Barrie McKay's first ever interview wasn't exactly chapter and verse.
In the mouth of the tunnel at Balmoor, it wasn’t just the glare of the Peterhead sunshine that made him screw up his eyes.
At 17, he was thrust into the media spotlight by Rangers after the club’s maiden match in Scotland’s bottom tier.
McKay had just scored for Ally McCoist’s side in a less-than-impressive 2-2 draw.
And even yours truly - along with other reporters - could barely get a sentence out of the shy teenager.
We both remember it well.
“I’d never done any interviews before,” he says.
“We’d never had any media training. At school, you don’t get taught to talk in front of a camera or answer random questions from strangers.
“You don’t learn that stuff so it was daunting.
“I had to watch what I was saying. Especially as a young boy, if you say the wrong thing - you’re finished!
“But being thrown in at the deep end like that probably helped me in the long term.”
And it has. Because since then, McKay's story has been one of intrigue.
Naturally in that time, he has matured both on and off the pitch.
A four year stint in England, at Nottingham Forest and Swansea City - far more so than the previous five at Ibrox - helped with that.
But at 27, there’s now an assurance in how the winger speaks.
He’s opinionated on the game itself, as well as his own performances and how he’s perceived by others.
Perception, in fact, is one of the key subjects this time around.
Currently, McKay is in top form at Hearts, prompting calls for international recognition.
His goal against Livingston at Tynecastle last week was a thing of beauty.
A delicious volley, executed almost in slow motion, which left opposition gaffer David Martindale in awe afterwards.
Anyone who has watched McKay closely will know that, technically, there are few better Scottish players anywhere.
But it’s that age old question with flair players. Can he do the other side of the game? And maybe more importantly, does he need to?
McKay told MailSport : “I don’t think I’ve ever changed the way I’ve played. Although, I’ve probably had managers who wanted me to.
“But I’m 27. I’m not going to change now. The way I play will be for one manager, but not for another.
“That’s just the way it is.
“Some managers like players who are really busy and out there. But Hearts allow me to be myself.
“I’m pretty quiet around the training ground and I just get on with my business.
“The manager lets me express myself at training and in games.
“He’s never said they need me to be louder or to do certain things. They just tell me to be me.
“People talk about tracking back. I’ve always tracked back.
"The only time I haven’t was under Mark Warburton in the Scottish Championship.
“That was just the way we played at Rangers then, I stayed up the pitch.
“But I do my defensive duties now. It’s just because of my nature that people think I’m lazy.
“Because I don’t sprint like crazy, a perception gets built up.
“Maybe it’s down to my running style or whatever.
“But there was a stat out recently where I was fourth top in the Premiership for winning the ball back high up the pitch.
“If you say that to 99 percent of people about me, they’d say it wasn’t true because I don’t defend.
“But that shows that I do. And I wouldn’t be playing if I didn’t.”
Right now, McKay is one of the first names on Robbie Neilson’s team sheet as the Jambos romp to third in the league and gear up for a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs.
His man of the match awards are piling up. He’s playing with a swagger and a level of composure that makes him a joy to watch.
So why didn’t he hit it off in England? Or did he?
McKay grew up fast at Forest when he left Rangers in 2017. He’s a far better player now than he was then.
And he says - at times - he played as well down the road as he is right now.
McKay said: “When I was in England, I played like this. But no-one talks about it, especially up here.
“Nobody really sees it. But you play well down there for three or four games and all of a sudden, you’re not in the team.
“A manager wants to give you a rest or change things up. You come back in but know that as soon as you mess up, you’ll be out.
“When I went to Forest, I was with Warburton so he knew who I was. I was flying.
“But a new manager came in (Aitor Karanka) and the first thing he thinks is: ‘I didn’t sign him so it’s easy to leave him out’.
“That kind of thing has gone against me.
“I don’t think I’ve gone a full season yet with the same gaffer. When that’s the case, you’re fighting a losing battle.
“It’s very rare that any two managers will play the same style.
“People will say it didn’t work out for me in England but I still played over 50 games in the Championship.
“I’m a pretty chilled person, I don’t ever get too high or too low.
“The same people who praise me now will probably put me down again next week.
“When I came back, people were saying I failed down south and that’s why I was at Hearts.
“They probably thought I wouldn’t be any good.
“But the same ones are now saying I’ve done well. People are entitled to their opinions.
“But in football those opinions change very quickly, depending on what game they’ve watched.”
When McKay isn’t playing for the Jambos, he’s either in the gym or playing golf.
If he was any more laid back, he’d be horizontal.
There’s a humility about him, which he’s had since fearing his career might be over due to a hip injury as a 16-year-old at Kilmarnock.
But it’s also because he’s now happy and settled in Gorgie.
And playing for a manager who has total belief in him.
He said: “Half the battle in football is enjoying it. And I’m enjoying it right now.
“People forget that I was a kid when I played in Scotland the first time.
“When I broke through I was only 17.
“I only played four seasons at Rangers before I left. So I’m a lot more mature now.
“I’ve been knocked down, I’ve experienced different managers, different sides of the game.
“But because of what happened when I was young at Kilmarnock, I never get too down about football.
“I know how easily it can be taken away from you.
“Since coming back to join Hearts, they’ve basically said: ‘We know what you can do. Do what you want on the pitch to get the best out of you’.
“I’ve enjoyed that. Where I am now, I’ve got freedom to play my own game and not try to be something else.
“The boys have bought into how I play. If we lose it, we’ll get it back and I can do my thing again.
“They’re always looking for me to let me express myself.”
Whether it’s on the pitch or in interviews, McKay is certainly doing that.
