I could be wrong, but as we begin our interview, I'm not sure that Vendor of the Week John Patrick wants to be Vendor of the Week. It's not shyness, I think. To sell the paper -- to sell anything -- requires a gift for gab; John Patrick sells plenty of papers. So I assume he can chew the fat.
But his answers to my questions are mostly monosyllabic, and even when they aren't they're charged with something I can't quite put my finger on -- it's like his words have shadows. ...