Sometimes I have left Fresh Air on because I was to lazy to get up & go turn it off when I had zero interest in hearing the interview, and those were the times I was always entertained & enlightened by Terry's drawing out life stories I could not have thought I would care to know. That has always amazed me about her style. I have been irritated by some of her speech quirks, too many soooos & stammers, but then was fascinated by her several interviews with speech therapists & coaches about modern speech styles that are very irritating to listeners. Ha! Terry Gross, I have listened for years & years & will continue to do so. You & Studs
Terkel --have been my two favorite radio talk shows! Thank you soooo much!
Terkel --have been my two favorite radio talk shows! Thank you soooo much!
5
Outside the window, Philadelphia tourists were gliding by on Segways. Across from me, Gross was serene. ‘‘I don’t know if it’s a function of age or temperament,’’ she said, ‘‘but I’m no longer seeking those major exclamatory notes of pleasure. I want a life that has pleasure contained within it.’’
Bang!
Bang!
2
I have been listening to Terry Gross since her earliest days on Fresh Air. Your piece helps me understand why I have enjoyed her so much. I'll listen with rapt attention - even when I don't care about the interviewed person or what they do. Why? Because Terry finds something fascinating in all of us. It's an amazing talent. And then there is just the sound of her voice! Keep on Terry.
3
She let's the interviewee answer the question! Without interrupting. Too many other interviewers constantly interrupt. These other interviewers might possibly, at one time years ago, been good interviewers, but have over the years, in their own minds, decided that they themselves, rather than the person being interviewed, are the big story. Another nice feature of Terry's is her pleasant voice - no doubt a manifestation of who she really is. Too many other interviewers have either the voice of gravitas ('I'm a really important person'), or a hectoring voice ('I'm going to trip you up in your lies' or 'I'm going to embarrass you and expose you'). Terry is unique.
6
Very fine interview of a great interviewer. A few observations, for no particular reason: First, I always thought that Terry Gross was gay. Partly because she seem more than neutral in conversations with gay folk; she is supportive, Partly, because her crew seems predominantly female. I always think of them as a girl army. I suspect, and hope, that she would like her crew to get more credit for the success of her show.
I am also surprised that the reviewer didn't touch on the famous interview the rock musician for Kiss (sorry I can't remember his name. I listened to that one live - absolutely amazing.
I am also surprised that the reviewer didn't touch on the famous interview the rock musician for Kiss (sorry I can't remember his name. I listened to that one live - absolutely amazing.
1
Sue me, I listen to WHYY all the time. Terry Gross gets the sexy radio guests, but Marty Moss-Coane is the smartest interviewer on radio.
2
Terry Gross means a lot to me. As someone with little formal schooling, she and her guests have expanded my education exponentially ! Her soothing voice seems to MAKE you want to listen to her questions and make her guests want to be candid.
I can remember listening to her while painting a barn, removing pet-ruined carpets, demolishing a shed (as quietly as possible) or driving home from a landfill. Whenever possible, I arrange my work schedule around Fresh Air.
One of the more memorable shows was when she had that blowhard Bill O'Reilly on her show. She caught him in a clear lie about his voter registration history. Terry was strictly professional about it all, but Pompous O'Reilly just
walked out in mid-show.
Terry Gross is a national treasure.
I can remember listening to her while painting a barn, removing pet-ruined carpets, demolishing a shed (as quietly as possible) or driving home from a landfill. Whenever possible, I arrange my work schedule around Fresh Air.
One of the more memorable shows was when she had that blowhard Bill O'Reilly on her show. She caught him in a clear lie about his voter registration history. Terry was strictly professional about it all, but Pompous O'Reilly just
walked out in mid-show.
Terry Gross is a national treasure.
7
I listen to Terry Gross just about every day and it is an enchanting hour. The people, the topics and the insights are wonderful. Just sometimes I wish she would follow up on an asinine answer with a probing question that gets to the heart of the asinine-ness. But, that just maybe me and the luxury of listening rather than interviewing.
