Welcome to the first edition of "Straight From The Duggerman" where I give you my personal recollections of "the story behind the story" of my celebrity interviews. I decided to kick things off with my interview with 2x Heavyweight Champion Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs, one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history and holder of the record of the most first round knockouts. (Yes, including 'Iron' Mike Tyson).

How did I get in touch with Briggs? Why did I decide to do a story on him? Was he gentle or was he cocky and brash like he was in the ring? Why didn't he fight Mike Tyson? What are his regrets? His future plans? How did a homeless kid with asthma grow up to become heavyweight champion of the world? Read on to find out.

If you know me well at all, you know that I'm a huge heavyweight boxing fan. One of the guys I identify with is Shannon Briggs. He's charismatic, outgoing and cocky, not unlike myself.  Plus I'm a big fan of knockouts, and in a Shannon Briggs fight that's normally what you get, especially early. Like Mike Tyson and Jack Dempsey, Briggs didn't waste time in the ring. The late trainer Emanuel Steward told Bert Sugar and ESPN's Brian Kenny in 2006 that Shannon Briggs is a threat to any heavyweight champion in history early in a fight because of his speed and punching power. I can't disagree with that. When the bell rings, Shannon is gonna launch some serious firepower, hence the nickname, "The Cannon."

Briggs is far from being the best technical boxer, but he can punch like hell and rumbled with many other greats, including George Foreman, Lennox Lewis (whom he nearly knocked out) and Vitali Klitschko. 

Around 2010 or 2011, I added the former champ on Facebook and his posts were always entertaining, sometimes as funny as his post-fight interviews. Not pursuing him as a reporter but as a fan, I occasionally asked him questions in his inbox and he always got back to me. He was also posting about launching a comeback and expressing his desire to get a crack at Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship. 

I know an under-appreciated former heavyweight champion when I see one. Shannon had a great career and  a lot to say but wasn't getting the media attention I felt that he deserved. The public is fascinated with Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr, etc. But you don't hear much about Briggs anymore. That's a real shame. Like other big-talking boxers like Muhammad Ali and Roy Jones Jr, I knew Shannon would give me some great quotes. Guys like that are reporter's dream. Shannon Briggs is one of the best trash talkers of this generation. See one example here. Even his rival Vitali Klitschko, wanted to laugh. Not many guys can hype a fight like Shannon Briggs.

One day out the blue, I asked him if he would like a phone interview with me for an article I was writing about him for The Tennessee Tribune. He wrote back almost immediately with the words, "Let's do it." Twenty minutes later, he called me in his car, and the result was the interview and article you see below.

Man, I still can't get over how high-pitched and tiny my voice is compared to some of the men I've interviewed. LOL!! The raspiness of Brigg's voice makes me sound like Michael Jackson by comparison. But the interview was great. By this point I was already accustomed to talking to celebrities so everything flowed smooth. Also, I can talk boxing forever, and Shannon was real cool, so we jumped right in there.

We hit all of the big points of Shannon's career - his battles with Lewis, Foreman, Mercer, Klitschko, etc, as well as his battles with asthma (Briggs is the first asthmatic heavyweight champion) and his future plans. As a boxing fan, I wanted to know this stuff anyway. I learned a lot from Briggs, including the fact that he wasn't paid for his fight against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko. (Briggs suffered an injury early in the fight but bravely fought on for 12 rounds). We talked a bit about what it was like having the tough Teddy Atlas as a trainer. Briggs also noted that George Foreman hit him harder than anyone else. 

I was always curious about why Briggs never got the opportunity to fight Mike Tyson. Certainly 'Iron Mike' should have been in Briggs' cross-hairs during the late '90s after he was released from prison. Briggs confirmed for me that Tyson ducked him. This doesn't surprise me in the slightest, especially since Tyson also avoided Ray Mercer, David Tua and Tommy Morrison during this time period. In fact, he dropped the WBC title to avoid a fight with Lennox Lewis and fought Evander Holyfield instead. Shannon Briggs was in his prime at time and Tyson didn't want that fight. Briggs did shock me, however, by saying that he "wouldn't stand a chance" against Tyson at his best. He also didn't criticize Tyson for avoiding him because Tyson was aging and rusty after his three-year incarceration. It's always humbling to hear professional athletes admit that a rival would likely beat them. Marvis Frazier also credited Mike Tyson as one of the best ever when I interviewed him.

I had a nice chat with Briggs. After our interview, he  texted me pictures I could use for the article and the video's slideshow. I didn't even ask him to. He offered! This interview was quite special to me because I got to have a conversation with one of my favorite boxers.  He was confident, open and even more revealing than I thought he'd be. He even showed his appreciation by "liking" the interview and article when I shared them on Facebook. Good guy.

