The Art of the Interview

September 1, 2004
To conduct a good interview, you must"converse like a talk show host, think like a writer, understand subtext like a psychiatrist, have an ear like a musician, be able to select the best parts like a book editor and know how to piece it together dramatically like a playwright." This is the sound advice of famed Playboy interviewer Grobel, the man who scored the only in-depth interview with Patty Hearst and who got the elusive Marlon Brando to agree to a week-long interview in Tahiti. Grobel, who has also written a biography of the Hustons and contributed to numerous other publications, gives readers the equivalent of a master class in this thoroughly entertaining treatise on one of the toughest tasks in journalism. He is generous with information and journalistic tips, explaining, among other things, how to prepare for the meeting and how to get the subject to open up. An invaluable resource for aspiring journalists, the book also satisfies the voyeuristic desires of a celebrity obsessed culture by raising the curtain on the idiosyncratic demands of stars and by putting the reader in the interviewer's chair. Grobel does this throughout the book by deconstructing some of his more famous dialogues, including those of former Indiana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight, Drew Barrymore and Barbra Streisand, who presented him with a contract drawn up by her attorneys when he arrived at her home for the interview. The book is an overstuffed treat, full of anecdotes, advice from other top writers and the kind of commiserating stories about difficult editors, hellish assignments and prickly stars that will seize the attention of both professional interviewers and their audiences.

October 15, 2004
Encouraging someone to share his or her secrets for the enjoyment of the reading public takes subtlety and skill. Grobel, who teaches a course in interviewing at UCLA, has spent the past 30 years interviewing celebrities from diverse fields for various newspapers and magazines. Here he shares his successful techniques, along with an insider's view of some of his famous subjects. Grobel walks readers through the interview process, which includes working with publicists, setting up the interview, doing the background research, preparing the questions, conducting the interview, editing the transcripts, and working with the editor. He offers practical advice, e.g., always use two tape recorders, and addresses the various formats, noting, for instance, that successful television interviewers should find a good hairstylist and work out at the gym. He also shares juicy tidbits from his career, including segments of interviews with Barbra Streisand, Jesse Ventura, Joyce Carol Oates, and Saul Bellow. Journalism students and readers interested in celebrity culture will enjoy this book.-Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Libs., Washington, DC

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2004
Not only are interviews the staple of television and radio talk shows and news, they are also the wellspring of myriad articles and most nonfiction books. Interviews vary from tightwire acts to prolonged, in-depth conversations, and at their liveliest and most revealing, they are true collaborations between interviewer and interviewee. Grobel, the author of eight previous books, is a respected veteran of the form--the first celebrity he spoke with was Mae West--and his work has appeared in such venues as " Playboy, Rolling Stone," and the" New York Times." He now energetically and entertainingly covers every aspect of the arduous task of interviewing, from research and prep work to handling reluctant interviewees to coaxing out revelations (Mel Gibson thinks the theory of evolution is bunk; Joyce Carol Oates explains her obsession with molestation and rape) to editing raw transcripts. He provides running commentary on a conversation with Drew Barrymore, includes observations by editors and other journalists, and shamelessly name-drops. Rich in irresistible celebrity anecdotes and genuinely useful information, this is an unusually sharp and vibrant how-to.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)