1) Go to NPR.org > programs > Fresh Air. Listen to any episode of Fresh Air (there should be a long archive of past shows). Fresh Air is hosted by Terry Gross who is a master at interviewing. Observe how she interviews (her tone of voice, the way she responds to her guest's words/answers, the questions she asked, etc) and think about the questions she asks (how much was planned ahead of time and how much is the following of a natural conversation. Can you tell the difference?)
2) on the class blog (under the Fresh Air post):
-write a brief (2-5 sentences) summary of the interview (i.e. who is it with, what are some main ideas brought about in the interview, why is this interview important to today's society?)
- answer some of the questions I outlined in question 1 (describe Gross' tone of voice, the way she responds to her guest's answers, etc. How much of the interview was planned ahead of time and how much is it the following of a natural conversation. Can you tell the difference?)
- any additional comments about Gross, the interview, the topic, etc. did you enjoy it? Are you likely to listen to her again?
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ReplyDeleteThe interview that I listened to was with Mickey Edwards, a former legislator and previously elected republican congressman from Oklahoma City in 1976 who has just written a new book, "The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Democrats and Republican into Americans".
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be his opinion that political parties are more determined to get votes and, “be true to their party,” and defeat the opposing party then really concentrate on the information and influence they are putting out to the public; people are only influenced by one group rather then a nonpartisan governmental system. Edwards’ concern in his book focus on the fact that “party leaders have too much control over who runs for office, what bills make it to the floor and how lawmakers vote,” according to the summery on NPR’s website.
This interview is relevant today because presidential elections are in the near future and people should be informed about the complications of political party operations.
Gross’s tone of voice always seems appropriate. She sounds confident in her interviewing abilities but is able to conduct a conversation that flows easily while obtaining the necessary information. She sounds interested as well as professional.
I think there are definitely obvious questions that were constructed ahead of time in order to obtain certain information in the interview. In other parts one can tell that she is building off of the subject in a way that seems to ask the next question that anyone listening to the interview would want to inquire about. However, when Edwards finishes a complete thought and the specific topic seems to reach an end, Gross uses the opportunity to ask another question on her roster in a way that creates a natural sounding interview conversation.
Something that stood out to me regarding Gross’s interview performance was how about half way through the interview, she says something like “If you’re just tuning in now…” and restates who she is interviewing and what they are discussing. She also does this again at the very end, after the interview in completed, as a quick summary. This shows how, though she is clearly enthralled in her conversation at all times, another part of her mind is on her audience. Something else that she does, that I find a very useful technique, is ask very open ended questions that require much more than a one sentence answer but rather allows the interviewee to expand as much as he or she feels necessary.
I’m not one to routinely stay up to date on political affairs or listen to news ratio and for me personally this interview confirms why. Though Gross is obviously well-versed in her profession and has a perfected technique for interviewing, for someone who doesn’t know much about the subject of politics, some of what was being said went over my head and it was hard for me to focus.
I would listen to her again, perhaps over another interviewer, if I were in a position where I needed to hear up to date news on a subject laid out in a clean interview fashion.
The interview was called “The Impossible Juggling Act: Motherhood and Work” and the interviewee is Ann Marie Slaughter. The main ideas in the interview were discussing the biggest problems with being a working mother in politics. The main point Slaughter is trying to make is that although she loved the job and it was perfect for her, she still had a very difficult time not being with her family often. It is important for today’s society because nowadays women are expected to work while are still expected to handle all the responsibilities of motherhood.
ReplyDeleteHer tone of voice is very caring and she sounds interested in everything her interviewee is saying. She gets her interviewee to thoroughly explain her feelings and relive the moments she’s describing in the interview. Her questions in the beginning seem to be planned ahead of time, but they become more obscure and pointed towards what the interviewee is saying as the interview goes on. It seems as though Ross is trying her best to allow her interviewee to express what they think is the most important part of their story to tell, but at the same time, getting a story that is interesting and informative to her listeners.
I like the way she interviews; she seems to really enjoy listening to people and cares about them getting their true story and feelings across in an organized way.
I listened Terry Gross’ interview with Joan Rivers, titled "Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself, and Everyone Else." The main points of the interview are Joan Rivers' TV appearances and her career path. This interview is important because Joan Rivers is an iconic comedian. She currently has a reality show, "Joan and Melissa," a talk show, "Fashion Police," and just released a new book titled "Joan Rivers Hate You, Herself, and Everyone Else." The book is also a main point in the interview, letting Terry to fall back on that for questions about this Joan hates.
