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From an interview by Nick Walshaw that appeared in League Week.

[NK] What convinced you to don the red cape and start wearing your underpants on the outside?
[SH] (Laughs) When you've got a body like mine you've got to flaunt it. Superman was always my favourite superhero as a child and in 1978 I decided, as part of my magic act, I would change into Superman in a telephone booth on stage.
[NK] You look like a fairly big unit. How much do you weigh?
[SH] Fifty three kilos... I put knitting needles in my ears so I don't go down the drainpipe. I'm also sponsored by World Vision - I send them my photo and they send me a dollar a week.
[NK] Every super hero has an arch enemy. Who's yours?
[SH] I've had a few run-ins with Prime Possum (the mascot for Prime TV). One day I ran up screaming and he swung around and knocked me on my arse with his tail.
[NK] What about children's TV star Big Dog? You'd towel him wouldn't you?
[SH] (Laughs) I actually spent eight years working with Big Dog every Saturday morning on a kid's television show. That's how all the Newcastle Knights players knew me - they all grew up watching me on TV.
[NK] Have you ever considered enlarging your codpiece like actor George Clooney did in Batman and Robin?
[SH] No, but I keep my wands - which are filled with pyrotechnics - tucked into my trunks.
[NK] Isn't that a bit dangerous?
[SH] (Laughs) Yeah, in 1980 one of my wands went off and blew a big hole in my trunks. I was jumping around everywhere and badly bruised my leg - the crowd thought it was hilarious. That's why I originally put stars on my trunks, to cover up the holes from that accident.
[NK] Are you at the hospital a lot, Super?
[SH] Luckily for me I only live a kilometre from John Hunter Hospital. I've been there quite a few times. I make my own pyrotechnics at home and it can get a bit dangerous when you're tired and not concentrating.
[NK] How close have you come to blowing yourself up?
[SH] One morning I was packing my car at about 1am to leave for a show a couple of hours later. I accidentally let one of the fireworks off and nearly blew my thumb off. (laughs) But I got a few stitches in there, it's perfect now.
[NK] Anything else?
[SH] I was loading up the boot of my chookmobile (Super's stunt car) one night when I accidentally pressed the button on my exploding toilet. I had a heap of fireworks in the boot and there was a chain reaction that lasted for a couple of minutes. Fireworks were flying around, hitting the beams under the house... you could see the dents in the boot from where the 30-pounder went off.
[NK] You're also a famous stuntman. Do you practice any stunts at home?
[SH] ONe time I was practicing this stunt where I was going to climb upside-down up a ladder attached to my car. I had the ladder leaned against the wall of the house and I climbed up about a metre when I fell headfirst into the concrete.
[NK] Another trip to the John Hunter?
[SH] (laughs) My wife came out and thought I'd been painting the house. She bandaged my head, but on the way to the hospital she asked me what I'd done. There's a big roundabout outside John Hunter and she went straight around it when she heard about the stunt and took me home. She said if I wanted to do that, I could drive myself to hospital.
[NK] Tell us about your most embarrassing moment.
[SH] Oh, there's been a few. One time it was raining and I tried to leap from my car onto a stage. The stage was soaked and I slipped on my arse and went sliding across. I collided with the microphone stand and we both skidded off the stage and onto the grass. I don't know how but I didn't hurt myself that time.
[NK] Have you had anything to do with the superhuman talents of Andrew Johns?
[SH] I know 'Johnny' and his brother Matthew really well. Being Cessnock boys, they grew up watching me. (Laughs) I'm sure what I've tried to teach him over the years is rubbing off.



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