A Journalist Wanting Words
In my career I have interviewed Oscar winners and 15-minute pop stars, political heavyweights and hip comedians. Down the wire and in smoke-choked bars, I have filled notebooks with scratchy field recordings. From heroes like Bill Hicks to Serbian warlord villains, I have asked questions, stolen quotes.
More than 20 years of interrogating have given me good technique. I research. I charm. Give me 30 minutes and a couple of drinks and I will always get more than the usual tired procession of recycled anecdotes.
However, I am not used to being the interviewee. Hundreds of hours of professional questioning make it feel uncomfortable when it is time for role reversal. Being grilled on the BBC One O’ Clock News holds none of the terror of meeting an unknown journalist for beers and a personal probing.
Beyond contractual obligations, I do not turn down today’s interview because all that experience means there is too much empathy for a journalist wanting words. Given our career trajectories, Matt and I run deep with respect for regional media, the hard slog of provincial press. Having been there and dealt with too many no-listers with egos the size of planets makes you want to be better.
Come lunch, I stop work. Take a break from writing tomorrow’s speech, walk along the canal to my primary local. Buy a strawberry beer, sit in the pub’s library corner and wait on the journo. The strangeness of speaking to inland Oz via a meeting a hundred yards from my home is not lost on me.
The editor of You Magazine is funny and clever, good at what she does. Almost instantly she has me talking about curries with Matt, the black humour of newsrooms and invocating the Cosmic Joker. Both of us ruminate on God’s penchant for fatal punchlines. She offers up the comforting thought that by writing 1001 Ridiculous Ways To Die, instead of dying in some absurd accident, I have probably guaranteed a death 50 years in the future: “Grandchildren around the hospice bed.”
Bonding over Underbelly leads to questions on canalside life and the Lady Love. They do not get dodged. I bore on the spatial shock and casual splendour of Australia. Drift from stories of my lifelong llama curse to views on religious hubris and the evil of hippos. We discuss the interconnectedness of all action, the loneliness of solo authoring and what Matt and I might write next. The paranoiac bible gets a big thumbs up. I just hope when it gets written up, she uses my words on mayfly days and eating the extra chocolate biscuit.
One of the marks of a good interview is it feels like this one – conversation, not interrogation. At the end of it, I come out respecting and liking my questioner. I am even sufficiently charmed to agree to being photographed on the blue bridge. With my narrowboat neighbours behind me, I look into the massive lens and surprise myself with a smile.
More than 20 years of interrogating have given me good technique. I research. I charm. Give me 30 minutes and a couple of drinks and I will always get more than the usual tired procession of recycled anecdotes.
However, I am not used to being the interviewee. Hundreds of hours of professional questioning make it feel uncomfortable when it is time for role reversal. Being grilled on the BBC One O’ Clock News holds none of the terror of meeting an unknown journalist for beers and a personal probing.
Beyond contractual obligations, I do not turn down today’s interview because all that experience means there is too much empathy for a journalist wanting words. Given our career trajectories, Matt and I run deep with respect for regional media, the hard slog of provincial press. Having been there and dealt with too many no-listers with egos the size of planets makes you want to be better.
Come lunch, I stop work. Take a break from writing tomorrow’s speech, walk along the canal to my primary local. Buy a strawberry beer, sit in the pub’s library corner and wait on the journo. The strangeness of speaking to inland Oz via a meeting a hundred yards from my home is not lost on me.
The editor of You Magazine is funny and clever, good at what she does. Almost instantly she has me talking about curries with Matt, the black humour of newsrooms and invocating the Cosmic Joker. Both of us ruminate on God’s penchant for fatal punchlines. She offers up the comforting thought that by writing 1001 Ridiculous Ways To Die, instead of dying in some absurd accident, I have probably guaranteed a death 50 years in the future: “Grandchildren around the hospice bed.”
Bonding over Underbelly leads to questions on canalside life and the Lady Love. They do not get dodged. I bore on the spatial shock and casual splendour of Australia. Drift from stories of my lifelong llama curse to views on religious hubris and the evil of hippos. We discuss the interconnectedness of all action, the loneliness of solo authoring and what Matt and I might write next. The paranoiac bible gets a big thumbs up. I just hope when it gets written up, she uses my words on mayfly days and eating the extra chocolate biscuit.
One of the marks of a good interview is it feels like this one – conversation, not interrogation. At the end of it, I come out respecting and liking my questioner. I am even sufficiently charmed to agree to being photographed on the blue bridge. With my narrowboat neighbours behind me, I look into the massive lens and surprise myself with a smile.
Labels: 1001 Ridiculous Ways To Die, Australia, Bill Hicks, Matt Adams, Publicity
posted by David at 10:35 PM
11 Comments:
Wow, that sounded like a wonderful, insightful time. It would be nice if you could post the photo they took of you-I bet you look good!
GM – Well the threat of an Albanian Mafiya death is receding and in terms of security, I am starting to worry more about stalkers than being sent industrial acid in the post, but I still feel a little queasy about posting new photos. Besides, I never look good when captured on camera and even my Myspace and Facebook pages are short on photographic evidence.
Why are hippos evil?
You will have to read the book to understand, but we record several instances of hippo evil from the death of the Pharaoh Hor-Aka in the 30th century BCE to the death of James Ngobeni’s death in 2008. I should probably point out that Mr. Adams does not necessarily share my views on the excrement eating, cannibalistic and human killing machines that hippos clearly are. Then again, I do not expect many people share the Southwell line on what constitute bastard beasts.
I received the book yesterday. :)
Sounds like a good interview.
Yes, a good interview is like a conversation with an old friend. I hope she doesn't screw you over! Not all journalists are as ethical as you.
David two words Stockholm Syndrome ;)
Well now I'm snookered. How can I write a searingly deadly expose on the strange canal underworldish life of David Southwell . . . now that he's been so nice about my provincial hackness?
Especially after I got lost trying to find the pub (and I'm usually pretty good at finding pubs) and David had to give directions and then wait. Plus he bought the drinks! Seriously, if there's a view out there that this man is anything other than a complete gentleman, I've no choice but to shoot it down like a zeppelin caught in the crossfire on cracker night.
Thank you David. I had a lovely afternoon.
PS. For anyone wondering, the pics are delightful - putting paid to David's cliams he's got a horror mug.
Ahhh I had the same thought as Mirk :)
But then I read Ms Greenwood's comment and I udnerstood from her words how good a time you both had together, during something which often becomes an unconfortable occasion (from what I hear; of course I have never been interviewed).
One thing that I can never forget is the fact that you David interviewed Bill Hicks: I love that man, his wit. I think I would have made a fool of myself had I been in your place.
Now that sounds like a very pleasant afternoon. Conversation is a satisfying beast.
Puss
:-)
I prefer to be on the other end too. I've only been lucky enough to do it for the camera once or twice, but got paid the compliment by an old interviewee, that I'd got the most interesting questions out of him! That was nice.. He's done many an interview.
Can't wait to get the book!!!
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