A good interviewer has to know relevant material, do what it take to get good answers out of a guest -be it making someone comfortable or calling out a guest on avoiding a question, and on their feet enough to read their guest and the conversation.
Who are your favorite interviewers? What makes them great? Is there a discussion that you remember?
My number 2.
Bob Costas
I was listening to
Costas on the Radio a couple Sunday mornings ago. Russell Simmons was on his show to promote his book and the conversation went to hip hop culture and raising media standards. Costas wanted to get Simmons' take on rapper's accountability for demanding women, glorifying violence, and gangsta-ass shit. Simmons danced around the question and talked about people contributing to charitable organizations, but never touching what responsibility rappers have. A Costas interview is usually subdued, but this time I saw him buck up and fight for that answer.
My number 1 is
Charlie Rose He devours newspapers and books daily. He has insightful questions as diverse as
Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France (a candidate at the time) to
Warren Buffet to
Jasper Johns. Since I started using Tivo, I've recorded his show (which airs around 1am in my city) and enjoyed the breadth and depth of his discussions which have helped me get a better grasp of foreign policy, current affairs, art, academia, and entertainment. I'm told that his
website contains many past interviews to view for free.
Honorable mention:
Bill Moyers