MR. LAUER!
>> MR. ROKER, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
IM HERE WITH SIR RICHARD
BRANSON, BEST KNOWN AS THE
FOUNDER OF THE VIRGIN GROUP, AND
THE GUY WHO IS TRYING TO MAKE
COMMERCIAL SPACE TRAVEL A
REALITY.
HES OUT WITH HIS SECOND
AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
ITS ATTENTION-GRABBING TITLE,
"FINDING MY VIRGINITY." WELCOME BACK.IRGINITY."
WELCOME BACK.
I WANT TO GET TO THE BOOK IN A SECOND.TO GET TO THE BOOK IN A
SECOND.
BUT WE SAW IMAGES OF YOU NOT
LONG AGO AS THE HURRICANES ROARED THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN AND
VIRGIN ISLANDS.
VIRGIN ISLANDS.
YOU HAVE A HOME THERE. WHATS THE STATUS?HERE.
WHATS THE STATUS? >> A LOT OF THE CARIBBEAN HAS
BEEN COMPLETELY DEVASTATED.
INCLUDING NECKER ISLAND. AND WEVE ALL HAD TO TRY TO HELP
THE CARIBBEAN STAND BACK ON ITS
FEET.
FEET.
AND IVE JUST COME FROM WASHINGTON, MET THE WORLD BANK,
IMF, AND WHAT WERE TRYING TO DO
IS GET THE RESOURCES TO TRY TO
GET PEOPLE -- GET PEOPLE UP AND
RUNNING AGAIN.
RUNNING AGAIN.
>> CAN I ASK YOU WHY YOU RODE THE STORM OUT ON THAT ISLAND?
YOU SAY THIS STORM REACHED
CATEGORY 7.
CATEGORY 7.
WHY WERE YOU THERE? YOU WERE IN YOUR WINE CELLAR.
WHY DIDNT YOU GET OFF THE
ISLAND?
>> WE HAD OUR STAFF THERE AND I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BEND I
FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BE
THERE WITH THEM. WE HAVE A LOT OF WILDLIFE
ANIMALS, FLAMINGOS, LIMAS.
THEY NEED TO BE LOOKED AFTER, AS
WELL.
WELL.
AND BUT WE WERE UNLIKE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CARIBBEAN.F
OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CARIBBEAN. YOU KNOW, WE HAD A CONCRETE
BUNKER.
BUNKER.
THEY WERE IN WOODEN HOUSES. >>> ON TO THE BOOK. HOUSES.
>>> ON TO THE BOOK. YOU -- THIS IS THE SECOND TIME
YOUVE DONE THAT.
I THINK THE FIRST AUTOBIOGRAPHY COVERED THE YEARS UP UNTIL 1998.
THIS TAKES US FROM THAT POINT
ON.
ON.
YOURE A NOTETAKER.
IN YOUR DAILY LIFE, YOU SIT DOWN AND YOU WRITE NOTES AT MEETINGS,
AFTER MEETINGS.
AFTER MEETINGS. DID THOSE NOTES COME INTO --
BECOME VERY HANDY WHEN WRITING
THIS?
THIS?
>> ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. I ACTUALLY CANT UNDERSTAND HOW
PEOPLE CAN RUN COMPANIES OR RUN
DEPARTMENTS AND NOT -- YOU KNOW,
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO SOMEBODY AND
THEY MAKE A SUGGESTION, IF YOU
DONT WRITE IT DOWN, ITS GOING
TO DISAPPEAR.
TO DISAPPEAR. >> YOU WRITE ABOUT RISK-TAKING.
AND I THINK WHATS ASTONISHING,
AND YOU ACTUALLY LIST THESE.
YOU SAY THERE ARE ABOUT 75 TIMES
IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU HAD
EXPERIENCES AND GOT INTO
SITUATIONS THAT COULD HAVE COST
YOU YOUR LIFE.
I MEAN, REALLY DICEY THINGS LIKE
HOT AIR BALLOON ACCIDENTS AND
SAILBOATS CRASHING ON TO CORAL
REEFS AND A BIKING ACCIDENT.
WHY DO YOU TAKE THESE RISKS?
WHY DO YOU KEEP TAKING THEM?
>> IM A GREAT BELIEVER IN
SAYING YES.
SAYING YES. AND I FIND THAT LIFE IS THAT
MUCH RICHER IF YOU -- IF
SOMEBODY SAYS YOU COULD BE THE
FIRST TO CROSS THE ATLANTIC IN A
HOT AIR BALLOON, I DONT WANT TO
WATCH SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT.
OR IF SOMEBODY SAYS LETS GO
AROUND THE WORLD IN A BALLOON OR
LETS GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A
BOAT, I WANT TO BE THERE DOING
IT.
IT.
>> YEAH, BUT YOURE ALSO A
FATHER AND A HUSBAND AND A GRANDFATHER. HUSBAND AND A
GRANDFATHER.
DO YOU EVER FEEL GUILTY --
>> YES.
>> YOU DO?
>> BUT MY KIDS AND ARE NOW DOING IT TO ME. KIDS AND ARE NOW DOING
IT TO ME. MY SON JUST CLIMBED THE
MATTERHORN.
MATTERHORN.
WE NOW DO BIG ADVENTURES
TOGETHER.
AND THEYVE GOT KIDS.
