(no subject)

[rivka]

I'm going to be on the radio tonight, talking about my criticisms of Washington psychiatrist Justin Frank's "analysis" of George W. Bush.

I'm told that you'll be able to hear the interview live over University of Illinois - Chicago radio, and it will subsequently be archived for a week or so at the show's website, Collective Interest. The interview should take place at 8:30pm Central/9:30pm Eastern time tonight (June 23).

Never done a live radio interview before, although I've been interviewed on tape for a TV documentary. This should be terrifying interesting.

Anyone have a good reason why I shouldn't panic?

Comments

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Go you for providing the listening public of the US with good analysis -- in addition to the reading public!

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Because of this:



Please do let us know when it's online?

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

Anyone have a good reason why I shouldn't panic?

Because you are brilliant and witty and cute! (I know it's radio but sometimes knowing that you're cute still helps with the confidence aspect.)

You'll do a fabulous job.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Do you think I should specify on-air that I'm cute? Or do you figure they'll just know, because hey, otters?

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

Do you think I should specify on-air that I'm cute?

You don't need to specify because I sent them a memo alerting them to the cuteness factor and they swore that it would be part of your intro. It turned out that they already knew you were cute!

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Anyone have a good reason why I shouldn't panic?

1. You know your material. (And you're allowed to refer to notes for things you don't have memorized.)

2. This is unlikely to be a hostile interview.

3. You have many fans who will be sending Good Thoughts and other positive vibes in your general direction.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

I find radio to be easier than video... with radio, you can be dressed comfortably and not worry about presenting the right profile towards the camera. Live radio is typically in a tiny soundproofed booth with just you and one or two others, sprawled out wearing headseats and just having a conversation. For me, I find it easy to forget that my words are going out... both a blessing and a slight danger, there ;-).

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Live radio is typically in a tiny soundproofed booth with just you and one or two others, sprawled out wearing headseats and just having a conversation.

This will be a phone interview, since the radio station is in Chicago and I'm not. I'll take your advice and try to focus on the conversation, without thinking about the, perhaps, dozens of listeners. ;-)

What I liked about being interviewed for the TV documentary was the option to rephrase answers where I got off-track, and the assurance that mistakes could be fixed. That was nice.

[saoba.livejournal.com]

1) Because you rock.

2) Because you are a doctor.

3) Because you are right.

Go you!

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I find live radio easier than taped radio. Because I can't go back and fix what I've already said, I worry less about what has been said. Treat it as a conversation, and don't worry about the radio part. Assuming you're reasonably articulate, you'll be orders of magnitude better than the average guest.

B

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Assuming you're reasonably articulate,

Well, I do talk for a living... okay, good point. I should be able to do this.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

The biggest problem I have is with short interviews. I've done hour-long call-in shows, and those are great. It's the three-minute interviews that frustrate me, because the issues are invariably more than three-minutes complicated.

B

A good reason why you shouldn't panic

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Well, aside from "you won't enjoy it if you're panicked", you don't need to panic because you give good voice, and you're knowledgeable in this field, and have done the prep work. And you're smart!

Why not panic?

[kightp.livejournal.com]

1. Because you've already written an articulate response to the questions you're likely to be asked (so you're prepared)
2. Because you have a lovely voice that should present well on the radio
3. Because radio is nothing compared to TV, and you've already survived that with flying colors
4. Because you have a whole bunch of friends sitting out here chanting "Go, Rivka, go!"

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Because you have something important to say which is also interesting.

When I heard myself on the radio, I realized that my usual lecture speaking style involves too many cautious digressions and clarifications to sound entertaining. Shortly afterwards, I did a TV interview in which I tried to sound enthusiastic and definite, and I much prefer re-watching that than hearing the radio interview.

Hee hee. Do I sound like Tal??

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Already, in my blog, I write a lot more definitely than I would in an academic context. I consciously go back and take out qualifiers, because I know that people are coming to my blog for a strong, albeit fact-backed, opinion. This is a good point for the radio interview, though - I'll try not to sound too dryly academic.

Hee hee. Do I sound like Tal??

Not in a million years. Fortunately.

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

You'll be great!! Just go with the flow of your righteous indignation!

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! You shouldn't panic because you'll do well - if you're anything as articulate on the phone as you are on the web, you'll do fine :)

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

Other people have already said what I wanted to say, so I thought I'd just add this bitchy little tidbit. The front page of the radio station you're going to be on bears this inscription:

Sunner schedule updated! We are working at making UICRadio a better listening experiance for you [...]

In light of that, I'd say that even if you have a bad day, your use of language will still be a lot better than theirs. ;-)

-J

[rivka.livejournal.com]

That's true, and yet somehow I don't think my excellent spelling will make me a stand-out radio success...

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I'm confident you'll do well sweetheart. You know what you're talking about, you've spent the last couple of weeks explaining this to people, and you have a talent for expressing yourself well.

Also, the Respectful Of Otters Military Advisory Board will be standing by, cheering you on all the way.

[ailbhe]

Because we loooooooove you!

And because you know your stuff, of course.

The Reagan Bit

[hazelchaz]

I just listened to it. You didn't sound nervous or ill-prepared at all. You even laughed at a couple of the interviewer's remarks, and it wasn't a nervous I'm-about-to-crack laugh either.

I don't remember seeing the Reagan analogy (that a "psychiatrist on the street" couldn't definitively tell that he had Alzheimer's) on Respectful of Otters, so hearing that whole explanation was a nice new twist for someone who'd already read your posts on the general issue.

Re: The Reagan Bit

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The Reagan thing was something I had mentioned in the comments section at Otters, but I developed it more for this. I wanted an example that showed armchair-analyzing the President was a bad idea even if something was objectively wrong with the President.