20 Questions with John Green

Written by Mark Banta

Monday, 23 January 2006

This month 20 Questions caught up with John Green in our on-going series of interviews. The following is an exact transcript of a taped phone interview with John Green on January 17, 2006. John has given his permission for this interview to be published on the Sasquatch Research Initiative website. Certain portions of the audio interview were difficult to comprehend. Those portions were edited from the final transcript to avoid the possibility of misquoting Mr. Green. When such portions were removed, the entire question and answer was deleted from the transcript. Photo courtesy Gerry Matthews. Mark: John, if you had one piece of advice for future generations of sasquatch researchers, what would it be? John: (Laughs)…Cooperate with other people and forget the idea that you’re going to get one yourself. Mark: Okay, many people look up to you as a role model in this field. Is there anyone you look up to as a role model in sasquatch research? John: There was…Bob Titmus. Mark: (Repeating)…Bob Titmus. Mark: Okay, what do you think is the biggest mistake made by researchers today? John: Well, they…not just today, but many people, when they get involved in this, start imagining or assuming that they’re encountering various kinds of evidence…you know…may or may not be. Mark: Okay, so people make more out of what they see than is really there? John: Yeah, assume just a little bit. Mark: Okay, well, how do you feel about such evidence that is being presented today such as tree breaks and twists, and such as that? John: Yeah, they’re what I call, “could-bes.” Mark: Right…okay. What do you consider to be the single most impressive piece of evidence to date of sasquatch existence? John: The film. Mark: The Patterson-Gimlin film? John: Yes. Mark: Okay, what do you believe will be the piece of evidence that convinces the mainstream that sasquatch exists? John: Well, experience would suggest that when somebody presents a body. Mark: Okay, do you think that…uh…the definitive piece of sasquatch existence that proves sasquatch existence is more likely to come from those actively researching or someone outside the field? John: I think it’s most likely to be an accident. Mark: Like a car accident? John: Or stumble on some bones. Mark: Okay. John: Or, a hunter shoot one. Mark: Okay. John: I think that’s the most likely eventuality. Mark: Yeah, do you feel we’re any closer to solving the mystery today than we were back at the time of the Patterson/Gimlin film? John: Well, we’re more aware of the events that are contained within that movie. Mark: Yes, where do you currently stand on the kill/no kill issue? John: I always said that the logical thing to do would be to bring one in. Mark: Okay, do you feel like you could pull the trigger if you had a sasquatch in your sights? John: I don’t know, I’m not a hunter. Mark: Okay, did you ever go out armed when you went out to investigate scenes? John: Oh, yeah. Mark: Okay, so were you prepared to shoot one if you saw one? John: Yes…you know, it’s an animal. Give me an argument for…for being able to shoot other animals, but not this animal? Mark: Okay, I agree with you. If someone were to shoot a sasquatch, other than proving that it exists, what kind of ramifications do you think would follow? John: Maybe they don’t know it, but it might upset a lot of scientific theory. Mark: Yeah. John: And, uh, upset various religious groups. Mark: What…what do you think would, uh…? John: …the environmentalists might have their reasons. Mark: Do you think there would be any possible legal ramifications? John: No, I don’t, but I could be wrong. I think the discovery will just overwhelm everything else. Mark: Okay, how do you respond to researchers today who believe that bigfoot is something other than a flesh and blood animal? John: Mind you, I don’t know anything about the things that they talk about. I’m not taking a position that none of that sort of thing could be true. But what I’m saying is that there is ample evidence of the existence of a flesh and blood animal. Mark: Okay. John: If they’re looking for something else, I don’t know. Mark: Okay, if you were to, uh, make a prediction of when sasquatch will be proven to exist in the minds of the scientific community and the general public, when would that be? John: I think within 50 years. Mark: Okay, why do you think that the existence of sasquatch is so hard to prove and why do you think it is taking as long as it is? John: To me that’s actually the biggest mystery. I don’t understand it. Mark: mm-hmm. John: You have a couple of facts that can’t be disputed. Something makes big footprints. And thousands of normal people say they’ve seen a huge, upright creature. Mark: Right. John: If science would get busy and find the explanation for these things, we’d be making immense strides in either the study of peculiar human behavior and they’re faking, imagining it and so on…or else they’d be discovering this fascinating new animal. Mark: Right. John: It would be a “win-win” situation for any institution that has experts in those fields. And yet, nobody ever takes it up; no money is ever spent on it. And I have to wonder if there is something more than a normal explanation for it…the instinctive rejection of it. Mark: Okay, there have been some theories going about, about the government being involved or forest companies, logging companies. Do you believe any of that is possible? John: No. Mark: Okay, are you familiar with any of the recent work, um, and research done into casting artifacts? John: Yes, some. Mark: Okay, how do you feel that these findings reflect on the…some of the dermal ridge evidence, such as the Freeman cast and your Onion Mountain cast? John: I’m not sure what they’re talking about with the Onion Mountain casts. If they’re talking about the big lines that cross and make a big loop, I never thought they had anything to do with dermal ridges. Mark: Oh, you didn’t? John: The question in my mind is… obviously you can’t make sweat pores and you can’t make scars. I left this particular subject to Dr. Krantz, Dr. Meldrum and Jimmy Chilcutt. Mark: Okay, uh, if you had it to do all over again, would you have put as much time and energy into the study of this creature? John: Yes, I’ve had a good time doing it. Mark: Do you have any regrets? John: Not about what I’ve done. I certainly regret what others haven’t done. Mark: Okay, what do you mean by that? John: Well, if the people who have the expertise and the equipment, and the financing to do this job properly would. In a way, I’m glad they didn’t, because I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. But as to solving it, it’s ridiculous and I regret it’s never happened. Mark: Okay, uh, you’ve never had an actual encounter yourself, have you? John: No. Mark: What do you think it is that has kept you motivated all these years? John: Interest. Mark: Just the curiosity of what is doing it…what’s leaving the footprints? John: Yep, it has to be something. Mark: Okay, how do you respond to the skeptics, do you run into a lot of skeptics? John: I don’t run into very many that know much about the proof, even the ones that publish books. Mark: Okay, what do you think inspires and motivates researchers to keep going despite the time and the money, and the ridicule that accompanies sasquatch research? John: They’re interested in it. Mark: Okay, for you it’s always been the curiosity though right, of what’s leaving the footprints? John: When you get interested in something you spend time doing it. I have other interests. Mark: Has there ever been a time in your research when you’ve wanted to quit and forget about the whole thing? John: No. Mark: Never have? Okay. And you’ve said that you are aware of SRI. The Sasquatch Research Initiative? John: Yes. Mark: Okay, what are your thoughts on this type of initiative that brings independent investigators together to share information and research? John: I think sharing information is always a good thing. Any organization that results in more research is good. Mark: Okay, John if you were to assign a percentage to your level of confidence that this creature exists, what would it be? John: 99%. Mark: Okay, one last question for you John. What legacy do you hope to leave behind, or how do you hope that people will remember you? John: I won’t care. Mark: (laughs) Well, thinking about it now, how do you hope people remember you? John: Well, I hope that when it’s proven to exist that they’ll remember I told them so. Mark: (Laughs) A special thanks to John Green for taking the time to conduct this interview and for all the wisdom he’s passed down to future generations of sasquatch researchers.