Azaran on 23/3/2018 at 01:12

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Finally found (https://web.archive.org/web/20080105151447/http://archive.gamespy.com/interviews/october00/garrett/) this gem again in the depths of Cyberspace. An interview with the man himself

GameSpy chats with Garrett, the main man behind the Thief series from now defunct Looking Glass Studios.
By - Matt "Kindrak" Chandronait

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Terri Brosius, formerly of Looking Glass Studios and now with Ion Storm, for tracking Garrett down at one of his obscure hideouts.


GameSpy: Why don't you wear softer boots? It really seems odd that you'd wear footwear which creates really loud clicking and clanging sounds on tile and metal. What are those boots made out of anyway? Are they some kind of cursed "boots of extra noise making?" Is that why you haven't taken them off yet? I mean, hell, I have a pair of bunny slippers you can borrow if you're short on funds or something.

Garrett: I ...liberated these boots from the over-stuffed closet of a wealthy merchant. They're the best I've ever seen. They're light enough not to slow me down, yet sturdy enough to protect my feet from harm. As for the bunny slippers, if there were anything of yours worth having, taffer, I would have taken it by now.

GameSpy: What's so complicated about electric lights? All you have to do is twist the bulb...

Garrett: I'm a thief, not a Hammerite. If you're so curious about how lights work, you should apprentice for a year or two with someone who understands their secrets.

GameSpy: What's it feel like to save the world? Twice?

Garrett: I never asked to save the world, once, twice, or otherwise. It's just how things worked out. Anyway I'm not the kind of guy who talks about his feelings.

GameSpy: Does anyone consider you a hero yet? I would think you'd at least have a few corporate sponsorships by now.


Garrett: What's a corporate sponsorship? If it's a sea vessel then you can keep it. I prefer to travel by land.

GameSpy: As the foremost of all taffers, what advice would you give to a young taffer who's just started his career in taffing?

Garrett: I usually don't give advice, and I don't consider myself a taffer, but I guess I'd just say this: kids, if I had a coin for every time someone told me to 'quit taffing about' well, I'd have a whole lot of coins.

GameSpy: What kind of music do you like? The music that seems to follow you everywhere is always kind of ominous--you always seemed more of a "The Cure" type rather than a distinctly ominous kind of fellow.

Garrett: What music that follows me around? I tried to pluck a harp once. It made a sound, but I wouldn't call it music. By "The Cure" I assume you mean healing potions. I always try to carry as many with me as possible. Unfortunately they're hard to come by.



GameSpy: After drinking an invisibility potion have you ever tried to sneak into a girls' locker room? C'mon, be honest...

Garrett: What part of the word "thief" don't you understand, you strange voyeuristic interviewer? Besides, those invisibility potions wear off faster than you'd think.

GameSpy: Zombies; misunderstood secondary form of life or ghoulish fiends of pus and decay that must be destroyed before they eat us all?

Garrett: Ghoulish fiends, but slow as molasses and twice as stupid. I say just avoid them.

GameSpy: What's up with high priests of wack-o cults rising to power and preeminence in your city? You'd think that just ONCE someone would raise a hand and say "Whoa... wait a minute - this guy's a total loon!" But no! Everyone just worships them and their unholy machines until some god or other power takes it upon themselves to destroy existence as we know it. Sheep! All sheep! They probably DESERVE the horrible slaughter and painful, torturous demises you have prevented them from experiencing. Hell, move somewhere else! This city obviously doesn't deserve your (somewhat unwilling) protection!

Garrett: And I thought I was the cynic. Lately I've had to admit that there is something very wrong in The City--dark forces maneuvering all of us towards a shadowy future. Those books the Keepers have, maybe they can help.

GameSpy: Beer or wine?


Garrett: Thieves don't let thieves burgle drunk. I did have a brandy once, but someone else was buying. Anyway, I prefer my payment in cash, not liquor�

GameSpy: Can I have a vine arrow? Those things are really cool.

