“It’s just been great to turn the lights up and see your faces and share the evening with you.” — Terry Gross
“Fresh Air” radio host Terry Gross spoke at the annual Distinguished Lecture Series produced by the College of Arts and Sciences on April 10 about her unique interview style, her insights, and finding her voice through her illustrious career.
Gross put the audience at ease about one question they might have as soon as she took the stage.
“You might be wondering, ‘So, what’s she going to do tonight? Ask herself questions?’” Gross said, eliciting laughter. “No, but I am going to talk about some of my techniques as an interviewer, and I’m going to play some examples of things that could go terribly wrong and lead to unintended consequences.”
Two of her top techniques? Get personal and listen closely.
But even the most skilled interviewer has to stay on her toes. She recounted how she almost missed Grover Norquist comparing the estate tax to the Holocaust — “what a shocking thing to say,” she recalls. And as an example of unintended consequences, she described how George Clooney opened up about an injury he sustained while filming “Syriana” that left him with debilitating headaches — only to have the tabloid The New York Post use the interview for a story about his supposed “suicide anguish.”
As a radio personality, she rarely gets to converse with her guests in person, she said, and as the evening concluded she thanked the audience for the chance to talk face-to-face.