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CNN Saturday Morning News

Intervie with Gregory Edmont

Aired November 01, 2003 - 07:15   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.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL: Well, there's nothing like gliding through the French countryside on your motor scooter, the fresh country air, your ears flapping in the wind -- I'm sorry, your ears flapping in the wind? Well, I guess we're talking about a new book here called "Spotted in France: A Dog's Life on the Road."
It's about a man and his Dalmatian, and then later his Dalmatians, plural. Here to tell us about it is the author, Gregory Edmont.

Thanks for being here.

GREGORY EDMONT, AUTHOR, "SPOTTED IN FRANCE": Thank you, nice to be here.

SAN MIGUEL: And you've brought J.P. and Sketch (ph). And we've got to have -- we have to give J.P. his props here. What does J.P. stand for here? What's his full name here?

EDMONT: J.P. stands for Jonni duBois de Tenebra (ph). And Jonni Prince means the prince of springtime. He was born in April, in the Dalmatian language.

SAN MIGUEL: All rightie.

EDMONT: Slovak language.

SAN MIGUEL: Tell me what was going on in your life in France at the time that you adopted J.P.

EDMONT: I was really broke, and I was really struggling. I'd just finished school. And I met two friends, two twin brothers with twin dogs, who told me that I was a bit self-centered, and that I needed a dog.

SAN MIGUEL: They knew this about you just by meeting you once, right?

EDMONT: Well, I was worried about what most students just out of the school are worried about, getting work. And I said, Well, I can't even feed myself. How can I possibly feed a dog? And they were, like, See what I mean?

So I got J.P. They referred me to a breeder, and it changed my life. SAN MIGUEL: And after -- and the way that it changed your life, from what I've read in the book, is that there -- as you say, J.P. was kind of like your golden key. People who may not have given you by yourself the time of day in France suddenly were very friendly when they noticed that you had a Dalmatian or a dog. What is it about the French and their dogs and just their love of nature?

EDMONT: Well, the French love dogs. And someone asked me the other day what the biggest lesson I learned from my experience in France, and it was really living in harmony with nature. And dogs just go everywhere.

I think it's like children, older people, and dogs, even here, they bring out the best in people. But with the French, it's just -- it was a whole new world.

SAN MIGUEL: So the woman that you got J.P. from, the breeder, Madame Cliques (ph)...

EDMONT: Madame Cliques.

SAN MIGUEL: ... is her name, a very unique individual in the book, calls you up and says she wants to breed J.P. And so you use this as an excuse to just get on your Vespa and head south.

EDMONT: Well, I'm always up for an excuse for a road trip. So -- but she didn't really give me many details. She said, I need J.P.'s services. I'll make it worth your while, click. Maybe that's why she's called Madame Cliques.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

EDMONT: And so we were off the next day.

SAN MIGUEL: And you used this also as a way to -- if you're going to do this, you're going to, you know, sample the best -- you're going to take a very scenic route. And you're also going to sample the best in French cuisine, to the point of, maybe, you know, scrimping on the accommodations. You didn't have a lot of money.

EDMONT: No, but...

SAN MIGUEL: Scrimping on the accommodations so that you can enjoy some of these four- and five-star restaurants. What was that like?

EDMONT: That was quite something. In fact, the very first experience we had at a real five-star was at the suggestion of the breeder. And I thought it was just a country inn. So, you know, I'm riding by on my scooter, and the dog hair's all over me. And I arrive, and the valet's waiting outside. So I sort of transformed myself in the parking lot with some Evian and hair gel, and made myself a suitable patron.

SAN MIGUEL: And the dogs were welcome in these, you know, in these restaurants. EDMONT: Oh, everywhere. It was extraordinary. I mean, they would -- in some restaurants, they would bring J.P. a silver bowl of water with ice cubes and Evian before I could even order my own gin and tonic.

SAN MIGUEL: And tell me where Sketch comes into the picture here. That's J.P.'s son?

EDMONT: Yes, well, I hate to give away the story, but...

SAN MIGUEL: OK.

EDMONT: ... Sketch is the love-child result that comes after this book.

SAN MIGUEL: And I think his -- and is the one with the dog that the tail's wagging right now?

EDMONT: That's Sketcheroonie, yes.

SAN MIGUEL: That's Sketch. I mean, he knows his name, he can definitely recognized what's going on here.

How did all of this, I guess, change you? You were -- you had just graduated from the Sorbonne, I believe.

EDMONT: Right.

SAN MIGUEL: And kind of at loose ends, not knowing exactly where things were going to be going in your life. You knew that you wanted to write. I guess, you know, hadn't had that much success since then. And now, you know, you let them kind of help you tell your story, your dogs.

EDMONT: I just -- the dogs, the dogs, really, they were my entree into this world. And I'm just really grateful to these characters who've allowed me to tell their story. And it's really about the people that I was introduced to through these dogs. And I never would have met them had I not. I mean, I wouldn't have seen this side of France had I not had J.P.

SAN MIGUEL: It makes for a great travelogue, the parts that I've read so far. And so what now for you? What's going on next?

EDMONT: Well, we're just wrapping up a film deal on the book. Rafaela di Laurentis (ph) is going to produce. And we're in final stages of negotiations with Pierre Descue (ph) and Jiban Maoinin (ph), Monsieur Descue and Jivan de Canaplice (ph).

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, OK.

EDMONT: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) things are going well for you since "Spotted in France," which is the name of the book. Gregory Edmont, J.P., and Sketch, thanks so much for coming on. EDMONT: Thank you, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SAN MIGUEL: And the best of luck to you.

