AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

So I'm getting ready to go out and do one of 'those' interviews... one of the biggies... one where the person you're interviewing has so much more experience and knowledge than you do... sigh!

So, once again, a little case of the nerves come in. I know my job, I've got my list of 50 questions, I know my stuff... and yet I'm still sitting here, in my bathrobe, wondering what to wear, what to say, how to greet him.

Peter de Vries is a renowned crime reporter - most recently he was instrumental in procurring the taped confession of Dutchman Joran van der Sloot... it's not going to be a light chat, that's for sure. Peter is known to be a consumate professional, and expects nothing less from those he's dealing with - and he's not backwards in coming forwards with his opinion if he's not pleased...

Oh oh... there's another little flutter...

I guess my 'hook' is that a) I never try to prove that I know more than the person I'm interviewing - quite frankly, more often than not that is more than obviously the case! And b) giving up a 'secret' first. I guess an 'ologst' would say that I follow pretty traditional 'animal' behaviour... I lower my head, so to speak, to the dominant member of the pack - the person I'm interviewing. I'm not saying I kiss ass; just that its clear that the reason I'm here is because of them - they're 'the star', not me.

Occasionally, such as when I interviewed the incredibly talented, and experienced BBC reporter Kate Adie, I have to interview people who are more used to interviewing, than being interviewed - added to that, they know how to get a story, and how to tell it.

Of course, that makes me wonder: are they judging the questions I'm asking? Are they bored? Have they heard this questions one too many times?

It has always been my goal to ask at least one question that, I think, my interviewee has never been asked before - even better, to ask a question they, themselves, haven't thought of before...

So what have I thought up for Peter - not sure - but, if all goes as usual, the chat will flow, the magic will happen, and somewhere in there will be at least one rung for me to hook on to... fingers crossed!