{"id":238,"date":"2011-07-30T18:47:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-30T18:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/reelfaith\/2011\/07\/awkward-interviews.html"},"modified":"2011-07-30T18:47:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-30T18:47:00","slug":"awkward-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/reelfaith\/2011\/07\/awkward-interviews.html","title":{"rendered":"Awkward interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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If I had to guess, I\u2019d say I\u2019ve done more than 500 interviews through my 20 years a journalist. That\u2019s a conservative estimate. These conversations have been, almost without exception, a wonderful chance to connect with an author or artist regarding their production. Fun, exciting, personal; they are wonderful memories! But . . . there are a few moments through the years that, try as I might, I can\u2019t forget. They go down in the Awkward Moments Hall of Fame. Sometimes it\u2019s me; sometimes it\u2019s them. If I could only turn back time . . .<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Mistaken Identities<\/b>\u2014I know my stuff. I don\u2019t mistake artists. However, because I love humor and \u201cbreaking the ice,\u201d I love to pretend to mistake identities. The first time I did this wasn\u2019t an interview, but a chance meeting with a singer who I credited with singing \u201cWhen a Man Loves a Woman.\u201d It was a funny moment then, but not so much when I pretended to mistake one new girls\u2019 vocal group for Point of Grace or another raspy voiced rock singer for Jeremy Camp. The unnamed artists weren\u2019t amused. I wouldn\u2019t do that again. Not everyone likes that joke.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Unfunny Jokes<\/b>\u2014Sometimes I get nervous and use humor to clear the air. Note to self: if you\u2019re not a part of the singer or author\u2019s church denomination or group, don\u2019t make a joke about it. If you get along well with a young female singer who\u2019s super friendly, don\u2019t use an offhand \u201cDumb and Dumber\u201d reference (\u201cI like it a LOT\u201d) when she asks you if you like her new studio pictures. Live and learn, DeWayne.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Burning Down the House<\/b>\u2014One of the upstart record companies put together a trendy decorative candlelit table for my interview with their new artist. When I first sat down, something accidentally hit the candle and began burning. No fault of my own, but the new artist didn\u2019t make that clear to the company and they looked at me like I was an arsonist.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Times a\u2019 Wastin\u2019<\/b>\u2014It\u2019s horrible to be late for an interview and I\u2019ve done that a few times. One singer known for an upbeat attitude and sense of humor gave me the stare down during an interview I arrived late for.\u00a0\u201cEveryone thinks I\u2019m funny all the time and I\u2019m not.\u201d No kidding . . . literally.\u00a0I\u2019ve faced a few latecomers myself and almost always keep it in stride. But one time, I waited for a young female singer to finish sound check. I sat there for 20 minutes (interview times were in 30 minute increments). She called from the stage, \u201cdon\u2019t hate me! don\u2019t judge me!\u201d When she finally finished, the first words out of her mouth were, \u201cI don\u2019t have a lot of time for this interview.\u201d<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019re a journalist, what\u2019s the most awkward moment you\u2019ve experienced?\u00a0<\/div>\n
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If I had to guess, I\u2019d say I\u2019ve done more than 500 interviews through my 20 years a journalist. That\u2019s a conservative estimate. These conversations have been, almost without exception, a wonderful chance to connect with an author or artist regarding their production. Fun, exciting, personal; they are wonderful memories! But . . . there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2815,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAwkward interviews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If I had to guess, I'd say I've done more than 500 interviews through my 20 years a journalist. That's a conservative estimate. 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