INTERVIEW WITH NICK NEWTON FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) Are all the stories about sports superstitions in the book true?
NN) Yes. I had at least two verifications when the subject was either deceased or not reachable.
DM) And so far, what have any athletes reactions been upon seeing the book?
NN) Very positive. In some cases, I have had athletes get into old stories about teammates, coaches, its a fun subject.
DM) Who were some of your favorite sports stars growing up?
NN) Ernie Banks, Bobby Hull, Pistol Pete Maravich.
DM) I've heard of Ernie Banks and Bobby Hull, but who is Pistol Pete?
NN) Pistol Pete was an NCAA standout guard in basketball for LSU. He went on to have a brilliant career with the New Orleans Jazz (now Utah Jazz). He was also very superstitious. He wore the same droopy pair of socks his whole career.
DM) What was the most surprsining suspition you learned while working on this book?
NN) Probably the story regarding the legendary thoroughbred Phar Lap and the lucky saddle.
DM) If I recall it correctly the rider used his lucky saddle in every race except for the one in which he was thrown from his horse and died. Do you think it could have been just co-incidence?
NN) Possibly. It was the only time that George "The Ice Man" Woolf chose not to use the saddle in all the time he owned it. You be the judge.
DM) Do you believe in mysticysm and the para-normal or do you think that most of this is just co-incidence?
NN) I don't disbelieve in what might be termed paranormal, or the unexplainable. In Locker Room Mojo for the most part are about faith. Faith in an athlete's skill as well as faith in something they look to for an edge. Whether thats a rabbits foot or a lucky , unwashed t-shirt. I think that any athlete that achieves pro status, or world class amateur status believes strongly in their own skill level.
DM) Do you have any of your own superstitions?
NN) When I started writing the book I found myself collecting things, props for the book, coins, rabbit's foot, etc., then I started carrying them around. One night I emptied my pockets out on the dresser and found a curious little pile of odds and ends. I stopped myself.I try to conciously avoid it.
DM) And now that the book is out, what are you working on?
NN) Right now I am promoting the book full time. I am hoping to get back to work on both my regular clients, and the second installment of Locker Room Mojo.
DM) What are your regular clients?
NN) I do freelance marketing for two film studios in Los Angeles.
DM) And what can we expect in the second installment of the book?
NN) More fun. More color. More unusual tales of superstitions in sports.
DM) I was wondering though, why did you decide to make the book in a living room table size format and not a regular hard cover?
NN) I wanted this book to be as visually fun to look at as it was to read. The coffee table format seemed the best way to go to achieve that. I'm a big fan of art books. I did not want this to be just a typical sports book...lots of text and a few black and white photos.
DM) Well, thank you for taking your time out with us today.
NN) My pleasure.
