Today I got to do something a bit unusual: I was interviewed for PBS’ “For the Record,” a nationally-syndicated half-hour show produced right here in Charlottesville, by WHTJ and The Miller Center. Thanks to The Miller Center’s amazing lineup of regular speakers (don’t miss Francis Fukuyama, who will be there on the 22nd), “For the Record” gets amazing guests: Admiral William Crowe, David Kay, Julian Bond, John Yoo, Robert Novak, Ted Koppel, Joe Klein, Lawrence Eagleburger, Judith Miller, Leon Panetta, and many, many more.
(If you’re asking yourself where I fit into that lineup, you’ll have to keep right on asking. I cannot imagine.)
The format of the show is, quite simply, a half hour of conversation between the guest and the host. Their researcher, Rachael Kesler, had put in a considerable amount of time into researching me, weirdly enough, but the result was interviewer Kent Germany knew enough about my (very limited) field of expertise that we could dive right into the discussion. (Tom Graham, host of WMRA’s “Insight,” whose show I was on in March, is similarly thorough.)
The topic? Blogs and Virginia politics.
When I walked into the studio, I felt like a dope. There’s the set — the same set I’ve seen on TV — a crew of a half dozen and the host. I looked at ’em all and thought oh, man, there’s got be some kind of mistake. All those people — nice, helpful, knowledgeable professionals — in one room? Clearly this was yet another opportunity for me to disappoint people.
The interview flew by. We talked about blogging technology, Charlottesville blogs, Virginia political blogs, the presidential race, and the digital divide, among other things. None of Kent’s questions threw me for a loop, and I was able to formulate responses that at least seemed logical at the time. No doubt I’ll watch the interview on TV in abject horror, cringing at every foolish misstep, ridiculous statement, and meaningless non sequiteur.
Worst of all: the blinking. I have a twitch when I’m being interviewed for television. I blink. Rapidly. Often. I look like an idiot. The last couple of interviews I’ve done, I’ve tried to think it through while I’m doing it, during which I realized its origin — I think, on a subconscious level, that blinking will make me look smarter. I understand that’s ludicrous. Insane, even. I was shocked to discover that I’d made this association. So this interview was my first chance to not blink. I don’t know that I did so hot. Every time I thought about it, I realized I was blinking like an idiot.
So, everybody, don’t miss the Waldo McBlinksalot Show. It’s due to air Septemberish. It’s shown in Virginia, along with major markets like New York, Philly, Chicago, Nashville, Denver, Seattle, and a bunch of others. If nothing else, it was fun, and I met some good people.
Well, you have it all over John Yoo in not being an enabler of dictatorship, so buck up!
Will mark the calendar…
You blink. I nod my head. Drives me CRAZY to watch, drives me crazier to think about when I am being interviewed.
Well, the good news is that I’m not alone — I figured I was the only one. The bad news is that we’re bothfreaks, I’m afraid. ;)
At least it wasn’t over in the blink of an eye … I’m sure you did great. Congrats on a top-shelf gig.
Waldo blinks, Amundson nods, Brink looks at the wrong camera. Take your pick of mediagenic personalities.
Can’t wait to see the show.
Blinking, nodding your head, tugging on various bodyparts…professional gamblers call those “tells”, subconscious movements that we make when nervous.
Wayyy back in my Community College days, I took a TV Broadcasting class and got to play anchor in a newscast. I spoke clearly and forcefully, looked into the right camera, and even did that whole dramatic dropping of my voice to emphasize certain words. What I also did, and was not aware of until I saw the tape, was lick my lips. In real life, I’m sure it is a barely noticeable, even dainty, little motion. But you know what they say about the camera adding ten pounds? Imagine when it’s ten pounds of tongue…!
Worse, my “friend” who was directing the show caught on to what I was doing and so kept cutting in to close-ups. While I was gamely reading the news and doing my best to convey gravitas, my entire face filled up the screen and this huge, wet thing kept shooting out of my mouth like some great beast flying out of its underwater cave trying to slurp up passing prey. I was thinking Walter Cronkite, but I looked more like a slobbering St. Bernard.
Now when I need to be an TV, I’ve learned to chew on ice first to moisten my mouth and make a conscious effort to keep my damn tongue in my mouth!
Look forward to seeing you on the tube, Blinky.
Actually, the blinking DID make you look smarter. I am now blinking more in my daily conversations, and I think it’s helping. People are certainly looking at me differently.
Thanks again for being on our show. It was one of the best interviews we’ve done. You were way more fun than the nuclear nonproliferation guy.
I’m such a trendsetter. :)
Hang in there… you’ll get better at it with time. I used to do a lot of interviews “back in the day” and will never forget my first one..in a CBS studio. T’was a nervous wreck, felt like a complete buffoon and it was broadcast live. It did not help that the interviewer had me confused with someone else for the first minute or so. Colleagues taped it. I watched it later that evening and wished I hadn’t. You’re gonna do fine.