I'm not into the local stuff. I was made for the world.
That's Arnold on himself in Vanity Fair's very in-depth interview with the Governator regarding California's currently mangled economy. San Jose mayor Chuck Reed and Vallejo fire chief Paige Meyer are also included in the look at how this state got to where it is and what some are doing to try to get out of it. For all the nitty gritty details on who, what, where, why, when and how - head over to VF.com - but in our eyes the highlight of the lengthy Michael Lewis article is of course Schwarzenegger's ridiculous quotes.
When asked if he kept journals, notes, logs or any personal documentation of his work while governor of the state of California, Schwarzenegger said:
Why would I do that? It’s kind of like you come home and your wife asks you about your day. I’ve done it once and I don’t want to do it again.
His impulsiveness is chronicled beautifully by Lewis, who goes into detail about the ways in which Schwarzenegger recklessly rides his bicycle around Santa Monica and Venice Beach - running red lights, darting in and out of lanes; but Schwarzenegger demonstrates this even better when recalling how he decided to run for governor while en route to The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (and after telling everyone, including his wife, that he was not going to run):
I just thought, This will freak everyone out. It’ll be so funny. I’ll announce that I’m running. I told Leno I was running. And two months later I was governor. What the fuck is that? All these people are asking me, ‘What’s your plan? Who’s on your staff?’ I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have a staff. I wasn’t running until I went on Jay Leno.
There's not much mincing of words; Schwarzenegger responds to the suggestion that he basically failed as governor and sheds light on why he just isn't that damn upset about it:
You have to realize the thing was so much fun! We had a great time! There were times of frustration. There were times of disappointment. But if you want to live rather than just exist, you want the drama. You have to step back and say, ‘I was elected under odd circumstances. And I’m going out in odd circumstances.’ You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a spoiled brat.
To view photos by Art Streiber and read the article in its entirety, click here.
We can't wait for the impending autobiography.