ReplyDeleteTerry Gross’ voice is very relaxed and her tone is very conversational. She doesn’t speak very formal; the whole interview is rather comical. Terry clearly had an outline of questions she prepared to ask Joan, but didn’t strictly stick to that outline. She would offer a question or specific topic about Joan Rivers’ life and career and the two of them would build off from there. She let the interview take different directions to get the most out of it and let Joan speak about things that came naturally. Terry asked questions based on Joan’s response, or even relate the response to her own life to keep the conversation going. After Joan’s responses started to slow down, Terry Gross would refer back to her prewritten questions. She even plays a clip of a conversation Joan Rivers has with Louie CK and builds off of that, giving Joan the freedom to take that topic in any direction.
I did enjoy this interview, but I knew I would enjoy it because of Joan Rivers. She seems very comfortable in any situation and doesn’t seem like a hard person to have a conversation with. But Terry Gross did do a good job preparing for this interview. She was able to keep the interview going and made the conversation seem very natural. It was very evident that Terry genuinely wanted to know more with every question she asked. The conversation was very genuine and I would listen to her again.
For this assignment I chose to listen to Terry Gross’ interview with Joan Rivers called, "Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself, and Everyone Else." The main points of the interview were Joan Rivers career path and how she became the success that she is today. Throughout the interview the two talked about Joan’s life and different opportunities such as her stand up comedy, various television shows and her most recent book she published. From this interview one can learn that as long as you are willing to do everything you can to be successful you can achieve anything.
ReplyDeleteI must say that after having listened to this interview I would definitely listen to Terry Gross again, even if the person being interviewed wasn’t as entertaining as Joan Rivers. Gross has a very relaxing tone that made her interview seem as though it was just a casual conversation between friends. It was clear that Gross had planned some questions to ask, but she didn’t strictly follow them and let the conversation flow more naturally which I really enjoyed. However, sometimes you could tell when the conversation was beginning to slow that Gross would ask one the questions she had already planned. For the most part though Gross let Joan take the conversation where she wanted to go with it. Overall I feel as though this was such a good interview partially because of Joan herself and her ability to be comfortable and confident in almost any situation.
I chose to listen to Terry Gross' interview with Joan Rivers about her new book "I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me." Rivers explains that the book is about the things that bother her in both the world and herself including- reality tv shows and Joan's physical appearance are just two of the topics that are discussed throughout the program. The audience learns that these insecurities have always been present with Joan from when she was a little girl. Another thing that has always been with the comedian was her drive to succeed. She is an avid believer in continuing to walk through doors, arguing that you never know which one could give you an amazing opportunity. Joan witnessed this first hand when she was offered the position on the E! talk show, "Fashion Police." "I thought it was beneath me," she explains. Now, "Fashion Police" is one of the top TV shows in England. This advice Joan gives is important is today's society, as it has increasingly become more and more difficult to get a job. A job might seem horrible at first, but everyone has to start somewhere. Terry Gross uses a very friendly tone of voice, which works effectively with the subject she is interviewing. Joan Rivers came on the show to discuss difficult topics in her life, so by using an understanding and believable tone during conversation, the interviewee won't feel attacked or forced to say something he/she isn't comfortable with. I think the Terry Gross did research on Rivers' life and new book prior to the interview and formulated questions from her findings. The interview never seemed forced though, which is why I think Terry Gross is such a great journalist. The whole program seemed like more of a natural conversation to me, rather than an interview. Terry laughed at Rivers' jokes and even talked about her life when Joan brought something up that she could relate to. I really enjoyed this interview and I would love to listen to another Terry Gross program again.
ReplyDeleteJoan Rivers Hates You, Herself And Everyone Else, is the title of the episode that I was listening to by Terry Gross. Terry Gross had the honor of interviewing Joan rivers in regards to a new book, “I hate everyone starting with me”, by Joan Rivers. The main idea brought to this interview was how Joan Rivers states that she hates everyone including herself and how that is a result from her personal background. Joan stated that her parents did not like her because she was a difficult child. This interview is important in today’s society because it informed the audience on how she had dreams and goals in her life and wanted to grow up fast so that she can be able to start her dreams. In today’s society a lot of people are going through similar situations because they want to become somebody and have a successful career. Terry Gross had a very smooth tone of voice. In my opinion, the whole interview was natural. Terry gross responds quickly and speaks to her guests as if they were having a natural conversation, in which it could be harder to tell the difference between her interviewing someone and actually having a conversation with someone. I like how she proved what ever she was saying with an actual clip to basically set a picture of what ever she was saying to the audience. I enjoyed the topic because it was about Joan Rivers and it was entertaining. I would lie to listen to her again. She is really natural while she interviews people and it makes it amusing and interesting to listen to the conversations she is having with her guests.
