w
Topham house, 2010 / Jeff and Andrew and friends
WHAT DOES SAFETY MEAN TO YOU? It’s a combination of the strength of the cage between me and that Great White shark, and the strength of my trust in the guy baiting it with tuna heads. HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED? Friday night at the pub and someone says, “Hey, let’s call Topham.” WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? Except for maybe your mom, nobody else is thinking about you right now. WHAT’S THE WORST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE? Accidentally taking the ‘slow’ truck to Timbuktu.
HOW MANY CAREERS HAVE YOU HAD? Fruit picker, construction worker, racket stringer, coffeemaker, writer, photographer, filmmaker. WHAT OTHER CAREERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU? I wouldn’t mind being a chef or a spy. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT? Summer of ’85. Mr. Mister at the Kelowna Arena. I wish I could say it was Van Halen, but there wasn’t a lot of choice back then. WHAT DO YOU DO TODAY THAT YOU SWORE AS A KID YOU’D NEVER DO? Sometimes I talk about the weather. I still don’t play cards.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT MISTAKE? Sometimes it’s not about the destination or the journey. BIGGEST (NON-ROMANTIC) HEARTBREAK? Overtime in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals. Bobby Nystrom scores on Pete Peeters as the NY Islanders beat my beloved Philadelphia Flyers to win the Cup. I was eight and my world collapsed around me.
MORE of JEFF web: jefftopham.com twitter: @jjtopham
BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE (LEAVING ASIDE WEDDINGS, BIRTHS, ETC.)? When they said it wasn’t a heart attack, after all. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU MET IN REAL LIFE AFTER GETTING TO KNOW THEM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA? Actually, quite a few. Facebook played a pretty important role in Liberia ’77. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE IN TODAY’S WORLD? Education.
w
Topham Brothers with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf