Hey,
I have a serious question.
I seriously do not mean to come off as a jerk either.
As an interviewer, do you ever fear that it will come across that you are not familiar with the bands you speak to?
I know I have read interviews with bands where it is obvious that the conductor knows absolutely zero about the band's history or their music.
It seems you take the time to research the band, and that's cool.
Though do you fear that it might not come off as smooth as if you were interviewing a band you were familiar with?
As I said, serious question from myself who reads such interviews and can tell when the conductor has no clue.
That being said............
I would ask these bands what their perception is of a US crowd VS a European crowd....
Hi Jasonic,
Great questions!
If you read my ProgPower USA interviews over the past three years you'll see that I nearly know as much about the bands as the members do. I uncover obscure interviews, facts, demo recordings, and other info. Plus, I've been in the business for nearly 20 years. I know about the music
industry as well as the individual bands. So I often ask broader questions as well as specific in-depth questions.
In the end, the comments I hear/read most often have to do with my mastery of the material. After my interviews, I'll get e-mails from the band members telling me how much they enjoyed talking to me, and -- in some cases -- that it was the best interview they've ever given.
I never approach a band cold. In fact, when I say I spend two weeks immersing myself I mean, more precisely, boning up and preparing. I already have enough general information to ask good questions. What I bring to the table are
great questions that set what I do apart from most other interviews. But it's more than that. There's something about my personality that allows really fun-to-read
conversations that are unique to metal interviews.
Check out my ProgPower interview sites to see what I mean.
Thanks for the questions...and for the questions for the bands. Both are always welcome.
Cheers,
Bill