The Joker to Phelps's Ace

Gold medalist Ryan Lochte talks to John Gonzalez about Phelps's fame, scooter stunts, and his new grill.

MJ: You seem to have a great relationship with your biggest rival, Michael Phelps.

RL: We've become really good friends. The amount of stuff that he has to deal with - I honestly don't know how he does it. I give him so much respect for that.

MJ: A few years ago you had to help Michael Phelps escape one rabid fan. What happened there?

RL: This was in Montreal during the 2005 Worlds. We had just gotten off the train, and we were on our way to finals, and the guy had his camera and this whole bag of shit that he wanted Phelps to sign. So he was following us, and the guy kept grabbing Phelps and tugging at his arm. I was like, "Leave him alone." But the guy wouldn't stop. I mean, he was 45...a little shorter than me, but thick - you know, stocky. So I turned to the guy and I was like, "Back the fuck off. I understand you want to talk to Phelps. He's a great swimmer. He's amazing." But we were on our way to finals, you know?

MJ: Phelps is a big star. Would you want that kind of celebrity?

RL: I just don't like the fame. Well, the fame is okay, but the commotion. I mean, it's cool that I'm getting my name out there and that I'm getting in magazines. But I like being me. All that fame, I could care less. If my life were like Phelps's, I'd probably take out my paintball gun and start shooting people. That must be hard. I'm glad that doesn't happen to me.

MJ: Glad you haven't shot anyone with your paintball gun. From what I hear, you do some crazy stuff like that from time to time, though, right?

RL: I'm just a dumbass. There have been a couple of times when I really messed myself up. I was riding on my scooter to practice right before Worlds in Melbourne last year two weeks before I left, and was weaving in and out of the lane at 35 or 40 miles per hour - side to side, real sharp, just messing around. I lost control of it, and I went flying into the bushes. I rolled out into the middle of the street. There was someone mowing their lawn, and they ran over to see if I was all right. I was like, "Uhhh, yeah." I got on my scooter and went home. I didn't have a helmet on, my whole leg was blood, I couldn't walk on my ankle, and my shoulder hurt. I was like, "Oh my god, this is not good." So I went to the doctor immediately, and he said I fractured my ankle. I had scrapes and bruises all over my side. They said I might need a cast. I said, "No, I need to leave in two weeks for Worlds." So they let me go.

MJ: Has your competition schedule or your Olympic goals made you more cautious?

RL: No. I'm not going to stop doing that stuff. All of that stuff makes me who I am. In my head, I feel like I'm going to do whatever I do. If I get hurt, then it's someone saying that it's not meant to be - you're not meant to go to the Olympics. Life is too short to just waste. I try to live my life to the fullest. Sometimes I live it up too much.

MJ: What will it take to win at the Games?

RL: What's important is how you swim the race. If you have extra kicks off the wall it can hurt you. Extra kicks can cost you the race. That's how close it is with the top guys. You have to be technically perfect.

MJ: If you do win, how will you celebrate? Any chance we'll see the rapper's grill that you wore on the podium at last year's World Championships in Melbourne?

RL: I'm working on another one - a new one. The grill that I'm getting for the Olympics has an American flag on it made out of diamonds.