Recently he shaved off his trademark gold dreadlocks, lost a lot of weight and is launching a comeback, planning to win the heavyweight title again. He keeps his fans updated on his progress, posting pics and videos of him training. I wish him the best of luck. He certainly has the punch to knock Wladimir Klitschko unconscious if he lands flush on the current champion's chin. Between Shannon's weight loss and the late Emanuel Steward no longer training Klitschko, Shannon's chances of landing that brutal knockout blow and recapturing the heavyweight championship for a third time are likely. Wladimir better not get careless and overlook "The Cannon." 

For the last seven years, I've been growing my trademark dreadlocks. My 'loc journey' has been an exciting one, but it comes with one major annoyance - getting asked the same questions over and over and over as if I'm in some endless Twilight Zone loop. I know some people wonder things about my hair but never ask. There are so many myths about dreads and it's time to set the record straight. Let's talk natural hair, ladies and gentlemen.

How long have you had your dreads? Seven years and counting. 

Is that all your hair? Duh. This is seven years of growth. All natural. If you know me, you've watched my hair grow over the years. I don't wear fake hair. I don't see why people assume it's weave/extensions, but it's annoying.

Can you wash dreads? YES!! I don't know why people assume that dreads are a dirty style. I shampoo and condition my hair as much as the next person. And use a little common sense - look at my hair. If I never washed it, would it look neat and clean like this?

Do you smoke weed? No, I don't.  I don't do any drugs.

Why do you wear dreads? Spiritual and cultural reasons.

Will you cut them? You sound like my dad. I'm not going to say I'll never cut them because every time someone says they'll never cut them, they end up getting it chopped off the next week. I may cut them one day but not in the immediate future. I'm not thinking about a haircut right now.

Can you get a job with dreads? It depends. Dreads are gradually becoming more accepted. It varies on the job. I'm a print journalist so it doesn't matter how I look - as long as my writing is great. I think sooner or later you'll see a news anchor or weatherman with dreads. You can wear them in professional ways and the style has been here for hundreds of years. It isn't going anywhere.

Let's take a brief field trip to meet the man who did my hair for four years. This is my interview with Loctician James Moss and his wife Kay in 2012.  The accompanying article is here. 

Great interview and story, A.J.! I learned a lot about the history of dreadlocks there. You said James used to do your hair. Who does it now? : I've been doing it myself on a permanent basis since late 2012. But I still go to James if I want a special style done. I generally just wash and re-twist.

How do you make dreads? People start their 'locs differently. There are different methods but I started mine with "two-strand twists." I had a large afro and got my hair twisted all over with these twists, which are two strands of hair twisted together. Over time, each twist will "loc" into becoming one permanent loc of hair. It took my hair almost a year to "loc up." It's frustrating for the first year because as they become dreads, they get really fuzzy and rebellious. But once they officially 'loc' they hang limp.

Your hair looks so neat! What do you do? What's the process? I wash it and re-twist my new-growth at the roots. I twist my hair as it needs it. I  sit on the couch watching TV and re-twist my new-growth.

What products do you use? "Jamaican Manjo Loc and Lime" for re-twisting. I use different oils for my scalp and braid spray for moisture.

There's no perm in there? Nope. This is a natural hair style. No relaxers, no weave, nothing like that. 

Why do people call them 'dreads?' It comes from slavery times when slave masters would say that they "dreaded" looking at African American hair. Our hair naturally 'locs' up if we don't comb it, so a lot of slaves had dreads, I'm sure. What I have is technically called "locs." But the word 'dreads' has been around for so long that it's become the commercial term for the style. But there's nothing dreadful about dreadlocks!!!

Are dreads a 'black' thing? No. Honestly, it's a freedom thing. Color makes no difference, although white and black people have to go about the process of 'locing' in different ways because we have different hair textures.

That sums up most of the questions I get. If you have any others, leave your question in the comment section below and I'll answer it if I like you. LOL!!! I hope you close your browser feeling educated.

So, I turned 28 years old last week and finally decided to get a PS3. Being a huge fan of The Walking Dead television series and comic books, it was only natural that I buy the game. Initially I was torn between this one and Survival Instinct, a more recent Walking Dead game starring The Dixon brothers. But after hearing mixed reviews about Survival Instinct and seeing all the awards that The Walking Dead Season 1 won, it became a no-brainer. I got the Game of The Year Edition (pictured above) which has all 5 episodes and a bonus episode called 400 Days.

The game begins with good and bad news - you play as a black man going to jail. Damnit!! lol. I was pleasantly surprised to see an African American man as the protagonist, but it came with a price. This brother was on his way to the slammer for committing a murder. Seconds into the game and he's already being stereotyped. Son of a biscuit!! 

But anyway, the lead character's name is Lee Everett and the zombie apocalypse suddenly hits as he's being transported to the pen. Lee finds his way to a nearby house and is rescued by an 8 year-old  girl named Clementine. Your primary purpose is to protect Clem and survive at all costs.

