Prelude - Wiseman
A man stands before me. Among the future, and among the past.
This man stands 178cm tall with a dark, sometimes morbid, style of clothing.
Dark hair, dark clothes and hazel eyes.
Blessing's from Irish soil power his White Caucasian lungs.

However this Man doesn't just stand before me... He stands in front of a thousand voices, and a hundred wishes.
The responsibility no mere mortal could grasp is in his hands.
And the wishes always become fulfilled.
I give to you Words of Ivory and the man behind the name, Michael O'Connor.

Part I - New Born
I hope the paparazzi outside the VGC Podcast room haven't given you a hard time. How are you feeling?

Michael: I'm not too bad. It's my birthday tomorrow, as you might know. *laughs*

I couldn't forget a thing like that
If theres one question i have to ask its how you're coping with all the current goings-on at VGC?

Michael: Coping? *laughs* VGC isn't stressful. It's always been fun to run, minus having to deal with some very rare drama.

Now the newest edition to VGC is the VGC Podcast, can you explain a little about how this came about?

Michael: I feel like I'm being interviewed. *laughs*

.....

(Silence engulfed the conversion. This interview was supposed to be secret with Michael not knowing I was actually Interviewing him. It seemed he had stumbled upon the truth however I bravely carried on, trying not to give too much away...)

Now the newest edition to VGC is the VGC Podcast, can you explain a little about how this came about?

Michael: Chance (AppleSauceNinja) deserves all the credit for the podcast even existing. It was originally his idea, and most of the work on getting it from the planning stages to something real is entirely his work.

He and the others involved have surely been working hard.
P.s To anyone reading this, I highly recommend downloading The VGC Podcast which you can access at this page. I can tell you its really something special and worth a listen!

Part II - The Prayer
Moving away from the Podcast now, a little birdie tells me you also have more plans for VGC in the near future.

Michael: Things will be getting a major shakeup around half ways through 2008. The core of the community will still be there, but there's a lot that's going to be changed and expanded on on the site, which is where VGC's focus has always been. What those changes are, I'm not gonna say just yet.

Secret stuff! One thing however is certain; I bet many members are just as excited as me. Especially the ever patriotic Chance (AppleSauceNinja).

Michael: *laughs* Chance is far from patriotic.

If only VGC was a country...

Michael: We'd probably be communist China. *laughs*

-The VGC forums are home to all sorts of life. One forum is devoted to the Halo trilogy.-

Part III - Remember the Name
Can I ask you a few slightly basic questions. That fine?

Michael: Sure roll them in..

Michael O'Connor, 26 years old, Irish?

Michael: Yup thats me. 26 tomorrow ugh. I'm getting myself a 32" HD-TV, so I'm not complaining.

*laughs* Well at least I'm talking to the right person.
You're currently living in Cobh, Ireland correct?

Michael: Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland. Don't try looking for us. There's dozen of us.

*laughs* I'll try not to. I've only been to Ireland 3 times to a place called Kilkenny.

Michael: My cousin (also one of my best friends) lives there.

Nice place, lots of green stuff.

Michael: If you're ever passing up that way, let me know.

Will do. So have you lived there all your life?

Michael: Yup, since the day I was born.

So when did you first start controlling the great VGC from Cobh then?

Michael: A bit over a year now. It's been a slow climb, but it's always great to see more content and more hits come in as the months go by, whilst the community stays just as fresh and friendly as ever.

Obviously being on VGC you have to love Video Games.
However what has to be your favourite game to date?

Michael: Good question. An easy one to answer though. ICO on the PS2. Games are fun, but I think they can also be valid as art, and that game embodies that fact better than any other. Not surprisingly, I'm also a big fan of Shadow of the Colossus as well.

I noticed your names changed from Words of Ivory - why the change?

Michael: Most of our staff tend to go under their real names, and I much prefer being called Michael than "Words". It was just more convenient.

Very so. What's the story behind the unique name?

Michael: Long.

*laughs* Guess I'll leave it there till another time.

-Final Fantasy XII also remains on top of the pile in Michael's vast games collection.-

Reflection I - The Gift
Without doubt Michael's charisma and sharpness shone through. He's ability to have guessed I was interviewing him was a blow to the plan.
I still have my suspicions now about how he found out, but that doesn't matter. All that mattered was that I continued with the interview.
The members questions were up next.

Part IV - Long Road to Ruin
Michael by now you would of known I have actually been interviewing you.

Michael: I got the slight impression, yes. *laughs*

Due to your knowledge of this matter I have sentenced you to receive a wave of questions from the VGC members.
You have to answer the following questions truthfully, honestly and embarrassingly. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a further punishment; 10 lashes to the behind.