ReplyDeleteI chose to listen to Terry Gross' interview with a fifty-three year old man named Martin Bayne who entered an assisted living facility after being diagnosed with onset Parkinson disease.
ReplyDeleteThe main points that were brought up in the interview were the way the staff and the people living there would deal with death. Whenever there was a death in the facility no one would say a word about it and just go on like it was a normal day. Another main point was the fact that Mr. Bayne was thirty years older than many of the residents living in the facility (who ranged eighty to ninety years old.)
This has an importance to society because most family members have one or two family members in an assisted living facility and, for some living in an assisted living facility they may not have any family members at all. It is also important to show that just because they are not young enough to do everything does not mean they should be forgotten.
Terry Gross's tone of voice in this interview was very caring and compassionate to what Mr. Bayne was talking about. Her questions were well thought out and stuck to the topic that she was discussing. I could not really tell the difference if she had then questions written down before hand or not but what I could tell was that the questions were connected in a way that made the interview make sense.
I did enjoy this interview although it was hard to hear Mr.Bayne's voice because he was speaking in a monotone voice for parts of the interview. Terry Gross has great interviewing skills and I would listen to her again in the future.
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ReplyDelete-write a brief (2-5 sentences) summary of the interview (i.e. who is it with, what are some main ideas brought about in the interview, why is this interview important to today's society?)
ReplyDeleteGross interviewed Joan Rivers in the show that I listened to. The main topic of their discussion was Rivers’ hatred for everything which resulted in a conversation that touched upon a wide range of topics. Gross opens her interview with some background of Rivers’ life to introduce her audience to the successes and some failures of Rivers’ life. Rivers mentions her battle with her weight throughout youth and all throughout her career. She mentions a lack of relationship with her mother and her confusion with college and life decisions.
- answer some of the questions I outlined in question 1 (describe Gross' tone of voice, the way she responds to her guest's answers, etc. How much of the interview was planned ahead of time and how much is it the following of a natural conversation. Can you tell the difference?)
I really appreciate how effortless Gross makes her interview seem. Her tone is completely down to Earth and she manages to make Rivers’ answers flow like simple conversation. Rivers often responds with jokes and witty comments like the one she mentions about her mother’s trying to abort her even after her birth.
- any additional comments about Gross, the interview, the topic, etc. did you enjoy it? Are you likely to listen to her again?
I did enjoy this segment because it wasn’t by any means structured. As a result of this, it made it easier to get a feel for Rivers’ personality and enjoy her raw spirit through her blunt language and retelling of crazy stories. I got a glimpse of her comedic talent through this interview.
In this episode of "Fresh Air," Terry Gross interviews comedian Mike Birbiglia and NPR anchor Ira Glass about their new movie "Sleepwalk With Me." Gross shows off her mellifluous voice by leading a discussion about grassroots film-making and how to make comedy appeal to a wider audience like an expert conductor, pressing on when needed and allowing the guests to take over with their stories, not inserting herself when it's not nescesary. Her anecdotes support the main point and she's able to turn the conversation back to her questions when the thread strays. I was unable to differentiate between her planned questions and her ad-lib ones, but that is just a testament to her ability.
ReplyDeleteI chose to listen to Terry Gross's interview with Regina Spektor in which she talked about her new album, 'What We Saw From the Cheap Seats,' and her life growing up in the Soviet Union.
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses Regina Spektor's early childhood, and what shaped her music career today. Regina explained how she grew up in Russia when it was part of the Soviet Union, and because her family was Jewish they were not permitted to leave for an extended period of time. As soon as they were able to leave, her parents decided they would come to the United States so they would not be secluded any longer for their Jewish heritage. Regina Spektor explained her family's love for classical music, and how when she arrived in the US she found herself a piano teacher.
Terry Gross's tone of voice in the interview is extremely laid back, but not uninterested. She makes the interviewee feel comfortable by creating casual conversation. Something I really liked about Terry's style is how innovative she is with her questioning. You become aware that she has done her research, and has come up with questions based on background information, but she has no problem adding questions that keep the interview flowing smoothly.
