I only slept four hours that night. I agonized over how to record it (and how to have a backup). I worried about my questions. I thumbed through The art of the interview one more time.
Early in the morning, I called him on Skype. He answered lying on a couch after a day of skiing in France. And… he just started talking. He told me about his work with Clive Sinclair. He mentioned a few of his projects. He answered some of my questions. But then, something magical happened. The unapologetic way Rick talked about the ZX Spectrum, about his love for the project and the team, about his belief in the very power of design… I found it riveting, and it took me by surprise.
I’m an occasional public speaker, but that part of my career has always felt a bit uneasy. I always wondered: why would people listen to me? do I really have anything interesting to say? But Rick telling me about this odd little keyboard from 35 years ago, and how he was telling me about it, was a wonderful affirmation of the power of storytelling. This is why people listen to other people tell stories, I thought, and then, in a moment which is rare for me, I thought this is why they sometimes listen to me.
Today, it remains one of my favourite moments of working on the book. I hope the book will make someone feel as excited as I was when listening to Rick.