AND I THINK AS A FAMILY, WE FEEL
THAT, YOU KNOW, LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULL, AND DO EXTRAORDINARYTO ITS
FULL, AND DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.
THINGS.
IT MAKES FOR A GOOD READ IN THE
BOOK, AS WELL.
>> IT REALLY DOES.
DIDNT YOUR WIFE ONE TIME SAY TO
YOU YOU CAN KEEP TAKING THE
RISKS AS LONG AS THAT ISLAND IS
IN MY NAME?
>> SHES NO FOOL.
>> I LIKE HER.
I REALLY DO.
YOU ALSO AT THE END OF THIS BOOK WRITE SOME -- INCLUDE SOMES BOOK
WRITE SOME -- INCLUDE SOME LETTERS.
LETTERS.
ONE YOU WROTE TO YOUR WIFE, I THINK, RIGHT BEFORE ONE OF THOSE
BALLOON TRIPS.
BALLOON TRIPS.
SOME OTHERS TO YOUR CHILDREN.
ARE YOU GETTING -- AND WEVE TALKED A LOT OVER THE YEARS, AND
YOU NEVER HAVE LIKED THE WORD
"LEGACY."
"LEGACY."
BUT ARE YOU GETTING TO THE STAGE OF YOUR LIFE, SIR RICHARD, WHERE
YOURE THINKING MORE ABOUT IT
PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY?
>> WELL, FORTUNATELY, MY PARENTS
BOTH IN THE 90s -- SO IM
HOPING THERE WILL BE A THIRD
BOOK ONE DAY.
IM AN OPTIMIST, AS WELL. LOOK, I THINK ALL OF US NEED TO
LEAD OUR LIVES SO WE CAN BE --
WHEN WERE ON OUR DEATH BED, CAN
BE PROUD OF THE LIVES WE LEAD.
AND IM DETERMINED WHEN THAT
HAPPENS, I -- I CAN FEEL I CAN
BOW OUT GRACEFULLY.
>> I WANT TO END ON THIS STORY
WEVE BEEN KIND OF TEASING
THROUGHOUT THE MORNING.
YOU POSTED THIS ON A BLOG THIS
MORNING.
THIS IS A FASCINATING STORY.
I CONSIDER YOU TO BE AN
INCREDIBLY SAVVY GUY.
AND YOU NEARLY GOT CONNED OUT OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS RECENTLY.
JUST GIVE ME THE BASICS OF THIS.
>> YEAH.
I GOT A CALL FROM THE MINISTER
OF DEFENSE IN ENGLAND, WHO I KNOW.FENSE IN ENGLAND, WHO I
KNOW.
AND HE SOUNDED LIKE THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE.DED LIKE THE MINISTER
OF DEFENSE. AND HE SAID THAT THE BRITISH
DIPLOMAT HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED, AND
THEY WERE NOT LEGALLY ALLOWED --
THE GOVERNMENT WASNT ALLOWED TO
PUT UP THE MONEY.
SO THEY HAD GONE TO A NUMBER OF
BUSINESSMEN TO SEE WHETHER WE
WOULD PUT UP THE MONEY.
>> AND THEY WOULD PAY YOU BACK.
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD
FIND A WAY TO PAY YOU BACK.
>> AND THEY SAID THEY NEEDED $5
MILLION FROM ME.
NOW, FORTUNATELY, I HAD MANAGED
TO WORK OUT THAT IT WAS A CON.
BUT THEN SUBSEQUENTLY, WHEN I
WAS IN THE BRITISH VIRGIN
ISLANDS, I THINK THE SAME MAN
PHONED SOMEBODY, PRETENDING TO
BE ME.
BE ME. SLIGHT ENGLISH ACCENT OR
WHATEVER, AND HE SAID I WAS
STUCK ON THE ISLAND AND NEEDING
SOME MONEY TO HELP THE LOCAL
PEOPLE AND COULD HE PUT UP $2
MILLION.
MILLION. AND HES A DELIGHTFUL AMERICAN
BUSINESSMAN.
BUSINESSMAN.
HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE -- HIS
NAME DOESNT WANT TO BE KNOWN,
BUT HE PUT UP THE $2 MILLION. AND THATS THE LAST HES SEEN OF
IT.
IT.
AND I THINK WHAT THIS SAYS IS
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN AFFORD -- BUSINESSMEN CAN AFFORD MAYBE TO-
BUSINESSMEN CAN AFFORD MAYBE TO LOSE $2 MILLION.
BUT THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
BEING CONNED EVERY DAY NOW.
I MEAN, THESE -- THE -- ITS
FRIGHTENING.
FRIGHTENING.
IVE COME ACROSS A CLEANING LADY
ON NECKER ISLAND WHO GOT CONNED
OUT OF A FEW HUNDRED POUNDS
THROUGH A SCAM.
SOMEBODY WHO WORKS IN A BAR NEAR NECKER ISLAND, WHO GOT CONNEDEAR
NECKER ISLAND, WHO GOT CONNED OUT OF $1,000.
AND I THINK THE POLICE NEED TO
TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO THIS,
MUCH MORE, SAY, THAN THE WAR ON
DRUGS.
DRUGS.
THEY NEED TO REALLY FOCUS ON THIS AND TRY TO -- AND TRY TO
GET ON TOP OF IT.
>> WELL, AGAIN, BUYER BEWARE.
ITS A GOOD CAUTIONARY TALE
COMING FROM SOMEONE LIKE YOU.