First impressions

Today I had a very interesting meeting with an interview subject, the first for the book.

You will usually know that someone is a somebody, if not from the first glance, then from the first verbal exchange.
This 77 year-old man is a somebody in his own right, as well as by association. Mention his name and you would already have something to talk about. My first thoughts as I made myself comfortable for a two-hour session : This guy knows stuff.

And the stories he told me and my associates confirmed it. I guess the other three guys in the room may have heard some of it before but for me it was a mind blowing first time experience. To have served four prime ministers and in an area I would deem very closely related to the nation’s psyche, no wonder people still seek him out even when he tries to lie low.
Oh, and he can speak Japanese too! Heh.

Writing a biography of someone who has passed on is not an easy task, especially when the subject is a man said to be “a keeper of secrets of the highest order” and very well-liked by many. You must make sure that you are not putting him on a pedestal of sorts by glorifying his deeds, and not make the subject so dry that no one would want to read his story.
However, sometimes you can’t help but to glorify the subject when you hear testimonies of his deeds and his contributions to society.

Back to the interview. I wished that we had more time to ask him more about what he did in the 50’s and 60’s. Also more on his views on the current situation of the country. The things he did mention showed that he is still up-to-date with what is happening, and there were some critical views, which I think have been voiced out by others.

The bad news is, it is now my task to transcribe the interview in full! I knew there was another reason why I was brought into this project.