1
Terry Gross is a great interviewer. That's pretty much inarguable and those who try to deny that lack credibility. However, she's not perfect. I actually saved the Hilary Clinton interview referenced in this article because I loved the way Clinton stood her ground when Gross repeatedly charged her with making a political calculation by not supporting gay marriage earlier. Reporter Sarah Burton's characterization of Clinton as "defensive" had me pull out my old iPhone 4 and replay the interview. What the hell are you talking about? Gross couldn't accept that Clinton wasn't making a political calculation and rephrased the same assumption several times. As Clinton pointed out (paraphrasing here,) no one of their generation grew up thinking there would ever be gay marriage. Why is that so hard to believe when it's patently true! Terry's great but not infallible. (Not so much Dave Davies. Ugh.) But I'm going to join Hilary's campaign.
3
Terry Gross is someone who seems to have stumbled into what she was best equipped to do. I treasure her interviews.
I cannot for the life of me figure why people think TG is a good interviewer. Am I listening to a different show? She often seems confused by the responses of guests if they are discussing a complex issue or the guest somehow deviates from what she thought they were going to say. When this happens she simply moves on to the next scripted question, regardless of how much an unscripted follow up question is warranted or how much of a non sequitur her scripted question is. This is to say nothing of her inability to actually push back with her guests. Of course the theater of conflict that you see on cable news is worse, but there has to be a middle ground. The closest TG ever came to be an effective and informative interviewer, as opposed to just some hack that allows people to simply promote whatever it is they are looking to promote, was with H Clinton and her evolving position on gay marriage, but even that ended in TG just capitulating and moving on to the next question. If someone can explain how simply rolling through a series of pre-written questions equals a conversation, I would love to hear it. There is no question that Fresh Air has a lot of great guests, but the appeal of the show is certainly in spite of TG's interviewing skills, not because of it.
7
Do you happen to recall her interview with Gene Simmons of "Kiss"?
I think Terry Gross is the world's best interviewer, bar none. I love listening to her and Fresh Air.
2
But Susan, what was your secret?
2
Count me as a person who doesn't get Gross or her popularity. I've listened to her ask Richard Pryor if smoking crack caused his MS; Steven Tyler if using heroin affected his sexual performance, both cases in which her prurience caused her to ask questions that in Pryor's question was pure ignorance and in Tyler's case was the giggling schoolgirl wanting to be naughty.
The WORST interview ever was when she asked Hilary Mantel, twice-awarded Booker winner, magisterial writer, if being FAT had changed her writing. Then, she continued to ask questions about Mantel's weight. The only good thing that came from that interview was that it made me question what kinds of questions other women writers get asked, which I found out, is worse than you can imagine.
I'm not certain why anyone subjects themselves to time on FRESH AIR. While she gets terrrific guests, I always know that if I want to listen to the interview, I'm going to get more Terry, asking a question, qualifying it, talking about her own experience, then suddenly remembering that she has asked someone else the question that she is now answering, before i get to hear the guest respond. I've grown tired of it. I now listen to the BBC WorldService on the way home from work rather than NPR.
With the luxury of being able to listen to real journalism, as opposed to corporate-lite, NPR has lost any of the value it might have once had. There are other ways to get one's intellect stimulated. Gross is not it.
The WORST interview ever was when she asked Hilary Mantel, twice-awarded Booker winner, magisterial writer, if being FAT had changed her writing. Then, she continued to ask questions about Mantel's weight. The only good thing that came from that interview was that it made me question what kinds of questions other women writers get asked, which I found out, is worse than you can imagine.
I'm not certain why anyone subjects themselves to time on FRESH AIR. While she gets terrrific guests, I always know that if I want to listen to the interview, I'm going to get more Terry, asking a question, qualifying it, talking about her own experience, then suddenly remembering that she has asked someone else the question that she is now answering, before i get to hear the guest respond. I've grown tired of it. I now listen to the BBC WorldService on the way home from work rather than NPR.
With the luxury of being able to listen to real journalism, as opposed to corporate-lite, NPR has lost any of the value it might have once had. There are other ways to get one's intellect stimulated. Gross is not it.
8
NPR has lost any of the value it might have once had." NPR doesn't need to have value. It is paid for with our tax dollars and has become a sacred cow for the crowd that wants news that conforms to their political views.
Maybe some day it will be cut loose to compete for dollars like the rest of the media industry and really have to compete for the ears of something other than the Volvo/Subaru/Prius driving crowd.
Maybe some day it will be cut loose to compete for dollars like the rest of the media industry and really have to compete for the ears of something other than the Volvo/Subaru/Prius driving crowd.
Terry Gross for president or Speaker of the house.