I never knew Regina Spektor was from Russia, and that she was Jewish as well so that interested me greatly. Terry Gross is a great interviewer, and I will definitely listen to some other interviews of hers.
For this assignment I listened to Terry Gross's interview with Joan Rivers entitled "Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself And Everyone Else". This interview is important to today's society because Joan Rivers is very relevant in the current media with her own talk show, "Fashion Police", reality show, "Joan and Melissa", and book, "I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me." The interview revolves mainly around the book which Joan explains describes how she hates everything about the world and herself from obituaries to her body image issues.
ReplyDeleteTerry's tone remains even and upbeat. The interview starts out with a few preplanned questions but then seems to mostly follow a natural conversation. However, whenever conversation gets slow or heavy Terry changes the topic with another planned question. She reacts positively, chuckling and keeping her voice light, to everything said even if it could be considered shocking or offensive.She also adds her own experience when it relates to what Joan is saying such as listening to her neighbors conversations through the walls of her apartment as a child. This makes the interview more interesting and sparks more conversation with her interviewee. I greatly enjoyed listening to this interview and would be interested in listening to another one of Terry Gross's programs.
I chose to listen to Terry Gross's interview with Beverly Johnson, Carol Alt, and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, entitled "Getting Old Is Hard, Even (And Especially) For Models". Both women were models in the 80's and Timothy has chosen them, among others, to participate in his documentary "About Face" which focuses on how former super models have dealt with their inevitable aging in the one industry where youth and beauty are the top two criteria. This is also what Terry focuses on during her interview with them. I noticed her tone throughout the entire interview was very relaxed and laid back. But not too laid back so as to appear uninterested. In fact she didn't just ask question after question without paying attention to her guests answers. She used their answers to ask her next question. At one point Beverly Johnson brought up the fact that being black was very difficult because at the time they did not have the technology to photograph a person of color correctly. Beverly answered and even commented on what a great question it was. Terry then used her answer to get Timothy's take on photographing colored models. I remember hearing Terry laugh and joke with her guests at one point. I think this helped her guests ease up and open up about their past. Carol admitted to basically not eating at all when she first started because she was considered to have been overweight for the fashion industry. Although a lot of it seemed like Terry was just working off her guests, I did hear some planned out questions in part of the interview. However I think that was just to get the ball rolling. It was a really interesting interview because it showed how fast a model could be on top and how quickly she could be forgotten when the next 15 year old superstar came along. Beverly Johnson even said she knew at 21 she was going to be replaced within a couple of years. I found this fascinating. The fact that at age 21, she was considered too old to work was really shocking. I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's style and the interview as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe Interview I chose to listen to was titled "Why Your Cellphone Could Be Called a 'Tracker'," with Peter Maass. Maass, an investigative reporter for ProPulica, answers questions about how technology companies, especially cell phone companies, are utilizing information we don't even know we are giving, such as GPS locations, private security information, and even financial info. While he does state that individuals do not have access to this info, he warns that there are no laws in place to prevent the sale of this info to 3rd party company members. This interview is relevant to society because as we continue to immerse ourselves in technology, we do so without understanding exactly what we are putting out in the open. If we continue to do so, we will be taken advantage of time and again.
ReplyDeleteI believed that to start the interview, the questions were planned out, however, once Maass began to explain his points more in depth, the conversation began to take a natural flow, and move away from planned questions. I could tell the difference because eventually the questions began to incorporate information that was stated in response to the previous questions and could not have been prepared in advance.
I chose Terry Gross's interview with actor Sacha Baron Cohen.The main protagonist/producer of The Dictator where he plays Admiral General Aladeen the outspoken,anti-western, anti-Semitic, chauvinistic ruler of the fictional North African country Wadiya. Gross asks Cohen questions about the provocative content in the film both politically & religiously, his brushes with the police, past films such as Borat & Bruno and ignoring his red carpet ban. This interview is relevant to society in the sense that Cohen reveals he was making fun of individuals who were oppressing people based on their religion,nationality and political affiliations, but still make it hilarious. Gross kept a steady, clear and warm tone throughout the interview, which Cohen took advantage of at times when he would interrupt her as she was about to ask him another question but this had little if any negative impact on the interview. She is also ready to share a laugh with her guest as was the case when Cohen broke into character. (though it would be difficult for anyone not to!)The majority of her questions were planned out as e.g she would ask him about the use of Hebrew in the film then spilling "ashes" on Ryan seacrest and buying him a new suit.However the interview was smooth and I envisaged it taking place in a cafe, such was the relaxed atmosphere that Gross's voice created. All in all I would listen to her again but next time I will choose an interview that is a bit more serious such as a political candidate to see how she handles it.
