Unit 2 / Reading 2

 

 

 

Andy Chatwell's interview with Tom Hunter has been published in The Move. You can check that you understood everything by reading it here.

 

Part one

 

Andy Chatwell -radio presenter: Good afternoon. This is Andy Chatwell welcoming you to Chat Shop, the radio show where we talk with personalities from the world of entertainment, sport, politics or the media about their lives, their plans, and the issues that concern them. Today I'm delighted to have Tom Hunter with me. Regular readers of "The Move" magazine know Tom for his fascinating articles on wildlife, the environment and adventure. However, for the listeners who don't know you and your work, can you tell us exactly what you do for a living, Tom?

Tom Hunter: Phew! That's a hard question to answer! ... I'm a writer mainly - I write books and magazine articles - but I'm also an adventurer and an explorer. I love danger. I'm addicted to risk and excitement - I think that's what keeps me in this job.

AC: So, how do you choose your destinations?

TH: Well, Andy, most of the time, I don't. In fact, the magazine decides where I go. When they hear about a new development somewhere in the world - a volcano erupting, a wildlife problem or an ecological disaster - they send me to investigate. It's great because it means I never stay very long in one place.

AC: So how do you manage your personal life? Isn't it difficult? Are you married?

TH: No, I'm not married but I do have a very patient girlfriend called Caroline. She's a designer. She designs window displays for department stores, and sometimes she designs theatre sets. I say she's very patient because I think, secretly, she wants me to stop travelling all over the world. She wants me to settle down and have some children.

AC: So when you're not travelling around the world, what do you like to do?

AC: TH: I love reading, especially comics! They're full of colour, adventure and fun. My favourite comic is "The Dandy", with Desperate Dan and all his friends. It's for children really, of course, but according to Caroline, I'm still a child at heart. It's a great way to relax, in any case. I also like drawing and I'm very interested in art. I try to visit lots of exhibitions when I'm home and abroad. Languages are another of my passions. I find it fascinating to learn how different cultures communicate, and I love learning about their customs and traditions.

AC: Who is your favourite artist?

TH: Oh! Difficult question! There are many artists I admire ... hum... I think Giacometti is my favourite. He was able to paint the most amazing portraits as well as create those incredibly beautiful, elegant sculptures.

AC: Which languages can you speak?

TH: I speak fluent Spanish; I need it for my work. I'm often in South America so it's obviously a very useful language for me. I also speak a little French, Italian and Portuguese. In fact, whenever I visit a country I always try to learn a few words of the language. It makes a big difference when you want to communicate with people.

AC: You say you speak French and Italian. Do you know France and Italy well?

TH: I know Paris quite well. I sometimes go skiing in the Alps and I also know the south-west a little, but the French are complicated people and I don't feel I really know France. In Italy, I know Rome and Venice of course, and also Naples. In general I don't like towns and cities, but Italy has some fabulous cities, and I love the atmosphere there. Many people say there isn't a lot of difference between the French and the Italians. I don't agree. I think the two cultures are very different but I don't want to bore you here with my theories!

AC: No fear of that! But it's time for a break, so listeners, don't go away. I have plenty more questions to ask Tom after the break.

Part two

AC: Welcome back to Chat Shop, where this week my guest is the writer and explorer Tom Hunter. Now Tom, you've mentioned some of the wonderful places you've visited, but is there a downside to all that? What don't you like about travelling?

TH: Well, I know it's a big handicap for a traveller, but I don't like aeroplanes or airports. There's not enough room on aeroplanes and I always find it difficult to sleep. And airports are so characterless. I get out of them as soon as possible.

AC: You say you don't like cities either. Isn't that a handicap as well?

TH: I exaggerate a bit when I say I don't like cities, because if you look hard enough, you always find a positive aspect somewhere. Nearly every big city has an art gallery, for instance. But it's true that I don't like the noise and traffic and pollution, and I don't really care about shops and restaurants and so on. I feel more at ease in the country. I live in London because Caroline has her job there, but when I want a quiet place to relax or write my articles, I go to Wales or Cornwall. The head office of the Move magazine is in Ireland - because the editor, Max Johnson, is Irish - and I think Ireland is an excellent place to be.

AC: Are there any countries in the world that you don't know?

TH: Not many! I don't know China yet. It's a country I would love to visit. The cultures and traditions seem so different to the western world. I don't know when I'll get the chance to go.

AC: Now, Tom, I presume, that when you visit all these different countries, you see some very big problems, but what is the main problem, do you think, that concerns not just one country but the whole world? A problem, perhaps, that needs a global solution?

TH: Another difficult question... I don't know. AIDS is obviously a huge problem in a lot of countries, and the obvious choice for a global problem is global warming. But the media speak a lot about global warming, so in fact I'm more concerned about another problem, which we don't speak so much about, and that's water. In some places, there's too much, in other places not enough, and it's very often contaminated or polluted. When I travel I see that it's not just a problem for the future - it's a problem already.

AC: Well, since you mention the future, Tom, can you tell us a bit about your future plans?

TH: Well, there's not much to tell! I have a couple of plans, but they're not very advanced yet. One is for a documentary in Siberia, the other is for a book about holidays and festivities in different countries in the world, called the Tom Hunter Guide to Fun, Feasts and Festivals. But it's difficult to get very far - I usually have at least a couple of weeks between assignments, but sometimes I start to make plans, and then the phone rings, and it's Max Johnson on the line, giving me my next assignment.

AC: Well, Tom, our time is up now. Thank you very much for talking to us today. I don't know what your next assignment is, but I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to having you on the programme again.

TH: Thank you for having me. I promise to come back soon.

AC: Well, that's it for today. My guest on tomorrow's programme will be the dancer Mary Pinto. But if you have any comments to make about my talk with Tom Hunter, just call 0207 393 2448 and leave a message. The lines are open now.