REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
Frost/Nixon, Dan Rather/Saddam Hussein even Katie Couric/Sarah Palin are some of the great or exposing interviews in the age of modern media. Supermodel grilling Russian prime minister? Not so much. (Via the Guardian.)
For starters, the only possible thing that the two could have in common is their affinity for Russian Oligarchs (Naomi has been dating the billionaire Vladislav Doronin for over two years.)
Following on the success of her 2008 interview with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, to whom she asked “Do you know the Spice Girls?”, Campbell’s journalistic career has evolved into the realms of the obscure with her resuming the role of inquisitor for GQ Magazine.
(More on TIME.com: Vladimir Putin: Action Figure.)
The Q&A session with Vladimir Putin, which was published in Tuesday’s issue of GQ, avoided pushier subjects such as Mikhail Kodorkovsky, the oil magnate who’s supporters claim was unfairly tried as part of a Kremlin campaign, and the murdered human rights campaigner Natalia Estemirova who was allegedly targeted because of her work.
Instead Campbell opted for lighter lines of inquiry such as bare-knuckle boxing which led to this bizarre exchange: “No, it’s not my sport – since I was 14, I’ve done judo,” he said. “But the bare-knuckle fight I attended was very impressive. These guys are tough. I watched the Russian, French and British teams, and each and every one of these athletes deserves great credit. There are even women who do it.”
(More on TIME.com: Moscow Airport Struck by a Suicide Bomber.)
“Big women?”, asked Campbell.
“Not big, just strong women.”
“I’d like to see one of those.”
NewsFeed cannot independently confirm whether or not Campbell has now seen a strong woman.