Loose Among The Legends

Phil Gifford is a a New Zealand institution – the kind of guy that you’d love to have at a dinner party – he’s easy to chat to, a veritable encyclopaedia of sports knowledge and makes you laugh.

He’s also a prolific author, and his latest book, Loose Among The Legends, has just been released. “I didn’t want to do a traditional memoir,” he says, “I wanted it to be more a story of my life based on the amazing people I’ve had the privilege to work with and call friends.”

Loose Among The Legends sees him tell stories of famous sports people that he has previously only told family and close friends. It is written in such a way that it really feels like he’s sitting chatting to you, so it’ a fast and easy read.

Phil is a rugby fanatic (he calls himself a rugby tragic in actual fact) and the man behind the hugely successful Loosehead Len persona.

“I don’t actually recall any one event that made me fall in love with rugby,” he says. “I was an extremely average player myself, even though I loved it. Growing up in my family; rugby was just always a part of it, and I was the kind of kid who loved to read facts. That’s one of the reasons Loosehead Len was believable I suppose, even though I created him when I was 26, but he was in his mid-50s. I had read so much rugby history, that I had a wide range of knowledge that made writing a character in their 50s believable.”

He fondly remembers going to his first rugby test at Eden Park with his Dad in 1959 – travelling by bus from home in Waihi at the age of ’11 or 12’. “New Zealand used to be so safe, I used to hitch hike to games in Hamilton without giving it a second thought.

At the end of each chapter, there are little anecdotes called ‘I’m Not Making This Up’ which you could quote widely for a bit of a laugh, or to make your sporting knowledge sound more credible. Phil also names his best All Black team of all time, which makes for interesting reading, and no doubt lively debate!

Loose Among the Legends is a thoroughly entertaining life story (so far) and a true slice of kiwiana. He says compiling the list of 12 was rather a challenge, but he was ably assisted by Warren Adler and his wonderful wife Jan. “You really only get one shot to put something like this together and get it right,” he says.

However, given his breadth of experience across many sports (and music), surely he has another volume of a similar style in him? “If I did, I’d probably focus more on music,” he says. “I have been really fortunate over my journalistic career to see and review some amazing acts at the top of their game. That would be next.”

Unlike rugby, where he can’t pinpoint the beginning of his love affair, he vividly remembers the room he was standing in as a 9 year old when he first heard Elvis Presley singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ “That was absolutely a moment,” he says. “I just fell in love with the sound.”

Similarly, he has a wonderful life with his wife Jan. They actually went to school together, but didn’t take much notice of one another until they met as adults at a school reunion. His idea of what makes a marriage work? “I’ve always heard that people get along if they have a similar background. That is certainly the case with Jan and I. Also, I’m in rather the same boat as my old friend Peter Fitzsimons (about whom he has written a chapter in Loose Among The Legends). We are both well aware that we have married 100 miles above our station, so we both just do our best not to do anything to bugger it up!”

He’s a top bloke, and he’s written a fine book. Loose Among The Legends is out now, at all good bookstores.