NVDL: Did anything happen [between yourself and Helen Mirren]?
Bullard: Not between me…I think quite a lot happened between MacBeth and Lady MacBeth. And some of the older members of the cast.
RP: So you had no interest?
Bullard: No I used to nod at her, and she used to ignore me. Because apparitions are there to be not seen and not heard.
[Laughter]
RP: So we know you write for the Sunday Times, but what do you like to read?
Bullard: I read the Sunday Times obviously. I read Weekender. I read the Mail & Guardian – not every week. Business Day every day, Star, The Times obviously…
NVDL: What is your favorite column?
Bullard: Tom Eton. I enjoy Tom very much at the Mail & Guardian. I enjoyed Robert Kirby – the late Robert Kirby – when he was around. I enjoy Justice, Svela Manku, I always reckon the Financial Times weekend edition is a damn good read…
I do enjoy the ‘How To Spend Its’, things like that, on impossibly expensive trousers and jackets and holidays and things like that.
NVDL: What do you think of the British papers?
Bullard: I think the quality British papers still have an awful lot to read. I mean, if you go to London you buy Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times, there’s a lot of analysis, a lot of stuff to wade through. Probably too much. Even the Saturday papers are coming out with magazines now. I think the problem is time allocation and information overload. You now have to have the skills to flick through, look at the headlines, and say: “Of no interest.”
RP: Mmmm.
Bullard: But you know I don’t read the Economist cover to cover but I always like to see the Economist. I like to read the Financial Mail, there’s some good articles there, I like Barney’s editorials. And I like Justice’s Restaurant reviews and I like to bring myself up to speed on some of the business stories. Some I don’t feel are hugely fascinating but that’s the thing: pick and choose.
NVDL: That’s why I think you’re a good commentator: because you’ve got to know at least a little about a lot; you’ve got to know about a whole broad range of things.
Bullard: You’ve got to be a bit of a jackdaw I think. You’ve got to be able to settle down and pick something out there and pick something out there.
RP:Mmm.
Bullard: And believe it or not, even though I did enjoy him a lot, I exposed Darl Bristow Baubage writings (for plagiarism). I think he was very talented; I just think he was unfortunately…arrogant. I think when you’ve been caught plagiarizing three or was it maybe four major author’s writings, I think you should concede defeat. But he was a very good writer. I like Oliver Roberts on the Sunday Times; I think Oliver writes very well. I think he’s got a very good talent there. And I enjoy Andrew Donaldson.
NVDL: He reminds me a bit of the way you write. It’s different but there’s something similar.
Bullard: He’s got a nice sort of stumbling edge there.
RP: What’s your favorite website?
Bullard: My favorite website is Google. Which leads me on to wherever I want to go. But I’m sure I’ve been on Google more than anything else. Yeah. Otherwise my most expensive website is Amazon.uk. They tend to come quicker from the UK. Once you’ve got your shopping trolley out and you’re drifting through DVDs and books and CDs; it’s quite easy to find the prices tempting.
RP: But can’t you find things here cheaply?
Bullard: No I want CD versions of records I was collecting long before you were even born.
RP: Oh.
Bullard: When we still had vinyl.
RP: Okay.
Bullard: Do you know what vinyl is? No don’t answer that.
[Laughter]
Bullard: Vinyl’s making a big comeback I’m pleased to say.
RP: What do you like best about SA?
Bullard: South Africa? People. The scenery is damn good but the people are great. The people are the best reason to stay. I mean after I got shot I had so many fantastic emails from everyone, right across. I mean it wasn’t whites, blacks, coloreds,indians, it was a whole lot of really generous spirited people…who really wrote messages that literally brought me to tears. You know I’m quite emotional even talking about it. I’ve got it all in a folder; I’ve kept them all and they were probably a major cause of me being back at work 3 days after I was shot. Shot on the Wednesday and I was back in on the Monday. Not for long but I thought I would just show my face. And in fact I remember my colleagues were on the balcony and they couldn’t believe I was getting out of the car and hobbling up the steps, and there was like a spontaneous applause.
RP: Where did you get shot?
Bullard: In there, in there and out of my arm and into my leg. One bullet.
RP: Do you know who did it?
Bullard: No. But they were in the house so…I’m not a strong supporter of lie down and let them take everything.
NVDL: That seems to me to be a great approach to being South Africans in 2008. I hope all the good people will take hands this year and not lie down. Let us take back this land that belongs not to the criminals or the crooked politicians, but to the beautiful people of this country. Stand up and raise your voice. Have a wonderful year; you will if you make the right choices not only for yourself, but also for those around you.
No comments:
Post a Comment