Michael: *laughs* Consider me warned.

Please note - Michael did not know who the question's were coming from at the time of answering. The names were simply not mentioned, when quizzed.

Part IVa - Let It Out
Charlie (Charlie) asks you several quite powerful questions. These are the following:
"How far does your 'man-crush' on the green ranger go?" - I guess this is the ranger from the power rangers.

Michael: *laughs* Most of the time, that's just for fun. I used to be a huge fan of the Power Rangers show, and as tacky as it was, I was one of those kids who sat down and listened to the morals in the episodes, and not just the fight scene.
Jason David Frank (the actor who played Tommy) was one of my personal favourite, and I've had a passive interest in his career ever since. His dedication to his martial arts and his beliefs definitely set a lot of ground work for my future moral beliefs.

"Boxers or briefs?" - Pretty self explanatory I guess.

Michael: Dear lord. *laughs* Who wants to know?! Ummm... boxers. More comfortable. Not much more I can say than that.

"Have you ever dreamt of petting Charlie's hair?" - *Cough*

Michael: Who hasn't?!

And finally his last question is "When did you first "discover" yourself?" - I'll leave your imagination up to that one.

Michael: Not sure exactly what is being asked here, but I'll take a stab at it. My parents were always resilient people, and dealt with opposition directly when it hit them. I think that instilled a lot of determination in myself as well; the drive to do your own thing your own way, but never at the expense of other people.
I never "discovered" who I was. I just went with what I believed it, and ended up who I am now. It's been quite a fun little journey, and I don't see it ending anytime soon.

Part IVb - The Reason
With Charlie's questions answered, Marty Chimpants wanted me to show you this. (Click here for Linkin Park Poster)
Now what is this all about, because i have no absolute clue.

Michael: (Silence) Home Made Korn Poster.

Part IVc - Christmas Time
The strangest set of question's yet. I can't believe I'm asking these on behalf of RunningMan. Nevertheless questions are questions.
Question one; "Have you ever been hit by a snowball in a car? If so, would you be man enough to get out and chase the kids?"

Michael: No, I can't drive. My eyesight is too bad for me to able to.
But you can be assured, if anyone (kid or otherwise) threw a snowball at me, I would hunt them down to the ends of the earth and exact due punishment ten times over!
I.E. with many snowballs of my own.

Next question is "Do you wear white tights?"

Michael: No.

I never would of never guessed. Here's a nice one. "Video games or Sex?"

Michael: Can I choose both?

And finally his last question; "Do you own a G-String?"

Michael: When I find out who asked this question, they're getting an instant permaban...

RunningMan if I was you, I wouldn't stop running!

Part IVd - Dreaming of you
If i was you, I'd be worried now. It seems Corrine (Girlfriend) wants in on the action. Her first weird and wacky question is "why do you love potatoes so much?"

Michael: Because I'm Irish! It's a compulsive desire intrinsically written into our DNA!

*cough* "Where do you keep your lucky charm?"

Michael: In my pants.

*laughs* I won't add a secondary question to that.
Moving forward, Corrine also tells me you don't like the popular IRISH dry stout Guinness! You must be the only Irish man not to do so!

Michael: I'm not a beer fan. Never have been. I think the stuff tastes vile!
I'm a very casual drinker. On the rare occasions that I do drink, I like to drink spirits; Vodka, whiskey, champagne, that sort of think.

Quite a conservative man eh?. I think I see an Irish theme flowing through these questions. Corrine's final questions is "How would you say "Kiss my arse" in Irish?"

Michael: Kiss my ass! "Arse" is the polite way of saying it, and if I'm a situation where I'd be saying something like that, being polite would probably be the last thing on my mind. *laughs*

Part V - Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous
Well that's the members questions out the way. Can i ask you one more set of question's? Don't worry these are my own. *Puppy Dog Eyes*

Michael: Hahaha. Don't do that unless you're Corrine.
Go on.

Are any of your friends, family or people you know personally famous?

Michael: Only the ones who are dead.

Really?

Michael: Yeah. *laughs* John F. Kennedy was my great-grandmother's cousin.

Seriously? Wow. I'm speechless *laughs*

Michael: Yup.

Would you ever consider yourself to be famous? Certainly being known on VGC and other forums like Final Fantasy Republic by people all over the world is a claim to fame?

Michael: I wouldn't go that far. I run a number of sites, some small, some famous on the internet, and it's even managed to net me some professional journalism work, but famous? Not quite.

Well behind the scenes, I have actually found your claim to fame.
You bare a very close resemblance to a Great British comedian called Justin Lee Collins from The Friday Night Project (Channel 4). (See below for picture)

Michael: I do?

