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American Morning
Interview With A.J. Jacobs
Aired October 28, 2003 - 09:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Few of us know what it's like to be shot in the head or attacked by a grizzly bear -- thankfully. Or even to simply stand 7'6" tall. But if you've ever wondered what it's like to feel the power or pain, the editors at "Esquire" magazine something for you. They've compiled dozen of tall but true tales straight from the folks who live them in a book that's called "What it Feels Like."
And just recently I spoke with the editor, A.J. Jacobs, about packaging these extreme experiences. And I asked him about the theory behind turning all of these stories into a book.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
A.J. JACOBS, "ESQUIRE": I think that at "esquire" we all lead incredibly boring lives. I know I do. So we wanted to live vicariously through others. That's how the column started.
One of our writers, Larry Doyle, suggested we do "What it Feels Like" to be shocked. And it sort of blossomed from there. And readers seem to enjoy it so we compiled them into a book.
O'BRIEN: What you did you decide which ones would make the cut and which ones would not?
JACOBS: I think just the most extreme, extraordinary circumstances that thankfully we didn't go through. Some of them are good and we wish we had gone through. We all wish we'd won the lottery. But a lot of them, like the Ebola virus, I'm glad that I don't have that.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness. All right, let's talk a little bit about some of the chapters because you break it into different stories. And they're all told by someone who has survived certain things. For example, what it feels like to be attacked by killer bees.
JACOBS: Ah, yes. That's one of my favorites because It has the greatest number of expletives I've every seen on a single page. I mean Tony Soprano I think would be embarrassed...
O'BRIEN: It's a crazy story.
JACOBS: Yes. I mean he was attacked by a swarm. And he says it sounds like a dentist drill after a while.
O'BRIEN: Every single person seemed to end their story with sort of the theme, Boy, I'm happy to be alive. Was there any other common theme you found while you were reading through the ones that finally made it into the book or even the ones that didn't make it into the book?
JACOBS: I think that was a good theme. I mean the guy who was buried under 50 feet of snow in an avalanche and it took him 22 hours to dig out. And he says now a days he can hit his thumb with a hammer, doesn't really bother him. He's just happy to be here.
O'BRIEN: Puts everything in a little perspective when you survive it. Was there a story that you were looking for that you couldn't find, you couldn't find anybody to write? And obviously, since it's "Esquire," you're looking to men to write about their perspective.
JACOBS: Yes, well one of our Holy Grails is was what it feels like to have sex with a movie star. And no one at "Esquire" has had that experience and none of friends seemed to be willing to volunteer any details. So if any of your viewers...
O'BRIEN: You've got to cast a wider net. You know, there has got to be some others.
JACOBS: I know. You would think. We've been looking. We're not slackers.
O'BRIEN: What was the best story?
JACOBS: One that I really liked was what it feels like to have obsessive compulsive disorder. This guy takes 2 1/2 hour showers. And sometimes he'll get out and decide he's not done and get back in, sometimes with his clothes on.
And I have a very mild case of OCD. I wash my hands 20 or 30 times a day.
O'BRIEN: That's supposed to be good for you. That's not OCD. Doctors say that's healthy.
JACOBS: See? There you go. I felt better in comparison to this guy. Now I have nothing to worry about.
O'BRIEN: Is that what it's all about at the end of the day? You read through this book and say, Compared to everybody else, I'm living a very normal, maybe boring but very normal life?
JACOBS: That's right. Makes us appreciate our totally uneventful every day lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A.J. Jacobs' book, "What it Feel Likes," was released last month.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 28, 2003 - 09:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Few of us know what it's like to be shot in the head or attacked by a grizzly bear -- thankfully. Or even to simply stand 7'6" tall. But if you've ever wondered what it's like to feel the power or pain, the editors at "Esquire" magazine something for you. They've compiled dozen of tall but true tales straight from the folks who live them in a book that's called "What it Feels Like."
And just recently I spoke with the editor, A.J. Jacobs, about packaging these extreme experiences. And I asked him about the theory behind turning all of these stories into a book.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
A.J. JACOBS, "ESQUIRE": I think that at "esquire" we all lead incredibly boring lives. I know I do. So we wanted to live vicariously through others. That's how the column started.
One of our writers, Larry Doyle, suggested we do "What it Feels Like" to be shocked. And it sort of blossomed from there. And readers seem to enjoy it so we compiled them into a book.
O'BRIEN: What you did you decide which ones would make the cut and which ones would not?
JACOBS: I think just the most extreme, extraordinary circumstances that thankfully we didn't go through. Some of them are good and we wish we had gone through. We all wish we'd won the lottery. But a lot of them, like the Ebola virus, I'm glad that I don't have that.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness. All right, let's talk a little bit about some of the chapters because you break it into different stories. And they're all told by someone who has survived certain things. For example, what it feels like to be attacked by killer bees.
JACOBS: Ah, yes. That's one of my favorites because It has the greatest number of expletives I've every seen on a single page. I mean Tony Soprano I think would be embarrassed...
O'BRIEN: It's a crazy story.
JACOBS: Yes. I mean he was attacked by a swarm. And he says it sounds like a dentist drill after a while.
O'BRIEN: Every single person seemed to end their story with sort of the theme, Boy, I'm happy to be alive. Was there any other common theme you found while you were reading through the ones that finally made it into the book or even the ones that didn't make it into the book?
JACOBS: I think that was a good theme. I mean the guy who was buried under 50 feet of snow in an avalanche and it took him 22 hours to dig out. And he says now a days he can hit his thumb with a hammer, doesn't really bother him. He's just happy to be here.
O'BRIEN: Puts everything in a little perspective when you survive it. Was there a story that you were looking for that you couldn't find, you couldn't find anybody to write? And obviously, since it's "Esquire," you're looking to men to write about their perspective.
JACOBS: Yes, well one of our Holy Grails is was what it feels like to have sex with a movie star. And no one at "Esquire" has had that experience and none of friends seemed to be willing to volunteer any details. So if any of your viewers...
O'BRIEN: You've got to cast a wider net. You know, there has got to be some others.
JACOBS: I know. You would think. We've been looking. We're not slackers.
O'BRIEN: What was the best story?
JACOBS: One that I really liked was what it feels like to have obsessive compulsive disorder. This guy takes 2 1/2 hour showers. And sometimes he'll get out and decide he's not done and get back in, sometimes with his clothes on.
And I have a very mild case of OCD. I wash my hands 20 or 30 times a day.
O'BRIEN: That's supposed to be good for you. That's not OCD. Doctors say that's healthy.
JACOBS: See? There you go. I felt better in comparison to this guy. Now I have nothing to worry about.
O'BRIEN: Is that what it's all about at the end of the day? You read through this book and say, Compared to everybody else, I'm living a very normal, maybe boring but very normal life?
JACOBS: That's right. Makes us appreciate our totally uneventful every day lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A.J. Jacobs' book, "What it Feel Likes," was released last month.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