I was expecting The Walking Dead to be a "shoot em' up" zombies game like Resident Evil. But I should have known better. This game captured the beautiful storytelling techniques of The Walking Dead. As in the show and the comic books, the zombies are always a threat but the real danger is other human beings and the tough choices you have to make for survival. 

What immediately got me hooked was the fact that you control what Lee says or does. The picture down below is a great example.

In the scene pictured above, another character asks Lee who is he to Clem. Not surprising - a dirty black man walking around holding hands with a small Korean girl is bound to get questioned, even during the zombie apocalypse. You can lie to the character  and say you're a neighbor or her babysitter, or tell the truth and say you're "Just some guy." Or you can say nothing and just stand there looking like a creepy pedophile. There are almost always different consequences for whatever you say.  

Whether you're honest or dishonest, whether you're aggressive or calm, etc, other characters will respond in different ways. Some choices you make in the game will result in the life and death of different characters. Because of this, you can play the game four different times and have four different storylines.

I'll give another example without spoiling too much. At one point, a character in your group will murder another in cold blood. You can abandon the murderous character in the woods, (leaving him/her at the fate of the zombies) or take him/her with you. Because I was curious of what would happen, I let the murderer stay with us. And you know what happened next? The murderer stole our RV from us. We suddenly had no transportation and everyone was mad at me! lol. 

True to The Walking Dead, a lot of people close to you will die, quickly and unexpectedly. Because of this you'll find yourself in different groups and locations along the way. People in your groups will die but you'll come across other survivors, both good and bad. Also, it's hard to find a safe haven to relax in and call home. No place is 100% safe during a zombie apocalypse. 

The tie-ins to the TV show and comics are nicely done. First, you meet Hershel Greene. Yep, the same Hershel Greene who first appeared in Season 2 of the television show and fixed up Carl's gunshot wound. You spend a little time on Hershel's farm. (Unfortunately, Scott Wilson does not voice Hershel. The Hershel on this game looks more like his comic book adaptation).

Later you run into Glenn Rhee. Yep, the same Glenn who rescued Rick from the tank in Season 1 and constantly banged Hershel's daughter, Maggie, in the prison during Season 3. Glenn will be part of your group for a while but not for too long. Sad, because his speed and bravery will be a great asset to you while he's around. I don't wanna spoil his reasons for leaving but after his time with you, he goes to Atlanta and meets up with Shane, Lori, Dale, Daryl, etc. Seeing as to how Glenn had yet to go to Atlanta and Hershel was still a naive and un-trusting jerk, the first episode of the game obviously takes place a few weeks before Rick Grimes wakes up from his coma.

There are many puzzles and obstacles throughout the game that you have to figure out. At one point you have to figure out how to start a train, teach Clem how to shoot a gun, find clever escape routes, etc.  

I have to applaud the character development in this game. Clem constantly looks up to you and has a way of making you warm up to her no matter how much of a hard ass you think you might be. When she compliments you and looks up at you with those big brown eyes, how can you be mean to her? 

There are other characters you'll find yourself getting attached to as well. Even though it's just a game, I personally cared about each and every member of our group as the episodes progressed. If you make certain choices, everyone will look to Lee as their leader. If that happens, you're not responsible for just yourself and Clem, but everyone in your group. When you come across other survivors, will you invite them to join you or not take any unnecessary chances with strangers? Your morality and maturity will always come into question. Other examples....

*There is a racist man in your group at one point named Larry. Larry makes things difficult for you. You have a variety of options of how to respond to him. What do you do? 

*If your best friend's child is bitten by a zombie and about to turn, do you put him down yourself or make your friend do it? 

*At one point a crazy woman with a crossbow threatens to shoot off your balls and string em' up in a tree. Do you talk her down or just kill her? (Obvious answer, here).

*If you kill another human being in front of Clem and she asks you about it, are you going to be upfront with her or sugarcoat things?

*Do you feel safe at your current camp site or do you decide to move on? 

There are so many decisions to make and you have to make them quick. The decisions are game-altering and for some characters, life-altering. 

I haven't been this hooked on a video game since playing Metal Gear Solid on the original Playstation back in 1999. That game had a great cinematic story to it and required you to think fast to solve certain obstacles. The Walking Dead Season 1 has those same elements but at a whole 'new level. The only thing I didn't like was the sad ending. Other than that, the game was near perfect and really forces you to decide how you would react in a zombie apocalypse.  I might have to break tradition and give this one 5 stars out of 5 because I honestly don't know if I've played a better action/adventure game.

***** 5 Stars out of 5

July 2014 Update: Now that I've played the game twice since blogging this, I caught several things I didn't catch the first time. For one, the character I called racist may or may not have been. Secondly, little Clementine is African American! Damned if she doesn't look Korean!!! Here is a picture of her parents.