David Marchese has spent the past decade interviewing famous people, from Quincy Jones to Nicolas Cage. He is co-host of “The Interview,” the New York Times Q&A series, and before that, he interviewed bold-faced names for Vulture and NYT Magazine. But he doesn’t see his job as “interviewing celebrities” — at least, that’s what he says after his old pal Sarah introduces him as such. It’s true that Marchese interviews all sorts of people, from author Michael Pollan to happiness expert Laurie Santos. But fame — and its excesses, contradictions, and illusions — is the backdrop for many of his best-known conversations, and it’s the launchpad here for a chat about collective experiences, how to ask better questions, how journalism has changed since the days of Playboy, and why discomfort might be a key ingredient to a great interview.
NOTE: This is an audio-only episode! Also, paid subscribers, Nancy comes in at the end of the full episode saying there’s more. Glitch in the edit for which she begs forgiveness.
Also discussed …
As well as:
Sarah sees an advantage to David being “deeply Canadian”
“Celebrity is the coin of the realm.” Or is it?
Nicolas Cage … inspired by Gumby?
Jim Jarmusch did not do interviews that lasted less than an hour
Editor burnout is real
Adam Moss, genius
Friend o’ the pod David Rensin and his dozens of Playboy interviews
Age is an undervalued asset in celebrity interviews
Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins
Interviewing as surgery and when to put down the knife
Sarah is still waiting on that mixed tape David promised in 2008
Plus: David quotes Ezra Pound, Joyce Carol Oates and Elmore Leonard, what Clive James got right about Americans and fame, and much more!
After the paywall: “Which celebrity interview was the most uncomfortable?”
