Finally, an honest answer

A chat with A.J. Jacobs:

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite writers at Esquire took time to answer some questions for me about a hilarious article he wrote called "I Think You're Fat," about a new movement called Radical Honesy. Here's a little insight into the behind-the-scenes of the piece:

Where did the idea for this article come from?

I was researching a book about living by the rules of the Bible, and I did a search on honesty. And up popped an article about a guy running for Congress in Virginia who refused to lie. It was (Brad) Blanton. The more research I did on Blanton, the more interested I became. 

What was the hardest part about trying to be totally honest to everyone around you?

I'm a homebody, so it was hard to tell people that no, honestly, I'd prefer to stay home than have lunch with them. People seemed insulted by that. 

When it came to writing the piece, how did you try to give an honest and accurate portrayal of Blanton? 

I was lucky because his quotes speak for himself. He says such outrageous things. That doesn't happen too often, sadly. But I relied a lot on his quotes, and on his gestures, like picking his nose and spitting. 

Was there anything you left out that you wish you hadn't?

The article was written in a hurry, and I asked for help transcribing the interview tapes from an Esquire intern (we only had female interns at the time). Which was humiliating in its own right, because he said so many offensive things. And then, to make matters worse, the intern reported that I forgot to turn off the tape recorder while taking a pee. Three times. She had to listen to me go to the bathroom. I thought it was a funny honest moment, so I put it in the article, but it was cut for space. 

How many drafts did you go through? 

We usually go through two or three drafts at Esquire. This article didn't change too much from the original, I think. 

Were there conflicts about what should go in and what should be left out?

I do remember I had a genuine conflict with my editor about my section on how the world is moving toward radical honesty with everyone exposing their lives on Facebook, etc. He wanted to take it out. I wanted to keep it. We compromised by having him write "Bullshit -- Ed." at the end of the section

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