CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Would you like to listen to Steve Smith talk for 45 minutes by candlelight?
That's what a crowd of about 250 people at the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club did Friday, when the former NFL wide receiver's appearance went on as scheduled in Charlotte despite weather-related complications from the previous day's storms.
A power outage meant the banquet room at Carmel Country Club was shrouded in darkness. Someone found enough batteries to power up a single microphone.
One microphone has always been enough, though, whenever Smith has been in the mood to talk.
A Panther from 2001-13, a member of Carolina's Hall of Honor and now an analyst for the NFL Network, Smith remains fascinating, talented, prickly and _ at least for my money _ the best player in franchise history and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
For a rapt audience, Smith answered questions from emcee and former Carolina teammate Kevin Donnalley and from several Panthers fans.
I've heard Smith, 40, give dozens of interviews over the past two decades. But much of this still sounded new, like:
_ Smith's view of the difference between Cam Newton and Jake Delhomme.
_ Why Smith won't go to Las Vegas to cover this year's NFL draft.
_ How his humble origins inspired the Steve Smith Family Foundation, which concentrates on helping victims of domestic violence.
_ Why the wide receiver used to try to convince his coaches to substitute Jonathan Stewart into Carolina games to replace DeAngelo Williams.
_ Why he still praises former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a man whose #MeToo legacy has tarnished the team's founder in the minds of many.
"I'm a very transparent and blunt person," Smith said at one point before launching into another story.
Later, Smith was describing his love for his adopted hometown of Charlotte and how it differs from the poverty-stricken neighborhood where he grew up in Los Angeles.
"Charlotte is a nice, smiley-face city," Smith said. "I'm a sweatpants, pack-a-pistol kind of dude."
To laughter from the audience, Smith added about the pistol he had referenced: "It's legal, though... I've got it registered."
One note: The media wasn't alerted to Smith's appearance. But The Observer is a longtime member of the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club, so I was able to attend Smith's talk.
Smith realized I was in the audience taking notes, and mentioned that fact several times while he was at the microphone. So he knew this wasn't a secret talk _ even though the semi-darkness, coupled with Smith's level of honesty, sometimes made it feel like it was.
Let's get right to Smith's most interesting quotes, lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
