Brad Norman: The Michigan man
Brad Norman, 64, seems like your run-of-the-mill neighbor. And in many ways he is. He waves to you when you drive by, asks you how you’re doing when you’re grabbing your mail and is as friendly as can be. After interviewing him, though, we actually have a lot in common. All that said, I’ve never had the chance to talk to him during the 10-plus years that he’s lived across from me.
So, on a bright and sunny Tuesday morning, I mustered up the courage to make my way across the street and get to know the real Brad. I was nervous. And after asking him if he wanted to interview, I could tell he was nervous, too. We were strangers after all.
After hesitantly agreeing to interview, we stood by his Dodge Ram truck, birds chirping and cars passing by, and conducted the interview. He wore a 2009 Detroit Red Wings Conference Champions shirt, basketball shorts and flip-flops.
Brad moved out of Michigan and into Florida when he was just five years old. He would go on to move to Georgia for work in 1988. The ice broke immediately when we started talking football and cars, two things that mean a lot to me. Standing in the shadow of his old GTO, Brad shared the stories behind his passions
The Q/A: https://soundcloud.com/chris-collier-784786793/brad-norman-qa
Q: I always notice your Michigan flag. What’s your connection to Michigan?
A: I was born up there in Flint, Michigan. Moved away when I was five, but I got a bigger connection when I started following football in the ‘60s.
Q: Was there one game or one moment that made you gravitate towards them?
A: There was a game that made me gravitate towards them but away from other ones [teams]. It was a 1966, Michigan State-Notre Dame game. Notre Dame was number one and Michigan State was number two and they tied. And I said I could never be a fan of either one of those teams because they tied. In 1968, that’s when Bo Schembechler came and turned Michigan around. I liked the helmets, and I said, “you know, I can follow this team.”
Q: What’s your opinion on the current state of Michigan football?
A: I like it. I think now coach Harbaugh has figured out he can’t run the whole show like he’s been trying to. And he got a good offensive coordinator in there to be an offensive coordinator, not to be a yes-sir man.
Q: When did you make the move to Georgia?
A: Moved here in ’88.
Q: In what ways is Georgia better or worse than Michigan?
A: I like the weather here better. I like the landscape, even though Michigan is beautiful, too.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Georgia?
A: Probably going up 400, and right when you’re almost to Dawsonville, you look out and you get to see the mountains for the first time. You go over a little hill, and right there is the mountains.
Q: I remember seeing an old muscle car in your garage. Can you talk a little bit about what fueled your passion for cars?
A: When I was 17, I graduated from high school, and I had two friends that had — one of them had a ’69 Firebird and one of them had a 57’ Chevy. And you know, I said, “I need to get me a car one of these days.” And I bought a ’65 GTO. I paid $1,000 for a ’65 GTO in 1973.
Q: What are your thoughts on electric cars?
A: You can have ’em because I don’t want ‘em.
Q: Are muscle cars dying?
A: No! Take a look around! Now, it’s normally old folks that own ’em, but you can go down the road, and normally, especially on a Saturday and a Sunday, you’re going to see five or six good, old — you’re going to find ‘em.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Dodge Demon?
A: The right people have to be behind the wheel. When I first got into muscle cars, I would see old guys driving ‘Vettes, and they’re going 12 miles an hour. C’mon now! You’re not supposed to drive those things that way.
