Steve Wariner

I'm sure by now you know that Steve Wariner is one of my favorite people. During the summer we had the good fortune of touring together in France and Poland. This chat took place in my hotel room in Poland. Steve had come over to turn Bob on to some incredible chocolate that he found and I cornered him for an interview. The town we were in was spelled Mragowo (give that a try)!

Steve -- [long pause] Mah-ron-govo. That's about as close as I can probably get with my southerneze.

Victoria -- Actually that was pretty good. Enough about the language now... How have you dealt with the food here?

Steve -- Actually, most of it I've liked. Although, I like food a little bit more spicy.

Victoria -- I like a little bit more portions!

Steve -- What's amazed me is almost every meal I've had here has consisted of pork and potatoes. It's like pork and potatoes, pork and potatoes.... I haven't had the kilbasa yet, but everybody says it's wonderful, but I've done okay with the food.

Victoria - I always pack power bars just in case. I never leave home without them.

Steve -- I did talk to my wife Caryn last night and I told her that I can't wait to get home and she said, "I'll have a meal waiting for you when you get home." She's a wonderful cook.

Victoria -- Don't listen to that, Bob! Pay no attention to that last comment whatsoever! So what's her favorite thing that she cooks?

Steve -- Oh, I love her spaghetti and the sauce that she makes. She also makes egg-plant parmajean.

Victoria -- We'll be coming over soon.

Steve -- Come on!

Victoria -- Okay, we're moving along... the buildings are pretty interesting here. I mean the buildings that weren't destroyed by the war. So speaking of buildings and architecture... if you could own any building in the whole world what would it be?

Steve -- Wow! What a great question. You know this is really stupid, but I always dreamed of having a place in my back yard that would be one of those old time gymnasiums. Kind of like in that movie Hoosiers? I'd love to own one of those buildings and that way you could play basketball whenever you wanted or if you wanted to invite friends over for a party and a game...

Victoria -- You are so CUTE!!!

Steve -- No, I'm so weird, but I love those old gyms.

Victoria -- Steve, you are REALLY Mr. Niceguy. You can pick any building in the whole world and you pick a gym!

Steve -- Well, what would you pick?

Victoria -- I'd want to own the Hearst Castle. See, I go straight for the loud and gaudy. Okay, next question... if you could program your ultimate night of TV what would it be?

Steve -- Well, it would probably start with some old Andy Griffith shows and I haven't seen TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for a long time so I'd probably like to see that again.

Victoria -- So that would be the "Movie of the Week".

Steve -- Right. And sportswise, I'd probably catch an old Celtic or Lakers classic playoff game from the 80's. One where the Celtics won. Then if I had time for another movie I'd want to see some old Jimmy Stewart. I love him. SHENENDOAH makes me cry everytime I see it.

Victoria -- You know, you have that Jimmy Stewart quality to you.

Steve -- Oh! I'd also love to watch A CHRISTMAS STORY. I love that movie. My family and I watch it every year and just crack up! We have it on laser disk and every Christmas we watch that and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

Victoria -- Okay, moving right along... if you could take a year off to learn anything, what would it be?

Steve -- Oh, this is an easy one. I've always dreamed of taking a year off and going and studying art. 'Cause I never formally studied art. I just started painting. That was my plan in high school... I was going to go to Ball State University up in Muncie Indiana and study art, but this music thing started happening. But that was always my "plan B" if music didn't work out for me. So that's what I would do for a year if I could. I still think I might take some time off someday to study to serious water color.

Victoria -- I was asked that question once and I said I would take a year off to find peace of mind. Then a girlfriend of mine said that she would take a year off to find the secret of permanent weight loss and I was like "Oh, wait, I wanna change my answer to that one too!" Now I know if Bob had his way he would send me off for a year to learn how to cook! ...So what are your immediate plans when you get home?

Steve -- I'm going on a long overdue family vacation with my wife and sons. I can't wait.

Victoria -- [laughing] You think you might all go to Poland?

Steve -- No, we probably won't come here.

Victoria -- Right! Go some place where the toilet paper doesn't hurt! It's way too rough. I actually was smart and packed my own! I'm nobody's fool.

Steve -- No, Caryn would not survive here. We all went camping last year and her idea of roughing it is the Hyatt. So she found a little Holiday Inn about a mile from where we were camping and when it got dark she was there all alone.

Victoria -- Caryn is a woman after my own heart. As long as the window's open in the hotel you can experience "fresh air." Alrighty... one last question (or maybe two)... Did you have a favorite piece of clothing when you were younger?

Steve -- Oh, yeah. That's a great question... I remember when I was about a sophomore in high school, I saw these shoes in a catalogue and you're gonna love this... they were part patent leather, they were shiny and they were red, white and blue and they kind of looked like tennis shoes. And the name of them were Funkys and they were expensive (for back then) and we had five kids in the family so I had to do some fancy talking. I think they were around $45. That was about 1971 or so and I remember begging my mom and dad "I've just gotta have those shoes!" I just wore my parents out about them and when I got the shoes I wore them out too. I wore them to school and I remember people looking and going "What are those?"

Victoria -- Were you popular with them or did the kids think they were weird?

Steve -- They thought they were weird, but I thought I was sooooo cool. I remember walking through the halls thinking "check these shoes out." They were really bright! I just remember thinking I can't live without these shoes!

Victoria -- That's great. As a kid I wore A LOT of hand-me-downs. They used to go from my cousin Judy to my cousin Jan to my sister Lori to me. Anyway, there was this shirt that I just thought was the COOLEST thing I'd ever seen. It was from this very 70's hip, mod store in New York called (get this) BOUNCING BERTHA'S BANANA BLANKET. I guess there was some kind of psychedelic meaning to that. It was pink satin and there were all these little dark pink and red roses on it. I just thought it was the living end. I also had these shoes when I was 9 that were suede tie ups and they had different squares in different colors. Looking back now I guess they were pretty ugly, but I thought they were hot! Oh, I almost forgot... I always ask what kind of shampoo do you use?

Steve -- I use shampoo that makes my hair look a lot thicker. I can't even remember the name of it. It's in a black bottle and you can only get it at salons. Caryn buys it for me. Although I do use all kinds of stuff. I used soap the other night here in Europe 'cause I was desperate.

Victoria -- Well, I think you have great hair.

Steve -- Oh, you're sweet.

Victoria -- And you are such a "NICE" guy.

Steve -- Hey, get out of town...

Victoria -- Well, that about wraps it up.

Steve -- What a cool interview.

Victoria -- Thanks, Steve.