Garrett: Sure. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse on Hyde Street tomorrow night. Wear your valuables tied to your belt where I can see them. I'm not sure I have any vine arrows right now, but I have other types of arrows you may find�interesting. I'm confident the exchange will be profitable.

GameSpy: The Keepers are still quite a mystery to those of us who have heard the tales of your adventures. Do you have any insights as to their purpose? They seem uncannily interested in you--is this merely because they wish you to re-join their ranks or do you think they may see you as a threat?

Garrett: If the Keepers saw me as a threat I have a feeling I'd be dead by now. Let's just say they'd make formidable enemies. As for them being particularly interested in me, you forget they keep tabs on everything and everyone.

GameSpy: How long were you with the Keepers? Can you give any details as to the training of those they take into their fold?

Garrett: I left the Keepers when I was still just an acolyte--so my training wasn't complete. They taught me how to read and write, and I had begun to learn about the their secret Glyph language. They taught me how to remain hidden unless I wanted to be seen, and other skills I've found useful in my...occupation.

GameSpy: One last question about the Keepers--do you believe you are truly free of them? They seem to have an unusual ability to control events from within the shadows and their seemingly outrageous prophecies have held some muster recently.

Garrett: I won't be free of the Keepers until they decide I'm no longer useful to them. Recent events have convinced me that I may have underestimated the Keepers and their Books of Prophecy. I won't make the same mistake twice.

GameSpy: Do you think the city is at last completely rid of the more horrific influences of the Hammerites and the Mechanists and their ilk?

Garrett: Hammerites are fanatics, and fanatics make unreliable friends, but don't blame them for what the Mechanists tried to do. And, no, I don't think The City is completely rid of danger.

GameSpy: Somewhat tied into the last question--have you ever thought of moving to a burg with less intrigue and less threat to your life?

Garrett: This is my only home.

GameSpy: Though it is common knowledge that you are reluctant to speak of your past--was there a time before you became what is commonly known as a "gutter-snipe?" Do you, in fact, remember your early childhood?

Garrett: I don't have clear memories of childhood. I remember being hungry and trying to avoid the Hammerites.

GameSpy: How old are you? No one has, it seems, every been able to gauge your age accurately.

Garrett: I don't remember my parents at all and I don't know how old I was when I began my training with the Keepers. I guess I never think about my age.

GameSpy: As an outsider, it would seem you would be the person to ask what has transpired in the city of late. Has a new power structure set in? Does the citizenry even realize how close they came to destruction?

Garrett: I'd describe the situation as more of a power vacuum. The word may have spread to the citizenry by now, but that's not my concern.

GameSpy: What of the Pagans? Have they floundered without Viktoria's direction and influence?

Garrett: I don't know. I haven't paid them a visit. Anyway, I doubt they'd be happy to see me.

GameSpy: When do you think you will be able to retire? Perhaps a better way to phrase the question is: will you retire?


Garrett: I used to think about big jobs--the kind that would pay off enough to retire in comfort. But lately I'm not sure if what I do is a job or a way of life, and I don't know if I can live any other way. Besides, it's the only job I'm qualified to do.

GameSpy: In further reference to your abilities--it is said you have an almost mystical way of blending into your surroundings. Is this merely a very intellectual and skillful use of shadows and stealth, or are the rumors true that you are in possession of magics that give you a supernatural advantage?

Garrett: There may be Keepers with supernatural powers or magics, but if so, I never had access to these secrets. My training has made me highly skilled, not supernatural, and is enough for most situations. There are times when I've used an invisibility potion, moss arrow, or other tool to give me an advantage, but these things cost money and are hard to come by. It's possible these items might seem magical to those unfamiliar with the tools of the trade.

GameSpy: Lastly, what is the most valuable thing you have ever taken? Monetary value need not be the primary factor.

Garrett: This is a hard question to answer. I've stolen items that have changed the fate of The City or saved my life when I was in a pinch. Some of these items aren't worth much money, but I wouldn't be here to answer your questions if I hadn't liberated them from their previous owners.