Interviewing

Brian Moore writing on sport in The Daily Telegraph today comments on the poor quality of sports' interviewers. They make statements and wait for the interviewee to say he agrees. He mentions how Parky, "the doyen of TV interviewers" was so good at his job; he says how Parky would often wait in silence for the guest to elaborate on what he had said in answer to a question - "he often received the most interesting revelations" with this technique.
I was once asked by a features editor to interview a famous comedian whose show I had reviewed flatteringly.
I said: "I'm sorry but I've never interviewed anyone before."
He said: "Just ask him a question and he'll start talking and won't stop."
Which I did. Then the comic got out the drinks and so we drank rather than talked.
The piece I wrote was not published.
One of my favourite interviews I saw on TV was Parky again with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice after the opening of their show "Evita".
Michael Parkinson said: "Bernard Levin saw your show and wrote, I quote: ' I have never spent a more miserable evening in or out of a theatre.' "
"Well, that's just his opinion.... everybody else has liked it... Etc" from Rice.
"No," said Parky, persisting: "In or out of a theatre!"
I can't remember how it all ended, probably because I was laughing too much.
One of the best interviewees was Clement Atlee. He'd be asked a question, then he'd puff on his pipe a while, then say "Yes", or "No". Nothing else. You could feel the tension in the interviewer as he struggled to dig up more questions.
One that amused me was an interview of Gavin Henson by a young woman commentator after the England/Wales game when Henson kicked a marvellous seventy foot penalty to win the game. The woman asked him: "How did you feel when you kicked that goal?" "Huh?" said Henson. With more emphasis on the word "feel" she repeated the question. "How did you FEEL?"
"I din feel anything," he said. "I been kicking um all week."