So, You Want To Interview Celebrities?

In charting the vast sea of talented individuals on a daily basis (BTW, I am also an entertainment writer), I have had my share of run-ins with a wide variety of ocean dwellers ranging from the commonplace tuna, plankton and algae to the mythical and ever-elusive cryptids — you know, sea serpents, giant sharks and squids, and glow-y things with huge eyes on long stalks! And since nobody ever asks what it’s like to prepare for an encounter . . . I figured I’d tell you!

It’s a lot like doing a research paper and cramming for a final at the same time! Yeah, you might think it’s all excitement and glam, thrills and posh, but, uhm . . . no! This is work. Or at least, I make it work. Maybe for other writers, not so much?

My philosophy: If I’m going to be out there alone, treading water in an ocean of unfathomable depths that is swarming (do fish swarm?) with myriads of unpredictable creatures, I want to know everything I possibly can about what’s circling beneath my feet.

So, I study the music, watch the movies, view the clips on YouTube, read other interviews, check for blogs, etc. Anything and everything I can think of, I do. In fact, sometimes I’ll even read the bio (shocker?!) — believe it or not, bio’s can be (and often are) filled with hype and inaccuracies, so I typically read them as a last, desperate measure.

This process can take hours or days depending on how much material is out there. Even after I am completely saturated with facts (and gossip), I still do the panicked hour-before re-skim over everything, just to be sure I didn’t overlook something.

What don’t I do? I don’t make a list of questions. Oh, I have questions, but I don’t write them down beforehand. Have you ever noticed how impossible it is to sound natural when reading a question? And, sounding natural is essential in my book (or blog, I guess) of “How To Interview.” What I do have scattered in front of me are pages and pages filled with observations, comments, notes, and random thoughts . . . but not questions. I know I’m in the minority with this, but if I have to start asking questions during an interview, that means the interview is tanking. You know, epic fail!

Oh yeah, one last thing (for now): Don’t focus on details. Why not? That can come across as CREEPY. Details are for the interviewee to provide, not the interviewer to already know — even if you do. A general, overall grasp of who they are and what they’ve accomplished coupled with a GENUINE interest in who they are, what they’ve accomplished . . . and why they do what they do usually is the key.

Now get out there and start interviewing!