EDMONT: Appreciate it. Thanks very much.

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 November 1, 2003 - 07:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL: Well, there's nothing like gliding through the French countryside on your motor scooter, the fresh country air, your ears flapping in the wind -- I'm sorry, your ears flapping in the wind? Well, I guess we're talking about a new book here called "Spotted in France: A Dog's Life on the Road."
It's about a man and his Dalmatian, and then later his Dalmatians, plural. Here to tell us about it is the author, Gregory Edmont.

Thanks for being here.

GREGORY EDMONT, AUTHOR, "SPOTTED IN FRANCE": Thank you, nice to be here.

SAN MIGUEL: And you've brought J.P. and Sketch (ph). And we've got to have -- we have to give J.P. his props here. What does J.P. stand for here? What's his full name here?

EDMONT: J.P. stands for Jonni duBois de Tenebra (ph). And Jonni Prince means the prince of springtime. He was born in April, in the Dalmatian language.

SAN MIGUEL: All rightie.

EDMONT: Slovak language.

SAN MIGUEL: Tell me what was going on in your life in France at the time that you adopted J.P.

EDMONT: I was really broke, and I was really struggling. I'd just finished school. And I met two friends, two twin brothers with twin dogs, who told me that I was a bit self-centered, and that I needed a dog.

SAN MIGUEL: They knew this about you just by meeting you once, right?

EDMONT: Well, I was worried about what most students just out of the school are worried about, getting work. And I said, Well, I can't even feed myself. How can I possibly feed a dog? And they were, like, See what I mean?

So I got J.P. They referred me to a breeder, and it changed my life. SAN MIGUEL: And after -- and the way that it changed your life, from what I've read in the book, is that there -- as you say, J.P. was kind of like your golden key. People who may not have given you by yourself the time of day in France suddenly were very friendly when they noticed that you had a Dalmatian or a dog. What is it about the French and their dogs and just their love of nature?

EDMONT: Well, the French love dogs. And someone asked me the other day what the biggest lesson I learned from my experience in France, and it was really living in harmony with nature. And dogs just go everywhere.

I think it's like children, older people, and dogs, even here, they bring out the best in people. But with the French, it's just -- it was a whole new world.

SAN MIGUEL: So the woman that you got J.P. from, the breeder, Madame Cliques (ph)...

EDMONT: Madame Cliques.

SAN MIGUEL: ... is her name, a very unique individual in the book, calls you up and says she wants to breed J.P. And so you use this as an excuse to just get on your Vespa and head south.

EDMONT: Well, I'm always up for an excuse for a road trip. So -- but she didn't really give me many details. She said, I need J.P.'s services. I'll make it worth your while, click. Maybe that's why she's called Madame Cliques.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

EDMONT: And so we were off the next day.

SAN MIGUEL: And you used this also as a way to -- if you're going to do this, you're going to, you know, sample the best -- you're going to take a very scenic route. And you're also going to sample the best in French cuisine, to the point of, maybe, you know, scrimping on the accommodations. You didn't have a lot of money.

EDMONT: No, but...

SAN MIGUEL: Scrimping on the accommodations so that you can enjoy some of these four- and five-star restaurants. What was that like?

EDMONT: That was quite something. In fact, the very first experience we had at a real five-star was at the suggestion of the breeder. And I thought it was just a country inn. So, you know, I'm riding by on my scooter, and the dog hair's all over me. And I arrive, and the valet's waiting outside. So I sort of transformed myself in the parking lot with some Evian and hair gel, and made myself a suitable patron.

SAN MIGUEL: And the dogs were welcome in these, you know, in these restaurants. EDMONT: Oh, everywhere. It was extraordinary. I mean, they would -- in some restaurants, they would bring J.P. a silver bowl of water with ice cubes and Evian before I could even order my own gin and tonic.

SAN MIGUEL: And tell me where Sketch comes into the picture here. That's J.P.'s son?

EDMONT: Yes, well, I hate to give away the story, but...

SAN MIGUEL: OK.

EDMONT: ... Sketch is the love-child result that comes after this book.

SAN MIGUEL: And I think his -- and is the one with the dog that the tail's wagging right now?

EDMONT: That's Sketcheroonie, yes.

SAN MIGUEL: That's Sketch. I mean, he knows his name, he can definitely recognized what's going on here.

How did all of this, I guess, change you? You were -- you had just graduated from the Sorbonne, I believe.

EDMONT: Right.

SAN MIGUEL: And kind of at loose ends, not knowing exactly where things were going to be going in your life. You knew that you wanted to write. I guess, you know, hadn't had that much success since then. And now, you know, you let them kind of help you tell your story, your dogs.

EDMONT: I just -- the dogs, the dogs, really, they were my entree into this world. And I'm just really grateful to these characters who've allowed me to tell their story. And it's really about the people that I was introduced to through these dogs. And I never would have met them had I not. I mean, I wouldn't have seen this side of France had I not had J.P.

SAN MIGUEL: It makes for a great travelogue, the parts that I've read so far. And so what now for you? What's going on next?

EDMONT: Well, we're just wrapping up a film deal on the book. Rafaela di Laurentis (ph) is going to produce. And we're in final stages of negotiations with Pierre Descue (ph) and Jiban Maoinin (ph), Monsieur Descue and Jivan de Canaplice (ph).

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, OK.

EDMONT: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) things are going well for you since "Spotted in France," which is the name of the book. Gregory Edmont, J.P., and Sketch, thanks so much for coming on. EDMONT: Thank you, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SAN MIGUEL: And the best of luck to you.

EDMONT: Appreciate it. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com