I'm a big Terry Gross fan. I was hoping the article would touch more on her mother's Alzheimer's experience. Terry rarely interviews people about Alzheimer's or shares her own experience with it. It seems strangely verboten.
Ms Gross has more interesting interviews than any one else but that doesn't give her a pass-m edia sets a low bar.
you never know where she stands- but I understand that no one would come on her show if she c riticized them. She's had horrific interviews- as w horror man craven or killer kyle- where she blindly accepts their violence. I was grateful to hear her w the genius artist, Andy Goldworthy, less happy re Patti Smith- the 3 chord rocker; I really don't find her that probing- never rox the boat- let her interview Medea Benjamin.
you never know where she stands- but I understand that no one would come on her show if she c riticized them. She's had horrific interviews- as w horror man craven or killer kyle- where she blindly accepts their violence. I was grateful to hear her w the genius artist, Andy Goldworthy, less happy re Patti Smith- the 3 chord rocker; I really don't find her that probing- never rox the boat- let her interview Medea Benjamin.
3
I have listened to "Fresh Air" off and on thoughout my life. This lady is wonderful.
1
I'm no Terry Gross fan. She rarely challenges interviewees who give inaccurate, incomplete, or vacuous responses. Kai Ryssdal is a better intervier.
3
Here in Philly I have listened to
I have listened to
Terry's interviews for 40 years.
She is excellent.
I have listened to
Terry's interviews for 40 years.
She is excellent.
2
I love "Fresh Air," particularly her skill in picking interesting guests.
2
Terry Gross engages people in conversation like no other.
1
Of course guests feel safe with her. As an example she tells Sarah Hepola that if she crosses the line or gets too personal "just tell me" and I'll back off. "Neutral" in this case means anodyne. Safe means "she will never challenge anything I've ever said or done". The fact that the author and some readers consider her the best is a sad commentary on what a low bar we have for interviewers in this country. Watch just one episode of "Hard Talk" on the BBC and see what a real interviewer is.
10
Wayne
Very true Gross is a softball interviewer which is predominant in American media because they can always go to another outlet or even more ghastly the person knows management. BTW anodyne great word
Very true Gross is a softball interviewer which is predominant in American media because they can always go to another outlet or even more ghastly the person knows management. BTW anodyne great word
3
One of the worst interviewers on the air. She simply will not ask the tough questions, especially when she interviews anyone remotely powerful.
9
13,000 interviews? Sigh - in their lifetimes, how many get to speak to anywhere near so many people who pique their interest? Some of the criticisms are in the vein of Terry Gross not being hard hitting enough or zeroing in on international issues. But Oriana Fallaci she isn't - she introduces us to a lot of quirky as well as famous people, lets them express themselves, and listeners can imagine being part of the conversation. It's good to learn something about her life as well.
2
Years ago, I had the privilege of working on the program just as it maneuvered from a local show here in Philadelphia to the national stage via NPR affiliates across the country. And steeped in the hothouse environment that is typical of these highly polished and artfully produced programs such as Fresh Air is this constant, steady influence of the main voice, this way of quizzically looking at, say, a book, a musical passage, all the things that Fresh Air tackles daily, and thinking about it from a Terry Gross point of view. One of my greatest joys was being prepared for the Monday morning idea sessions, those 'who should Terry interview next?' brainstorms, and tossing out a suggestion from something I had been exposed to over the weekend, wondering, as we all did, with all our ideas, 'what would Terry do with that?' Years later, the wonderful weight and depth of that daily influence, the same influence a regular listener feels though maybe from a more intimate vantage point, has become the great and enduring gift of my association there. Terry is, hands down, the biggest, shaping influence I've been exposed to, more than all my classrooms put together. I don't read - critically, able to turn over the argument, look at it from the other side - the way I would have were it not for Terry, watch a movie the same way, listen to music with the same ears. Though I've seen her many times since then, the situation has never been quite right to convey this. I hope I just did.
2
Terry Gross is amazing!!! I have listened to her since she became the host of Fresh Air. I am in awe of her ability to interview people across the human spectrum. She asks incisive questions. Sometimes, it seems, she asks the questions we all would like to ask. She can interview authors, politicians, movie "stars," Broadway actors/actresses, with great comfort.
