Good. Terry Gross is a terrible interviewer. She takes middlebrow to such astonishing... middles (not heights or depths). How does she hang on to that show?

Edited by author 02-07-2002 07:03 PM
I agree with YesNo...Terri Gross is a wretched 'interviewer.' She runs around the subject, spending more time talking then listening. Have you heard the way she cuts off the guests when they try to answer her rambling attempts at questions? Is there anyone more annoying on the air?
 
As for Simmons being 'sexually-harassing?' What the fuck? You can't 'sexually harass' someone who is interviewing you-it is just not possible. The person holding the mic with the on/off switch is the one in control. The one with the power.

I think that Gross just has her panties in a bunch because someone finally, thank god, called her on her egregious manners.

C'mon, she does more background research than anyone in the interview business. She actually reads the freekin books that her interviewees write, or at least enough to ask intelligent questions about them. Maybe she does talk more than other interviewers, but she doesn't ask questions with obvious answers.

What do you mean she doesn't ask questions with obvious answers? "I read your book about being alcoholic and killing your family. Tell me, was that painful?"

I think Gene Simmons is obnoxious, but pretty funny and
quick-with-the-comeback. I wish I were quick with comebacks. It usually takes me a couple of months to come up with a snappy reply.

You can't back that up, Rich. Gross never said that in an interview.

What do you mean 'Can't back it up?' That is pretty damn close to her whole interview 'style.' I guess I did forget to put in that breathy little bit of anticipation. Come on, the woman has a major vicarious Jones on for mediocre culture and other people's pain!

I can accept the fact that some people just aren't going to like Gross, just like some people don't like Rush Limbaugh. And some people have a thing against NPR, even though--going out on another limb here--I've come to the conclusion that they have about the best, well balanced news reporting of any agency operating in America, with the least flash and BS.

But, I think you're overstating the case when it comes to Gross's interview style. I listened to last night's interview with your comments in mind, and it seemed to me she let her interviewee go on interminably about climbing different mountains, never once cut him off, or asked a question whose answer was apparent from whatever had already been stated.

I still can't see how you can substantiate your claims, given what I've heard of her programming. Perhaps you're confusing her with some other radio personality, like Dr. Laura or something.

Though I must scoff at the notion that NPR is "balanced", I like them anyway just because I prefer talk radio to music in my car. I am an NPR fan. I read books by NPR people. But I just cannot listen to Terri Gross. She is horrid. I shall let Curtis White speak for me, in "The Middle Mind":

http://www.centerforbookculture.org/context/no9/white.html

"Let's think about Terry Gross and Fresh Air for just a moment. Here is an interview program that claims quite earnestly to be for intelligence, for the fresh and new, for something other than regular stale network culture, for the arts and for artists. But anyone who much listens to the show knows (I certainly hope that I'm not the only one who has noticed) that: 1) Terry rarely interviews an artist or intellectual that real-deal artists and intellectuals would recognize. 2) She has no capacity for even the grossest distinctions between artists and utter poseurs. Many of the "writers" she has interviewed recently have been writers for TV series and movies. People who can with a straight face say, "Seinfeld is a great show because of the brilliant script writing" love Fresh Air. Now, Seinfeld may be a cut above the average sit-com, but it's a sit-com! 3) The show is a pornographic farce."

Well, I suppose it just goes to show, there's no satisfying some people. I didn't say NPR was a model of balanced reporting, I only said they're about the best we can get.

And as for Ms. Gross, if there is someone out there doing better interviews, please list them so we might all partake.

Finally, who the hell is Curtis White and why should I give a damn about whatever pretentious opinions he might have about NPR's interviewers?

I like Brian Lamb a lot. Rose, too, but he's gettin' to be an interrupter. Koppel on occasion. Also, laff on, Costas is not bad. And I like Rome. But I like sports. I wonder why Simmons was booked on NPR in the first place?

Edited by author 02-09-2002 03:28 PM
I like NPR even though it isn't all that balanced, at least it is somewhat intelligent compared to just about every other media outlet. I like the fact that Terri Gross has interesting and unusual guests and does seem to know her stuff. The only problem that I have with her is that she has almost NO reaction to anything her guests do or say. It is as if she is afraid to show that she is a human being with emotion let alone passion. I just find it strange but overall it doesn't detract much from her generally excellent interviews. I thought it was great that she had Gene Simmons on, (even though I'm not a fan) it was something that was unusual and interesting and that is sort of what Fresh Air aspires to give its audience. She did a pretty good job and it was a good laugh and I think she knows it as she chose it for rebroadcast this weekend. Good radio to have a Gene Simmon's on every now and again.

Charlie Rose's interviews are the best if only he wouldn't talk so much. He is the interviewer, if he thinks he understands it all then why have guests. Let them talk Charlie, make a great show even better. Great guests.

Edited by author 02-09-2002 07:56 PM
daddio says simmons was a total whack job playing a game on NPR. Maybe, but the problem with the show was that that humorless dildo Terry Gross kept taking the bait. Even when he announced he was pulling her leg. She just doesn't know how to handle a joke. And I agree with the other commentators who say that she talks too much and doesn't listen. She doesn't interview; she uses her interviewees as a sounding board for her own opionions, no matter how flaky.

Terry is clearly one the best interviewers around. These people slamming her are just f#$#@$# morons!

There sure is a lot of passionate discourse on this subject. I never expected people to feel so strongly about the interview, or feel the need to "defend" poor Gene so ardently, when I posted it on my site.

So, in case you haven't heard the interview, here you go:

Gene Simmons and Terry Gross