Cabbie on the streets of the U of M
We’re all just dudes’: the Score host
ROMER BAUTISTA, STAFF
The Bisons’ football victory wasn’t the only big story of homecoming weekend. Some special guests came in for a visit and had the crowd going crazy. No, it wasn’t the Calgary Dinos, whose presence was only received with jeers and heckles. And it wasn’t the U of M alumni either, because no one cares enough about them to even get a response. Homecoming week’s special guests were none other than the host of the Score’s Cabbie on the Street and Cabbie Unlimited, Cabral (Cabbie) Richards, accompanied by his man B (cameraman Bryan Roy) and his man D (producer David Kirkst).
Cabbie and his team were on campus to film a couple of segments for his shows with our very own Manitoba Bisons football team. It was during filming that I was able to sit down with the charismatic host to get his insight on, among other things, his job, his favourite interview and Winnipeg.
Cabbie, on his heroes as a child:
“(One of my) childhood heroes was like Bo Jackson. I had the Bo Jackson book. That was the first book I got on an athlete and it had Bo Jackson running on the cover just ripped. I used to like George Bell, in like ’87 when he was the MVP, but again, I’m dating myself. And, of course, Michael Jordan.”
Cabbie, on his nickname:
“My parents called me Cabbie when I was five. Growing up in Toronto, everyone called me either Cabbie or Cabbage Patch.”
Cabbie, on getting started in sports broadcasting:
“I went to Ryerson for radio and television, and in my second year myself and Adnan Virk heard that the Score was looking for interns. So we went in with our resumés and charmed the head of production, John Melville, into hiring us. I didn’t really envision a career in it, I just thought I should do it as experience because I wanted to do movies and stuff.”
Cabbie, on getting into movies:
“I would like to, but my focus right now is television and just building a platform where people watch the stuff that we do — whether online or on TV — and it’s always fun.”
Cabbie, on the best part of his job:
“The best part is probably interacting with the athletes. When you get into a rhythm and you’re vibing with a dude, it’s pretty fun. Because then, you don’t know, you kind of hope they react in a certain way, and if they don’t, it can be pretty funny, and if they do, it’s even funnier.”
Cabbie, on which athletes do the best interviews:
“In my experience, the easiest guys to interview are basketball players and hockey players. They’re both about the same. Some of the difficulty with interviewing hockey players is they’re not all North American, so you get kind of a language thing. Like, Alexander Overchkin is absolute pimp. His English is OK, but you lose some of the nuances in the translation. The worst dudes are baseball players in my experience. The baseball dudes are very aloof.”
Cabbie, on his favourite interview of all time:
“I have a few [favourite interviews]. The one that I reference the most in the last six to 12 months is the interview I did with Kobe Bryant. I have a pretty good rapport with Kobe. He’s seen in some way by the public. Obviously, his game is amazing — he’s the best basketball player in the world. But he’s had a number of off-court problems, but for me the vibe that I get with him is just awesome.”
Cabbie on his unique method of interviewing:
“I call it ‘being a total idiot’ method. I’m just an animated dude. I use my hands a lot. And I just talk to athletes like they’re just a dude. Because we’re all just dudes. Some dudes just have amazing jobs, but we’re all just dudes. We all love Doritos. We all love football on Sundays. We all love fast cars, chicks, sneakers. We’re all the same. We just come from different places. I just remain who I am, and dudes, they just know it’s a different kind of vibe when I show up and open my mouth.”
Cabbie, on interviewing LeBron James:
“LeBron won’t give me what I want from him — just to be real cool about it. He just gives me a hard time, which is funnier than if he really went along with it. Because LeBron, it’s like he has no time for me.”
Cabbie, on anyone he could interview, past or present:
“I could never match wits with Muhammad Ali, but he would be the absolute dream. As for a current athletes, Tiger [Woods].”
Cabbie, on learning about Winnipeg:
“I’ve learned that it’s cold. That you guys have a problem with mosquitoes. The city, it’s spread out. You can’t just walk to places — you have to drive everywhere. I love Earls. The Forks are a really cool part of town. The Red Bull girls are outstanding. And you guys have a cool skate park.”
Cabbie, on his popularity:
“It’s cool. Wherever we go, we get a lot of love, so that’s very gratifying to know that people appreciate the work, and they get a kick out of it. Like my man D has a Facebook group dedicated to him, that’s how much the work has translated to the people. Actually, my man D has two Facebook groups dedicated to him, and he deserves it.”
Cabbie, on why he thinks people watch his shows:
“I think it’s like seeing a normal dude who isn’t particularly attractive or in shape. Just a regular dude having fun with athletes.”
Cabbie, on who he would trade jobs with:
“Hugh Hefner, definitely.”
Cabbie, on what is left in his future:
“We want to grow the segment, grow the brand, grow the platform. I want to do a bigger version of what we’re doing — of our Cabbie Unlimited show. We just want to get to the point where we can be messing with Tiger Woods on the regular. I just want to get to the level where we’re having fun with the biggest names on planet Earth. Soccer dudes. Global athletes. That’s what we want to get to. Show that these dudes are just regular dudes — who happen to have a lot of bank, in the bank.”