ReplyDeleteI choose to listen to Advocate Fights 'Ambient Despair' In Assisted Living. I choose this because it is something that isn't really spoken about a lot and health care in general is something really important to me. I also used to work at a nursing home for two years so I know about the conditions of assisted living and wanted to see what was said about it.Her tone is compassionate but at the same time its factual like asking for the information needed. She asks him about things that are important to him. "Good face for the public" he talks about a "waste of humanity" which is sadder then the cases of neglect when someone is just tossed aside because of their age "elder zombies". She goes off in the beginning based on her own questions. Then she begins to ask him about things that he is interested in like for instance how he interviews people. The subject was very sad but she knows she still needs to get the story so even though she asks in a compassionate way she still asks personal questions. In general I thought the piece was really great and touching.
ReplyDeleteI listened to Gross' interview with David Alan Grier, comedian and former 'In Living Color' actor and writer, about his role as Sporting Life in Gershwin's musical 'Porgy and Bess.' I chose the article because, firstly, Grier had a wicked turn on 'In Living Color' and I've always liked him, secondly because I had no idea he had pipes (they played a chunk of his headline song, he slays it), and finally, because as opposed to all of the indie band frontmen, lounge singers, and sallow sociologists she interviews, David Alan Grier is a surefire good interview. I'm not big on putting interviewers on a pedestal, but I can admire when does all the right things during an interview like Gross does. Instead of interjecting all the time, like a lot of lesser interviewers would, she lets her subject, Grier, do the talking and lets him speak - which is a good move, considering that the guy is an intellect and an improv genius. She also comes into the interview prepared to discuss the show with the actor; she's obviously done her legwork. I'm sure in some cases, especially with people who aren't in the entertainment business, Gross has to ask more questions to get people to come out of their shells, but in this case she knew who she was dealing with and decided to let him take the reigns because she knew that Grier is bombastic, informed about the history of the show he's performing in, and ready to speak at great lengths without being prompted by frequent interview questions.
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ReplyDeleteThe introduction of who Terry Gross is interviewing prior to the interview sounds rehearsed. Following the introduction the actual interview sounds more like a light hearted conversation than a serious interview. The conversation is very fluent and natural and seems as if not rehearsed at all. Gross sounds like she is talking to an old friend whom she has already heard big news about from a second party. They seem to be “catching up.” Her tone is very playful (she even snorts when she laughs with who she is interviewing). It seems like she is putting the person she is interviewing (Joan Rivers) at ease and making her feel as if she’s having lunch with an old friend. Gross seems very engaged and intrigued in this interview with Joan Rivers and that can be seen within her enthusiastic responses to Rivers and sometimes laughs. Although light hearted, she remains on point with her questions and doesn't stray far from the topic. She is interviewing Joan Rivers about her new book that was recently released to the public, “I Hate Everyone, Starting with Me.” The book is a comical autobiography about River’s life from childhood up until now.
ReplyDeleteI think this interview is important to today’s society because it shows the media taking a more personable stand point. Rather than putting River’s on an uncomfortable pedestal she makes her feel at home. Generally we think of news anchors and reporters as robots relaying dry information, but Gross proves that you don’t have to be the bad guy of the person you’re interviewing, but rather a curious friend. When we think of media and society we attribute the industry as being heartless and not caring for their consumers. In contrast Gross shows genuine concern and interest in the positive aspects of River’s life rather than the negative. I certainly feel society needs a lot more of Terry’s approach. To report news lightly whether it bed heavy, hard or light!
Terry Gross intervied writer Caitlin Moran, a rock journalist and columnist for the Times of London, on her new book How to Be a Woman. Gross and Moran discuss issues in feminism and the state of women in society today.
ReplyDeleteThe flow of the interview was fluid and conversaitional, making it difficult to discern what parts of the interview were planned ahead and what parts were actual off-the-cuff questions. As a self-described feminist, I found I related to the content of the interivew, and Gross’ interview styel made the listening experience all the more enjoyable.
Moran discusses the reason why women shave their pubic hair, decide not to marry or have children, women in pop culture, etc., handling all topics with wit and humor.
I enjoyed their back-and-forth, and I would definitely listen to Gross again.