Unprintable: The LitReactor Podcast Episode 34 - The Art of the Interview w/ Brian Keene & Michael David Wilson

Podcast by Joshua Chaplinsky March 7, 2022

In:

Every episode, Unprintable will take a thoughtful look at books, the publishing industry, reading, writing, and more; featuring your host Robb Olson, as well as the periodic know-it-all geekery of LitReactor Class Director Rob Hart and Managing Editor Joshua Chaplinsky.

From Robb:

The last time I was a guest on the This Is Horror podcast, the conversation found its way to the topic of conducting interviews. It ended up being much more exciting than I would have thought, and I made a mental not to explore the idea more at a later date. This is that time!

Brian Keene is a legendary author of horror and other genres, and was the host of long-running podcast The Horror Show with Brian Keene, where he interviewed many people over the years.

Michael David Wilson is also an author, and host of the aforementioned This Is Horror podcast, where he’s interviewed guests for nearly a decade.

Together, the three of us chat for about an hour about our experiences interviewing people: some memorable moments, guests, advice, and the mechanics of being an effective interviewer. It’s a great conversation whether you’re just interested in hearing some anecdotes, looking to hone your craft, or are starting out and are looking for some direction.

Timestamps:

1:42 - guest and host introductions
7:18 - memorable interviews we’ve conducted
21:52 - memorable moments in interviews
33:20 - Creating a comfortable atmosphere for guests, getting guests to open up and be vulnerable
42:40 - guiding principles and philosophies of interviewing
48:56 - Who are your interviewer role models, or just people you acknowledge as good interviewers?
59:06 - questions: preparing them, follow up questions, letting the conversation flow.
1:06:39 - having guest-specific questions vs having static questions, and how to do both well.
1:09:57 - on regrets. Missing out on guests, or moments that could have gone better.
1:13:55 - Giving advice on requesting guests.
1:17:24 - Brian on the future of him in podcasting
1:18:26 - general advice on being a good interviewer
1:26:29 - guests promotions and plugging
1:28:22 - Thanks and goodbye

Your Hosts This Episode:

Robb Olson was one of the creators and hosts of the podcast Booked., a literary podcast of book reviews and author interviews. He was an editor and publisher of The Booked Anthology. He briefly wrote a horror TV column for This Is Horror, and guested on the This is Horror podcast several times, as well as one time on Unprintable - the LitReactor podcast, for which he is now the permanent host.

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