With the passing of Bill Husted, we are reposting this interview from 2002.
Everybody knows Bill Husted. He’s the gossip columnist for the Denver Post, FOX 31’s entertainment reporter and a general man about town. If you’re like most people, the first thing you do when you open the Post each morning is turn to Bill’s column on page 2 to find out what’s happening. Usually, you get a good chuckle in the process. The 2 million daily Denver Post readers know him to be droll and witty, yet what many don’t know is that he’s actually a shy guy.
Growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a family of "big newspaper people," Bill says, “I got an early start. My father had 10 newspapers delivered to our house every day." After graduating from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, he settled in Crested Butte, where he opened a bar and began writing columns for the Crested Butte Pilot in 1978.
In 1983, Bill moved to Denver and started freelancing for Electricity, the now defunct society magazine, and the Rocky Mountain News. At the News, he was quickly promoted from reviewing comedy acts and writing the nightlife column, to full-time society columnist and, a few years later, to gossip columnist. In 1996, Bill moved to the Post, where he remains and thrives today. His column appears three days a week, and “Dish,” his restaurant column, appears every Friday.
Bill also covered various beats on air for both Channel 9 and Channel 4 before landing at FOX 31 in the summer of 2000. You can still find him there five nights a week, bringing viewers the inside scoop on local entertainment. And when he’s not on the air, he’s probably out on the town. Bill lives with his beloved Jack Russell, Marge, in Cherry Creek, which he finds conveniently located next to Campo Di Fiori, his favorite place for a martini.
Favorite Clothing Stores: Saks, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers
What gives a man style: The woman he's with - hopefully.
Favorite Restaurant: Mizuna, del Frisco's.
Who is the most interesting celebrity you ever met? Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes).
If your life were a movie, who would play your part? William Hurt or Werner Klemperer.
Saturdays are likely to find you: Recovering from Fridays.
Where can you be found at midnight Saurday night? Campo di Fiori or Déjà vu
Do you have any pets? A Jack Russell named Marge
When you move, what will your home tell its next owner about you? I smoke cigars. I like red wine. And sometimes Marge is a baaaad girl.
What one word describes you best? Humble.
What word would you like others to use to describe you? Incomparable.
What was your first job? Leg-breaker for the Teamsters.
What word or statement do you use too much? "I'll have what she's having."
What is your greatest indulgence? New York strip covered with Gorgonzola cheese, plus a baked potato slathered in sour cream. (With a side of bacon.)
What is your second greatest indulgence? Good bottle of wine
When and where were you happiest? 1976, Kenyan Coast, a town called Watamu
Which talent would you most like to have? Cranking out best-selling novels.
What is your current state of mind? Managing gracefully.
What is your most treasured possession? My liver.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Heartbroken, hung over, alone in a South Beach hotel room on New Year's Eve, waiting for the pizza guy to show up.
What is your favorite occupation? Newspaperman.
What is the quality you most like in a man? Loyalty.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Fidelity
Who are your favorite writers? Old Masters: Somerset Maugham, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Mitchell; New Kids: Nick Hornby, Richard Russo.
What is your favorite book? Out of Africa.
What is your motto? Love is a Rat Hole
What is your favorite quote? [The last line from The Sun Also Rises]: "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
