The way it works is the person you're interviewing tells you when they are available. You work around that because they are the subject and you are just the messenger. With Laurie Anderson I said I was unavailable when she was available twice before getting the interview... I still don't believe I did that and that I did finally chat to her.
Anyway, latest thing is with a playwright called Caleb Lewis. He's written a play called Men, Love, And The Monkey Boy. I was to phone him at 10.30am this morning.
12 hours before the phone chat time I was ensconced in a food and wine orgy that was quite Roman. There are still bottles. Empty bottles. Lots of them. But in the back of my mind I knew I had to come up with some questions and sound reasonably intelligent and but in the end what the woo hoo... pass me some more wine you fuckers...
In the wee small hours I ooze through sleep and see this bit of journalistic excellence unfold in my dreams: "Fuck. I know we've only just started, but I've totally run out of questions. Can you just talk for a while please?"
A short time later the Dreaded One wakes me asking, "Was there something you had to get up to do before we go to work?"
"Yer," I droobled through my oozledreams, "but that's ages away... FUCK!"
Anyway, what I did was, I went in nude. I had nothing. I didn't have my usual way too many questions. I freestyled, baby. I just hit the guy's number and when we started talking, I listened. I listened and reacted and I barely looked at the three questions I'd written when drunk the night before prior to crashing out.
I think I got some good stuff and I am looking forward to writing this one up.
And for the first time in many, many months, I spent a day feeling happy. Days like today, I almost feel like I know what I am doing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
You mean, you don't know?? Lee, I look up to you. If you don't know what you're doing, what hope is there for me? ;)
Right, Kat. There will be no looking up to in these parts. I'm too bumbly to have anyone say such things.
But the thing is, as bumbly as I am, sometimes I get stuff right and things work out. And if bumbly fuck-about me can get stuff sorted from time to time, the future surely has to look bright for someone as intelligent and focused as I think you are.
You listened and listened...and that's the important part, that's what made it work, because sometimes, sticking to the script really isn't the right thing to do anyway.
You're right, GG. It was just a bit weird. But it felt right. I wasn't unprepared but it felt like it.
Post a Comment