Simple Lives
If I could add them all up, the people I've interviewed in my career number in the many hundreds, maybe a thousand. I don’t know how many people's stories I've collected or how many quotes I've selected.
You'd think interviewing would all boil down to a formula, but it doesn't, at least not for me. Everyone is different; everyone's story is unique.
These days (circa 2012) I do a few interviews in person each week, a few others by phone, and a few others by email. I interview self-published authors for an ebook distributor, starting with a phone interview, followed by a Q&A in email.
That way there's no need to take notes or use a recorder, nor are there any worries about misquoting someone.
Still, even when the structure of an interview falls into a familiar pattern, because you are having a similar conversation to others about similar topics or ideas, the unique ways people see the world and tell their stories reshapes even familiar territory into new terrain.
That's one reason I like being a journalist. Being exposed to multiple perspectives on all kinds of things helps keep me from falling into a rut of unexamined thinking, or descending into the echo chamber of group-think.
At least I hope it does.
It might seem to some that the interviews I used to do of famous and prominent people for bigger publications like Rolling Stone or Salon about weighty topics were more important than my current short blog profiles of startups or ebook authors.
But I don't see it that way. A person's story is their story, whether they are powerful or unknown, whether the narrative seems complex or relatively simple.
And although everyone has a story, relatively few of them get told.
(This essay is from 13 years ago.)
HEADLINES:
Elon Musk attacks Trump's funding bill: 'Disgusting abomination' (ABC)
Elon Musk’s failure in government (Economist)
We are witnessing the suicide of a superpower (Max Boot/WP)
Wall Street Is Sounding the Alarm on U.S. Debt. This Time, It’s Worth Listening. (WSJ)
U.S. growth forecast cut sharply by OECD as Trump tariffs sour global outlook (CNBC)
US job openings rose in April, signaling resilience in the American labor market (AP)
Trump wants to shutter the agency that investigates chemical disasters (WP)
Hurricane season is here. NOAA is in shambles. What could go wrong? (Vox)
Judge rules federal prisons must continue providing hormone therapy to transgender inmates (AP)
What We Get Wrong About Violent Crime (New Yorker)
Republican push for proof of citizenship to vote proves a tough sell in the states (AP)
We finally may be able to rid the world of mosquitoes. But should we? (WP)
Ukraine’s drone attack on warplanes at Russian air bases as deep into the country as Siberia has shocked U.S. military commentators for its sheer audacity. The Security Service of Ukraine claimed Sunday’s so-called Operation Spider’s Web had caused considerable damage to Russia, destroying around one-third of its fleet of air missile carriers, some of which can not be produced again, with damages estimated at $7 billion. [HuffPost]
Ukraine's drone triumph opens window to the future of war (Axios)
Family of Boulder attack suspect are being taken into ICE custody (Colorado Public Radio)
Lee Jae-myung Elected President of South Korea (NYT)
Gaza officials say Israeli forces killed 27 heading to aid site. Israel says it fired near suspects (AP)
U.S. consulting firm quits Gaza humanitarian aid effort amid criticism (WP)
U.S. nuclear deal offer allows Iran to enrich uranium (Axios)
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo executed at least 21 civilians over two days in February in the eastern city of Goma, Human Rights Watch said in a report. (Reuters)
Meta buys a nuclear power plant (more or less) (TechCrunch)
Trump Administration Offers Free At-Home Loyalty Tests (The Onion)
MUSIC VIDEO:
David, your essay reminds me of one I once wrote that began. So-called “interesting people” is not an exclusive club. Anyone can enter because everyone is interesting to someone.
The degree of interest depends on what a person reveals of him or herself, and not of how much he or she shows. A striptease isn’t necessary. All you need to do is take off your shoes and await the results.
The Art of the interview! It requires a certain kind of deep listening and a sensitivity to the ebb and flow. And the discipline to stay silent in the most meaningful reveals. That’s what often inspires the person being interviewed to elaborate, explain, and extend the revelation. I have to remind myself — often — to leave space for that to to happen with the mantra WAIT (Why Am I Talking).