UPPER TIERS BLOG: INTERVIEW JOB

Hello, g-g-g-gang.

So, Po-po Vid 1 is done… barring the interview clips, which I can’t do until I’d conducted the interview, which is happening tonight. I’m a bit nervous… I love talking to people with a weird story to tell, but I find interviews quite stressful – the whole having to make it feel like a natural conversation while also ensuring I kind of get what I need.

The worst ones – and I’ve done a few like this – is where the interview subject basically answers all my questions in one answer right at the start, and I’m left scrabbling around.

This interviewee is – in certain bonkers circles – quite well known. World famous to a certain crowd. If you know what Die Glocke is (I mean, it was in one of the Call of Duty games, so you might)… he’s THE guy. He seems quite intense, and English isn’t his first language, so… yeah. We’ll see how it goes.

You know where I stand on this stuff, but I try to be respectful of people’s convictions. Even if you think his tale is nonsense, that in itself is something I find fascinating. I mean, the Russ Kellet UFO abductee interview is my favourite, because it was SO mad. I mean… what the hell was going on there?!

The good thing is that I find people who want to do interviews generally want to talk, so often you can just let them get on with it.

My favourites have been the ones where I’ve kind of clicked with the person straight off. Two that come to mind are both BYAMPOD ones – Dave Meeghan (former producer) and the band’s old manager John Arnison. I got on well with the two band members I interviewed, and they were really nice, easy, chats, but also… I felt the pressure of wanting to make them the sort of interviews I’d want to hear. I wanted stuff I’d never heard before.

Talking of BYAMPOD… one of those interviewees, Marillion’s keyboard player Mark Kelly, has launched his own podcast. That’s three Marillion podcasts out there now – four if you include BYAMPOD – which seems excessive for a band of Marillion’s size. But… I’ve been thinking about ways to bring it back where we’re not exclusively Marillion-related. Watch this space. I can feel it bubbling inside.

Anyway. Sanja and I are about to watch the first edit of the Poland vid, then I’m going straight into editing the second episode. Hopefully, you should have something tomorrow.

Paul