Method Man: The User's Guide

Name: Clifford Smith. AKA Meth, Mr. Meth, The Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, Hot Nicks, Big John Stud, John John, MZA, Shakwon, Tical, Panty Raider, Iron Lung.

Born: In Staten Island. When? Aw, don't tell 'em my age, man! [Laughs.]

First memory: I can remember all the way back to when I was two years old. I was in my underwear gettin' pushed out of a window. Me and my sisters were just playin' and sh*t. It was a one-story house so gettin' pushed out in the snow ain't much of a big thing.

Biggest thrill as a child: I used to get a Six Million Dollar Man doll for Christmas every goddamn year. But I didn't keep any of my old sh*t. My mother used to jet out on my pops in the middle of the night and take all of us with her - no time to pack up. That's why I don't have any baby pictures.

Favorite subject at school: Science, for a minute. Then I started gettin' into Black History. I was cool until I went to junior high school and started smokin' marijuana and sh*t.

First record bought: Raising Hell by Run-D.M.C. That was the only thing I had to listen to when I moved to Indiana. But one song I heard out there was Ice T's "6 'N the Mornin'." "6 'n the mornin' police at my door/Fresh adidas squeak across the bathroom floor." That sh*t was hot.

First concert attended: Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature and Queen Latifah at Madison Square Garden. Naughty by Nature blew it up that year. They came on before PE and Treach was like an eagle! After Naughty went off there was nothin' anybody could do.

First date: I didn't even get to go on the date. My father gave me some money to take my little girlfriend to a matinee. We wound up not going. I bought her McDonald's. She didn't even eat that sh*t. Shortly after that we broke up.

Last book read: It was a graphic novel, The Watchmen. F*ckin' dope, man. First time I ever read a comic book all the way through and there weren't a lot of action in it and I couldn't put it down. I think they're doing a movie. It's so easy to do. The only guy they would have a problem with is Dr. Manhattan. He does so much sh*t, and that CGI and sh*t costs a lot of f*ckin' money, man.

Last good martial arts movie seen: Zu Warriors. It's playing in Spectravision now in Pay Per View. It's crazy. There's a guy with wings that was shooting sh*t from his wings. That's one of my favorite characters, right there. There's also a big ass f*ckin' head that's just all over the place.

Favorite sandwich: A Reuben, when it's made correctly. I used to get 'em at the Clarendon. That's where Arsenio Hall's guests used to stay in L.A. Now it's so slum, nobody stays there.

Favorite item of clothing: I've been a sneaker fanatic. My favorites are Pro-Keds, the old edition. Not with the two stripes on the side. Three-stripe Royals. They used to call 'em Uptowns.

Previous jobs: I worked at the Statue of Liberty. I started on the counter serving the food. Then I moved up to supervisor. So I was in charge of all these inside clean-up guys. Eventually I got to assistant manager, but this was like years afterwards. That was f*cked up.

Favorite time of day: Between the hours of 12 AM and six in the morning. That's when I'm online or I'm f*ckin' playing video games.

Ideal vacation: I definitely want to stay at Saint-Tropez. I've been to Marseilles, but I've never been to Saint-Tropez. When we first pulled in, I was like, "What is this dirty sh*t?" When we got into the resort and started gettin' deeper into it, I was like, "Oh my God, Jesus Christ. This is a little slice of heaven."

Hobbies: I'm a comic book collector. What am I just reading now? The Ultimates! Anything Ultimate in the Marvel universe, they are killing that sh*t right now. They understand that this isn't a kid's sport anymore.

Ambitions: My biggest obstacle is the media. Everybody's trying to count me out, saying I fell off and went Hollywood. I'm one of the baddest motherf*ckers to ever pick up a motherf*ckin' microphone. Never question my lyrical content. If people look at my sh*t with a close enough eye, they are looking to look at these dudes like "What the hell are you talkin' about? That kid is dope!"

Favorite Madonna record: "Justify my Love." And the one where she's walking down the street with cowboys? "Don't Tell Me"? That one's cool.

Swear word you use too much: F*ck. No, sh*t. I don't say stuff around the kids, but they start pickin' up stuff. They start saying stuff like, "What the heck?" and "Dangit!" I always have to correct 'em.