Wednesday, April 05, 2006
GENE PITNEY
The death at 65 of Gene Pitney brought to mind an interview I did with him many years ago. His name and number are those of the latest in a long line of dead stars that grace my contacts book - that essential tool of all journalists.
When I spoke with Pitney in Dublin on one of his Irish tours, he struck me as a friendly man but with a reserve designed to keep you from getting too close to the real person. Although, I suspect the quietly spoken American was not an exciting man off-stage.
These are things one learns when you meet celebrities and stars. Many are nowhere near as exciting as their stage persona would have you believe. Interviewing them can be hard work. Many have little of interest to say. But there are ways of getting the best from the situation. It's a problem we address in our Celebrity Interviewing course at the Journalism Training Centre. - Brendan Martin
The death at 65 of Gene Pitney brought to mind an interview I did with him many years ago. His name and number are those of the latest in a long line of dead stars that grace my contacts book - that essential tool of all journalists.
When I spoke with Pitney in Dublin on one of his Irish tours, he struck me as a friendly man but with a reserve designed to keep you from getting too close to the real person. Although, I suspect the quietly spoken American was not an exciting man off-stage.
These are things one learns when you meet celebrities and stars. Many are nowhere near as exciting as their stage persona would have you believe. Interviewing them can be hard work. Many have little of interest to say. But there are ways of getting the best from the situation. It's a problem we address in our Celebrity Interviewing course at the Journalism Training Centre. - Brendan Martin
# posted by Writes & Wrongs @ 11:57 PM 
