CP Interview: TheBareFoot

A Technical Guy with a Sense of Humor

I chose to interview AC Producer, theBareFoot, because he writes a wide variety of articles, and based on his stated background, I see his choices as surprising and eclectic. Since I’m intrigued, I decided there were several questions I wanted to ask him.

It appears you are a technical engineer. I have worked with engineers who are brilliant, but have no understanding of humor whatsoever. How did you develop your sense of humor?

I spend so much time in the technical world; it's the last thing I want to do outside of work. I could write all the technical articles you want, but really love to take the lessons of life and turn them into something original. I guess the closest description of my writing would be "parable writer." As for the source [of my humor]? For years I could not figure that out, but now I see that same humor in my mother. She is the first one to laugh at her own foibles and loves a good "gotcha." As I look back on my dad's life (he passed away almost 4 years ago), I remember brief glimpses of my humor in him, too. He was the guy that would go into Burger King and order a Big Mac (not a Whopper), then walk across the street to McDonald's and order a Whopper (not a Big Mac). As kids we just thought he wasn't paying attention, but now I know he did those things [on purpose] just to have fun and embarrass us.

Writing is a creative process, what was your initial inspiration to write creatively, as opposed to technical journals?
Even the technical work I do has to be creative. I have to approach problems from different angles to find the optimal solution. Finding just the right slant, whether computers or people, is a puzzle that I like to solve. I was in sales for a long time. Anyone in that field will agree that you have to be creative 40 times per day just to eat dinner.
Sales contributed greatly to my writing style. Humor is a great tool to drive home any point. The hard part is judging how much your audience can bear. Too little, and the mood is stiff. Too much and they don't get the point. Pointless humor is my evil archenemy. Bringing a smile to someone while enlightening him or her with a small truth is what keeps me looking for my next topic.