A dear friend and bibiophile once asked me what the difference is between writing for English and writing for journalism. A new but certainly bound to be dear friend asked a similar question, but in regards to music criticism vs. medical journalism. I can answer both those queries in the same way - ya gotta talk to folks!
Granted, I dabbled a bit with interviews when I was working with Echo Empire, a publicity agency from London that promoted a wide spectrum of bands and artists. But when I was asked to interview Black Light Dinner Party in September, i.e after barely a month into grad school, I was already 10x more confident than I was with any previous Skype interview.
How? Well, the number one key to success is: get yrself a damn recorder. And, better still, a good one. Just knowing that you'll have a record of your interview at the end of it all is always reassuring. My recorder's an Olympus DM-620 and cost about $90 at Best Buy. (Yes, you can probably get it cheaper online.) It was very simple to learn, has multiple folders to store and organize clips, and catches sound REALLY well. Still, no matter how simple a recorder may be - once you've found one, play with it. Record little notes for yourself, experiment with distances, and especially figure out how to replace the batteries. Trust me, you'll want to know these things now instead of during thee interview!
When I didn't have a handheld, I trusted my computer to record Skype interviews - and, because I didn't test a certain program, I totally lost an hour-long dialogue with some bright and chatty musicians! Later, I used GarageBand - and it worked, except for the awkward moments when it stopped. So, in general, don't trust computers. Recording audio really taxes your computer's memory, and unless it's a real workhorse of a machine, you will run into issues.
The second key is to map out your questions. Now, one of our textbooks last semester discouraged writing out exact queries. If you're like me, though, a first-time encounter with someone very important to your story can be nerve-wracking, and many (if not all) of the clever questions you may have whipped up in your head will inevitably flutter away when you open your mouth. Your questions - your map, I'll call it - remind you what's most important to your story. Bear in mind, though, that your subject could say something that piques your interest (or slips over your head - so true with medical/scientist types), and you'll want to drive off the map a sec and ask about it. But don't lose sight of the story.
I did, when I tried to cobble together something about the potential (lack of) health risk that pit bulls might pose to Morgan County citizens, and thought I could include the shocking case of animal hoarding that the lady at Animal Control told me. Well, that story sucked, because it lacked focus. So I'm just gonna bury that one.
Those first two keys unlock the door to the biggest secret about interviewing - shut up and LISTEN. That means eye contact. No fiddlin' with the iPhone, please. I do wonder sometimes if the younger generation's attention is rapidly diminishing, or if they just don't understand how AGGRAVATING it is to try and talk to someone with their head bowed to a bright screen. I saw this happen today during a talk with Jessica Handler - an undergrad asked Handler a question, then ducked her head toward her iPad while the author explained her answer. Handler handled (ha) it well, but I'd be peeved.
Anywho, ehen you're not fretting over the recorder, and not stumbling for your next question, you can sit back and relax. And that's how you get the best interviews. I chatted for well over an hour with George McCauley (mega accomplished potter) - because I had confidence in my recorder, a well-defined map, and the patience and eagerness to hear him out. Honestly, I think that's what I do best in life - listening. Hence, the music writing gig.
So, next we'll talk about the two conferences I went to - the Obesity conference in Atlanta, and the AHCJ conference in Denver - and what a total greenie learned from both experiences.
Granted, I dabbled a bit with interviews when I was working with Echo Empire, a publicity agency from London that promoted a wide spectrum of bands and artists. But when I was asked to interview Black Light Dinner Party in September, i.e after barely a month into grad school, I was already 10x more confident than I was with any previous Skype interview.
How? Well, the number one key to success is: get yrself a damn recorder. And, better still, a good one. Just knowing that you'll have a record of your interview at the end of it all is always reassuring. My recorder's an Olympus DM-620 and cost about $90 at Best Buy. (Yes, you can probably get it cheaper online.) It was very simple to learn, has multiple folders to store and organize clips, and catches sound REALLY well. Still, no matter how simple a recorder may be - once you've found one, play with it. Record little notes for yourself, experiment with distances, and especially figure out how to replace the batteries. Trust me, you'll want to know these things now instead of during thee interview!
When I didn't have a handheld, I trusted my computer to record Skype interviews - and, because I didn't test a certain program, I totally lost an hour-long dialogue with some bright and chatty musicians! Later, I used GarageBand - and it worked, except for the awkward moments when it stopped. So, in general, don't trust computers. Recording audio really taxes your computer's memory, and unless it's a real workhorse of a machine, you will run into issues.
The second key is to map out your questions. Now, one of our textbooks last semester discouraged writing out exact queries. If you're like me, though, a first-time encounter with someone very important to your story can be nerve-wracking, and many (if not all) of the clever questions you may have whipped up in your head will inevitably flutter away when you open your mouth. Your questions - your map, I'll call it - remind you what's most important to your story. Bear in mind, though, that your subject could say something that piques your interest (or slips over your head - so true with medical/scientist types), and you'll want to drive off the map a sec and ask about it. But don't lose sight of the story.
I did, when I tried to cobble together something about the potential (lack of) health risk that pit bulls might pose to Morgan County citizens, and thought I could include the shocking case of animal hoarding that the lady at Animal Control told me. Well, that story sucked, because it lacked focus. So I'm just gonna bury that one.
Those first two keys unlock the door to the biggest secret about interviewing - shut up and LISTEN. That means eye contact. No fiddlin' with the iPhone, please. I do wonder sometimes if the younger generation's attention is rapidly diminishing, or if they just don't understand how AGGRAVATING it is to try and talk to someone with their head bowed to a bright screen. I saw this happen today during a talk with Jessica Handler - an undergrad asked Handler a question, then ducked her head toward her iPad while the author explained her answer. Handler handled (ha) it well, but I'd be peeved.
Anywho, ehen you're not fretting over the recorder, and not stumbling for your next question, you can sit back and relax. And that's how you get the best interviews. I chatted for well over an hour with George McCauley (mega accomplished potter) - because I had confidence in my recorder, a well-defined map, and the patience and eagerness to hear him out. Honestly, I think that's what I do best in life - listening. Hence, the music writing gig.
So, next we'll talk about the two conferences I went to - the Obesity conference in Atlanta, and the AHCJ conference in Denver - and what a total greenie learned from both experiences.