It's pretty close. Just look at the beard, hair and nose. I think we've found your's and his double!

Michael: *laughs* Corrine will love that one. Now if only I *was* that handsome.

*laughs*
Would you ever consider yourself to be a comical man like Justin Lee Collins?

Michael: I'm wouldn't call myself a comedian, but I love to have fun and make people laugh when I can though, especially when I'm out with some friends.

I guess you got a few jokes for me then?

Michael: *laughs* Ummm.. Not right now, no. *laughs*

Oh come on! Booo! You must have one?!

Michael: Nope. Completely out. Although the best joke I heard all year must be the PS3. *laughs*

(Unimpressed) Its amazing your put in charge of websites after that joke.

Michael: Yeah. Two of them are PS3 sites as well.

My God... What has Corrine let herself into?...

Michael: *laughs* No, the PS3 is a great machine. I just wish Sony woul stop screwing it up so much.

-Sony expects 2008 to be a big year with the introduction of PlayStationHome to the UK.-

Part VI - Everything's Magic
Michael, I think its a good time to finish there. I would like to say it's been a pleasure interviewing you. The last words are all yours...

Michael: I'll keep my closing comment short and sweet.
I honestly just want to thank everyone.
The mods who have helped this place grow and shine amongst adult gamers, where respect and maturity are our greatest merits.
The site staff who keep the site ticking along, bring us traffic, expand our scope, and make the news fun.
And more importantly, friends old; Corrine, Arrathreeel, Shakuya, Nesuki, and friends new; Chance, Charlie, Sam, Marty... too many names.
You guys make this community a dream to work with. Without that community, the effort put into this place would only be half as meaningful.
It's been a good year, as I hit 26. Here's to many more, for VGC and for ourselves.

Conclusion - Hello Tomorrow
That night i reflected on our meeting. I knew I had been in the presense of a remarkable man.
Course he has enemies, but he has even closer friends.
With VGC getting bigger, this is only a tribute to the hard work he has put in.
I, the other members, staff and friends of VGC wish him good luck for the future!

My Last Serenade
A massive thank-you to Kelz for helping me out with Michael's image at the start of the interview, plus the VGC Interview logo. A big thank-you also goes out for those who contributed with the interview :)

Tags : AsN : chance : corrine : Final Fantasy : Halo : ICO : ireland : justin lee collins : kelz : Michael O Connor : ps3 : running man : Video Game Chat : Words of Ivory

Comments

By: Corrine

On: 12:38 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

I laughed, I cried, I was befuddled- it was beautiful!

Great job Deano, this came out better than I could have ever imagined. Sooooo funny. :lol:

I really hope you guys do more of these in the future.

<3

By: Ulx

On: 02:45 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

Hahaha, that was brilliant.

I love your description of him at the start, and the much-expected response to the "Favourite Video Game" question.

You did a great job Deano. Small touches of your personality like using song titles to mark sections really kicks it up a notch.

By: dragongee

Video Game Chat Member Avatar

On: 02:55 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

Ulx;42297

You did a great job Deano. Small touches of your personality like using song titles to mark sections really kicks it up a notch.

Ahh so yourve spotted my easter egg's!

But credit to you guys.
Without the interview ideas, questions, pictures(kelz) and being general vgc members this interview wouldnt be here.... :)

By: Samuel

On: 03:09 Feb 4th, 2008
Online

I don't have the words. (Words... Like Words of Ivory. Hehe)

*laughs hysterically for a while*

*makes sure no-ones watching*

*laughs hysterically some more*

>.>
<.<
>.>

*ROFLMAOOL*

By: RunningMan

On: 03:40 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

Wow, this is really great. Oh noes t3h permaban!

Great job, man.

By: Charlie

On: 03:47 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

interviews are great
this one was awsome.
and i knew the hair thing was true... everyone does it... i should've known XP

By: ApplesauceNinja

Video Game Chat Member Avatar

On: 07:38 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

The man. The myth. The legend. I was thoroughly amused. Good work!

By: Mobius Zero

On: 09:20 Feb 4th, 2008
Offline

Very well done, I do say, I can wait to see who is the next victim *cough* interviewee. The questions were understandable and funny and very informational so I say this is a success.

By: dragongee

Video Game Chat Member Avatar

On: 04:00 Feb 5th, 2008
Offline

With or without the interviews being aired via the podcast in the future, i hope to continue the written interviews nevertheless...

In 2-4 weeks time expect VGC Interview #2...

Thanks for the feedback!

By: Lindsey

On: 10:40 Feb 12th, 2008
Offline

quite long but definetly worth the read. very good piece of writing. will pry at michael for the words of ivory thing cuz i can. muahaha