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Faith Current's avatar

His style doesn't work for everything and everyone, but IMO Stern is easily one of the most accomplished interviewers in history. I've been spending a fair amount of time with Howard, virtually speaking, and his interviews with Paul McCartney. He's the only one, other than sort of kind of Stanley Tucci, who's ever knocked Paul off of his standard script and into more interesting territory.

Stern is criminally underrated as an interviewer. I don't know if it's deliberate or unconscious (I'd guess the latter), but either way.

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Oleg Kagan's avatar

I don't think he's underrated when it comes to listeners. People have spoken with their ears.

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Faith Current's avatar

agreed, sort of -- I think a lot of these ears are more about that he likes to ask celebrities explicit questions about their sex lives, and people will always tune in for that. he's mocked and disparaged among the snobby crowd, though, who don't understand what it is he's doing. I've spent a bit of time deconstructing his technique and it's quite sophisticated. Again, probably unconscious, although who knows?

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Oleg Kagan's avatar

Snobby people are interested in sex too, they just don't admit it. :)

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Faith Current's avatar

they are indeed! but of course there's a difference between prurient interest and an actual understanding of his skill, is my point. and it's unlikely most people have taken the trouble, snooty or not, to untangle the two.

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Dan's avatar

'Hold on to your salad bowls' - I smell the birth of an HMF catchphrase...

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Oleg Kagan's avatar

The trademark paperwork is in progress!

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da-AL's avatar

thank goodness for all your family that Michael is better - did they know for sure what the complication was?

clearly a great topic, given that you got people commenting here. what comes to my mind is 'interview vs interrogation vs 'disguised propaganda' and hence 'you say potato, I saw potata'...

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Oleg Kagan's avatar

I don't think there was any complication. That's just more or less the normal recovery for a tonsillectomy. It takes 1-2 weeks for kids, typically.

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