nudged me to say to go and get the tape, so like a numpty I got up and made my way through the assembled school to go and get my tape, I'm not sure who was more shocked me or him as he handed me the tape and I watched the whole school pissing themselves laughing and Marc laughing the longest. I'm cringing as I write this as well. What was I thinking.

FAVOURITE FILM AND ALBUM OF ALL TIME?
Favourite film is easy Its  A Wonderful Life, gets me every time that one an all time classic. Favourite album is more difficult there have been so many and my tastes change daily but I would have to say Red Strokes by Garth Brooks as it introduced me to a whole new genre of music to which I love to this day even more.

WORST EVER JOB?
Well Ive had a few down the years but the worst one had to be in the pine factory. In one week I had three fights, nearly lost a finger, and walked out. I had to pass a piece of wood through a sanding machine all day long and the foreman was an arrogant bully who picked on the trainees all day. He tried it with me and I gave him a pasting in the toilet when I caught him having a dig at one of them. This then escalated to his mates taking um bridge to that and over the course of the week I had two more dust-ups with them. Then when I was cleaning the machine out they turned it on with my hand inside. Chinned the foreman again and walked out. The maddest place Ive ever worked they were all nuts.

FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD?
Hastings and I didn't even hesitate with that answer. My mums family live there and I used to spend every holiday as kid there. I love the place, its quiet, peaceful, the people care about each other, and the pace of life is very slow. My ideal day would be a walk through the woods with the kids then off to the seafront for fish n chips out of the paper on the sea front watching the sun set, surrounded by my wife and kids. Utter bliss. One day Ill persuade the wife to come the kids already want to go its just her.

FINALLY TELL US SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I cant watch a sad film or programme without getting upset. Marley and Me, Bambi, Toy Story 3, any reunion programme does me in every time. Guess I'm just a big softy at heart.