Ali was always trying to have some fun with his celebrity status...
Muhammad Ali, former heavyweight champ, at Miami Beach Convention Center where he beat Sonny Liston.(Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)
8:28PM EST September 18. 2012 - It is the ultimate lesson on the payoff of persistence, no matter who you are, and it's a story that took place 46 years ago.
Michael Aisner was a 17-year-old high school student In suburban Chicago in 1966, when he and a buddy set out to score the near impossible -- an interview with his idol and then-heavyweight champion of the world Muhammad Ali. He made several phone calls to the gym where Ali trained, and when Aisner said he was with a high school radio station he was told the champ didn't have time.
Finally, after a number of calls, a man Aisner believes was Ali aide Jeremiah Shabazz gave in and said the champ would talk to him.
Aisner and his friend drove from Winnetka, north of Chicago, to the tough south side of town, where the Muhammad Ali Fan Club was located.
Aisner says he and his friend watched as Ali screeched up in front of the building in a red Cadillac and jumped out. For 20 minutes, Aisner interviewed one of the planet's most well-known people, who launched into an unprompted diatribe about traveling to Mars and fighting for the intergalactic boxing championship.
Great interview, except for one minor detail: Aisner, now 63, said he forgot to turn his tape recorder on. ....
Listen at USA Today
The lost tape of Muhammad Ali
Link: http://beta.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/09/18/the-lost-tape-of-muhammad-ali/1579353/
Or:
Muhammad Ali, former heavyweight champ, at Miami Beach Convention Center where he beat Sonny Liston.(Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)
Lost 'Martian' interview with Muhammad Ali resurfaces
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Michael Aisner was a 17-year-old high school student In suburban Chicago in 1966, when he and a buddy set out to score the near impossible -- an interview with his idol and then-heavyweight champion of the world Muhammad Ali. He made several phone calls to the gym where Ali trained, and when Aisner said he was with a high school radio station he was told the champ didn't have time.
Finally, after a number of calls, a man Aisner believes was Ali aide Jeremiah Shabazz gave in and said the champ would talk to him.
Aisner and his friend drove from Winnetka, north of Chicago, to the tough south side of town, where the Muhammad Ali Fan Club was located.
Aisner says he and his friend watched as Ali screeched up in front of the building in a red Cadillac and jumped out. For 20 minutes, Aisner interviewed one of the planet's most well-known people, who launched into an unprompted diatribe about traveling to Mars and fighting for the intergalactic boxing championship.
Great interview, except for one minor detail: Aisner, now 63, said he forgot to turn his tape recorder on. ....
Listen at USA Today
The lost tape of Muhammad Ali
Link: http://beta.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/09/18/the-lost-tape-of-muhammad-ali/1579353/
Or:
