A Guinness Book of World Records aspirant and inventor
Roger Field comes into the room dragging a suitcase behind him. It is the only sensible way to lug around the portfolio of press cuttings he has featured in to date: 707 interviews in publications from 43 countries. Though he once lifted weights with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sean Connery, Field is slightly out of breath from the exertions with the suitcase. Nonetheless, if he wishes to fulfill his aim of entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most profiled person, the heavy black valise will be his companion for quite some time yet. Field was born in Bayswater, London, in 1945 and while he has not been home for nearly a decade, he has retained not only his accent, but also the typical wry humor of a Londoner. After a relatively uneventful childhood, Field was sent to school in Switzerland at the age of 15, where he remained for three years. His parents had often visited the region and knew the school to have an excellent reputation. Yet, the establishment failed to ignite any academic ambition in the young Londoner. Instead, with the encouragement of the school sports teacher, Field developed a passion for physical fitness—a hobby that was to prove useful in his later life. It was not Field senior, who had hoped that his son would take up a career in banking or some other “sensible” profession, but Roger Field’s grandfather, who, recognizing his grandson’s drawing ability and skill with mechanics, suggested he train as an industrial designer. So, aged 19, Field set out for art college in California. During the 5 days spent sailing over to America on the Queen Elizabeth, Field dreamt of what awaited him. Larger-than-life movie actors, such as John Wayne and Burt Lancaster, had defined his image of Americans up to that point, so on arriving in the Golden State, Field was disappointed to discover his peers were no more than “a bunch of pimply kids heavily into drugs.” Though Field tried, he could not identify with them and instead turned to weightlifting as a means of escape. After graduating in 1968 from California College of Arts and Crafts with a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, Field visited his mother, who was living in Munich. Keen to stay in shape, the young graduate searched for a place to work out. And it was at the gym of ex-European bodybuilding champion Reinhard Smolana that Field first heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The young Austrian, already enormously ambitious, was training at Rolf Putzinger’s gym on Schillerstrasse and struggling to learn English so that he could fulfill his dream of becoming a film star in America. When the two met Schwarzenegger offered Field free training in exchange for English tuition. Field recalls the day the two first met; Arnie had just turned 21 and Field 23. “He was wearing a red checked shirt and was huge, bigger than anyone I had ever seen, but gave me his trademark gap-toothed grin.” They soon became firm friends, despite a few disagreements, mainly to do with Schwarzenegger’s driving skills. Field grimaces as he remembers Arnie’s wild driving, then, his face breaking into a smile, recalls “One day Arnie really outdid himself. He was bombing along Leopoldstrasse in his turquoise blue 58 Opel Rekord, screaming his head off and flexing his biceps at passersby, when he suddenly decided to do a U-turn, into the oncoming traffic.” Field, furious at Schwarzenegger for taking such a risk, got out at the next red light and refused to sit in the passenger seat of the car ever again, preferring instead a safe corner in the back. Field also likes to recount the time when he teased the frustrated Schwarzenegger for his inability to say “the” (pronouncing it “durr”). Arnie, a fast learner otherwise, retaliated by saying that Field would amount to nothing, while he was going to be a famous movie star. This memory is one of the things that spurs the mischievous Field on with his aim to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records—in fact, Schwarzenegger receives a copy of every interview Fields gives. If this sounds slightly petty, one must meet Field to discover that it is all done in good humor. The Brit has nothing but good to say about his old buddy. Although he prefers the more subtle acting skills of Sean Connery, he admires his charm and determination, and commended his campaign to be elected governor of California. After his sojourn in Munich, Field returned to California for three years to be with his girlfriend, now wife, Dolores, who was working for the state of California. Once again, however, Field felt he was out of sync with the American lifestyle and decided to move back to Germany and work on his career as an inventor. He lived first in Frankfurt, then Hanover, before settling in Munich, where he perfected his as yet best-known invention: the folding guitar. Field, a keen guitar player, says inspiration for the collapsible instrument struck when he was working on a project designing seats for an airplane and realized that it should be possible to transport a guitar as hand luggage. After discussing his idea with guitarist Chet Atkins he invented a cast aluminum version that folds to fit under an airplane seat and that needs no retuning. Consequently, Field can boast of being the first guitarist to play through the sound barrier on a Concord flight, in 1987. He has also shown the guitar to many well-known musicians, including Carlos Santana, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, who all responded with enthusiasm. Field’s current invention is a new movie camera that will transport film without perforations, thus increasing the width and quality of the picture. He sees this as the only way in which celluloid film can compete with digital technology. Field is planning a trip to Hollywood to secure funding for the project, and will no doubt get a helping hand from his cousin Henry Winkler (best known as Happy Days character “the Fonze”) and perhaps his old friend Arnie. We will be following his career with interest.