DealZone

Clare Baldwin and her colleagues had a big scoop this weekend: An exclusive interview with former Lehman CEO Richard Fuld. Clare flew out to Ketchum, Idaho to interview the man nicknamed “The Gorilla,” where she got some unguarded comments about the Lehman anniversary, not to mention a hug.

It was the hug that caught the attention of New York Magazine’s Intelligencer blog. Their interview with Clare is excerpted below:

Okay, re-create the hugs for me. I want to feel like I am there.
There were two of them. The first one happened on Friday afternoon. We had been talking for about ten minutes. He had been kind of leaning against my car. He reached out to shake my hand, then he just kind of leaned in and gave me a hug.

Like was it a one-armed deal, or a full embrace?
Both arms. It was like a hug.

Was it a pervy hug? Did he press up against you in a gross way at all?
No, no. Not at all. There was no weird dynamic to it at all. I’d been asking him stuff that was personal. It felt natural, though I wasn’t expecting it, certainly.

Did he feel soft, or was he more wiry and muscular?
He’s very fit, and he has a very angular face, you know. But he was wearing soft clothes. A black fleece vest over a long-sleeved underwear top, shorts, and sandals.

Was he wearing socks with the sandals?
No, but he had a sock tan.

Was he scratchy or hairy-feeling at all?
He had a really short haircut, but he wasn’t hairy.

Did he have a scent at all?
Not that I can recall.

Really? Nothing? I suppose you were so shocked you forgot to bury your face in his collarbone and inhale deeply.
Sorry.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Witness: On Dick Fuld’s trail, no dinner but I got hugged

Exclusive: Fuld says being “dumped on” for Lehman failure

The Year Since Lehman: Times of Crisis