JOURNALISTS ON INTERVIEWING FAMOUS PEOPLE

Journalism has become a subject of serious study, judging by the number of schools and colleges offering courses and degrees in media studies. Students now write theses on the Art of Interviewing. We are in something of a mini golden age for the Celebrity interview. Just open any British paper or magazine. In Britain, almost every paper has its star interviewer. The bylines are big, the space generous and the remuneration handsome. Rival papers try to lure away star interviewers, the way they once fought over the Big Columnist or the Voice of Sport, knowing that a good interview, with a good name, sells papers. But who are these interviewers and how do they do it? I spoke to a few of them and found out more.

Lynn Barber told me; “Left to myself, I tend to choose interviewees who are male, older than myself and difficult. I don’t mind if they are vain, egotistical or badly behaved. I avoid nice, sane, straightforward people. My best subjects are the last people on earth you would want to meet at a dinner party. I usually start with a clever, complicated question like ‘You said in one paper in 1996 that blah blah blah, whereas you told a magazine in 2005 blah blah blah.’ This is to let them see that I’ve done my homework, that I’ve made an effort and so should they, and that I won’t be fobbed off with old answers. Then I might go on to some soft questions about childhood, finishing off with a few more provocative observations, carefully worded, such as ‘it seems to me you are very arrogant’, just to get them going.”

For Zoe Heller, each interview is a week’s work; “It does look like a breeze, interviewing one person and taking a week over it. I’ve got faster, but I still write very slowly. I don’t know how people manage without recording the interview. I couldn’t do it. You couldn’t possibly get their exact words. I often send them one of my previous pieces in advance, showing them what they’re in for, what they can expect. If they agree to see me, I expect them to play the game. There is always a dilemma. I fret about upsetting people but at the same time I want to describe them honestly. Quite a few people have been upset. I wouldn’t be interviewed by me. Or by anyone. God, no. I spend a whole week persuading someone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself in a month of Sundays.”

Lastly, Angela Lambert, a very experienced interviewer who makes notes in longhand during the interview. She said; “When I arrive, I usually explain that everything that happens belongs to me, though if they say something is off the record, I won’t write it down. If they are nervous , I’ll say, ‘Look, trust me, otherwise you won’t enjoy it and I won’t enjoy it. If you’re really nervous, I’ll abandon it.’ I have no hidden agenda. If of course they behave badly, and are beastly, I’ll write that down. At the end, I say if they have any regrets, then say it now. They hardly ever take anything back, except trivial things, such as perhaps ‘Don’t mention my brother.’ A great many interviewees mistake intimacy for real friendship. There is reciprocal warmth, which can be very embarrassing, as I’m highly unlikely to see them again. If you are doing an ordinary human interest story, I know that my sympathy will stop the moment the interview is over. They don’t realize that, but I feel guilty. If it’s a so-called celebrity interview, then that doesn’t matter. I don’t feel guilty. They know the ropes.”

As an interviewer myself, I found these journalists’ answers very interesting and got me thinking.

  1. In the introduction, the journalist says that celebrity interviewers
  1. attract more attention than they probably wish to.
  2. are pleased to be regarded as possessing great expertise.
  3. are given considerable prominence in most British papers.
  4. require different skills from other types of journalist.
  1. Lynn Barber says that her approach involves
  1. pointing out contradictions in what interviewees have said previously.
  2. asking only questions that interviewees will have difficulty answering.
  3. making it clear that she does not believe some of what interviewees tell her.
  4. making interviewees who she dislikes believe that she likes them.
  1. What does Zoe Heller say about the people she interviews?
  1. She is glad that they do not have an opportunity to interview her.
  2. Few of them appreciate how much effort she puts into her interviews.
  3. She is less concerned about upsetting some of them than others.
  4. They should not be surprised by what happens when she interviews them.
  1. Angela Lambert dislikes it when interviewees
  1. ask her to leave out minor matters.
  2. think that she genuinely likes them a lot.
  3. accuse her of insincerity.
  4. are too nervous to speak openly.

5. What section or sections of a daily newspaper normally interest you, and why? ______

6. Zoe Heller says “I wouldn’t be interviewed by me. Or by anyone. God, no.” If you had a choice, would you rather be a celebrity interviewer or a celebrity being interviewed? Or neither? Explain your answer. ______

THE BUSINESS OF ‘BLING’

It was a New Orleans rapper named ‘BG’ that first coined the term ‘bling bling’ to describe his taste in (1)______, loud jewellery. Since then, it has certainly not gone (2) ______as a fashion statement. In fact, it has become the byword for a (3)______, extravagant lifestyle. The term is so widespread that it’s even entered English dictionaries. Bling means big money, so it’s hardly (4)______that people are keen on experimenting with bling including the most traditional and (5) ______of jewellery companies. When footballer David Beckham wanted a gift for his wife, he turned to a New York designer. Better known to his clients as ‘Jacob the Jeweller’, he sent a pink diamond ring to Spain so that Beckham could surprise his wife with the (6) ______present. It meant Jacob could add another celebrity to his list of customers.

But he isn’t the only one catering for such high-profile people. Other New York jewellers have a (7)______list that is made up of hip-hop and R&B stars. The value of hip-hop as a music and lifestyle industry is put at a (8)______10 billion dollars annually. As with the world of fashion, hip-hop stars are now joining in and (9) ______creating jewellery lines of their own. And they face fierce competition from those in the rap world. It seems jewellery is much more than a (10) ______accessory. Perhaps the era of bling is only just beginning.

1. FLASH______

2. NOTICE______

3. GLAMOUR______

4. SURPRISE______

5. BROW______

6. EXPECT______

7. CLIENT______

8. STAGGER______

9. FEVER______

10.BASE______