Again, just recently, I was asked who my favourite celebrity interview has been so far. And I answered, as always, Rowdy Roddy Piper.
I certainly never imagined that among the performers, dignitaries, athletes, politicians and even Prime Ministers that I’ve been privileged to interview, that a professional wrestler would loom so large in my memory, but Piper did. When I was living in Wingham and dating a man who had a young son, Piper was part of every Saturday morning. He would look straight at the camera and perform like no one else on the then-WWF, now-WWE circuit. He was an actor as much as he was a wrestler and his presence overshadowed anyone who appeared on screen with him. He had charisma to burn and although I didn’t generally watch wrestling, when Piper came on screen I’d stop what I was doing and get drawn in.
When I was asked to interview him, I jumped at the chance. I don’t even remember which movie or TV show it was for. He had branched into acting and tried to become an action star but the years of slams and pile-drivers had taken their toll. He was hurting and slow, in need of a hip replacement. But his humour was intact and he was as charming as he was in his wrestling days. He held my hand through the interview and talked about how his wife, “the poison dwarf”, kept their four kids in line and looked after everything while he worked. He revered her and admitted that although there were lots of temptations for famous wrestlers, he was too afraid of what she’d do to him in his sleep to ever stray. He was candid and warm and he commanded the audio the way he did the TV screen. He had so much personality and presence.
Piper – or rather Toombs, his real name – was just 61. He was diagnosed with a form of cancer several years ago but recently said he was cancer-free. He apparently died of a heart attack. He was a cool guy and I’m so glad I got to meet him.