Of all her interviews, I vividly remember the 2 she had w/Bishop Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly Gay Bishop. His first interview, Bp. Robinson concluded that he felt everything would work out, all would be well within God's Holy, catholic and apostolic church. Two years later, 2nd interview, Bp. Robinson wasn't so sure. Bp. Robinson celebrated Solemn Choral Evensong at St. Luke in the Fields in NYC for Pride Sunday. I was honored to meet & talk w/him later. I wished I could've asked what Terry Gross would've asked!
It is nice to know the lady behind the interviewer. I hope she continues to interview people far and wide for many years to come! Thank you, Terry. Youre the best in the business.
PS I remember the interview w/Hillary Clinton. I've met her several times. She comes across as guarded, even defensive when there is no need to be (if I'm thrilled she "stuck it to" the Benghazi Committee, yesterday!) I hope if she is elected President she, somehow will be more open.
Of all her interviews, I vividly remember the 2 she had w/Bishop Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly Gay Bishop. His first interview, Bp. Robinson concluded that he felt everything would work out, all would be well within God's Holy, catholic and apostolic church. Two years later, 2nd interview, Bp. Robinson wasn't so sure. Bp. Robinson celebrated Solemn Choral Evensong at St. Luke in the Fields in NYC for Pride Sunday. I was honored to meet & talk w/him later. I wished I could've asked what Terry Gross would've asked!
It is nice to know the lady behind the interviewer. I hope she continues to interview people far and wide for many years to come! Thank you, Terry. Youre the best in the business.
PS I remember the interview w/Hillary Clinton. I've met her several times. She comes across as guarded, even defensive when there is no need to be (if I'm thrilled she "stuck it to" the Benghazi Committee, yesterday!) I hope if she is elected President she, somehow will be more open.
Michael Krasny of KQED is a much better interviewer. Really smart, thoughtful and genuinely informed about his subjects, meaning both interviewees and topics. Very often, I find Krasny's interviews bracing and energizing. So many of Gross's questions and probes seem to me a shade on the lazy side, and getting moreso over the years.
2
Just a new listener of Fresh Air podcast.
Terry is really wonderful in her way to get the "substantifique moelle" from her interviewees.
She's one of the NPR treasures!
Terry is really wonderful in her way to get the "substantifique moelle" from her interviewees.
She's one of the NPR treasures!
1
There is no doubt that Terry's Fresh Air is an intriguing phenomenon. Her most devoted NPR fans are for the most part educated, female and white. Their ethos is her ethos (or this is the artifice anyway). The multiple choice answers that Terry proffers to her own questions are key to her bond with this cohort because the suggested answers project that ethos. Just as preschool girls sit in a circle serving each other imaginary tea and hosting imaginary guests who conform to a script that supports a narrative that the participants surround themselves with, the intimate Fresh Air experience brings outside world characters into a form of tea table play. The host, deftly channeling her audience's belief in the underlying power of relationships, then warmly, with admiration, respect and insight, guides the guests into confirming, regardless of how much a rogue they may be by reputation, that relationships have been, underneath it all, what really mattered in their lives. Fresh Air's success is due to its affirmation of the trust its listeners have in their own value system. It is about the guests too, but mainly as carriers for that affirmation. This may be what accounts for the therapeutic resonance that the show has for so many.
7
Please don't even think about retirement Terry...You are heart and soul of NPR...thank you for the wonderful interviews.
3
This article could be interesting if it was reduced to 10-20% of it original size. Doing that would help the writer to be more concise. No, I did not read it all through, it is to long, way to long...but this is America, words, words, words, no substance.
1
Jack: yes, words words, words. And if you spell them correctly, they're terrific
I want to go to sleep.
I want to go to sleep, too!
I want to go to sleep.
I want to go to sleep, too!
4
Sad, because it has a great closing line.
Re-read the article. It's soporific.
1
Last summer I sat in a car dealership waiting room with a dozen or so other frustrated and dispirited people. Among this crowd sat Terry Gross, reading her Times (sports section unceremoniously deposited directly into the trashcan, and every other word of the paper meticulously scrutinized). I have spent hours listening to Fresh Air, captivated and enlightened by all of her conversations. Yet, I could not manage to blurt out a few niceties to a woman I deeply admire and respect, who also happens to be a world class conversationalist. Instead, I got to observe her go through her minutiae: phone calls about chiropractor appointments and gazpacho, endless moving and arranging of bags, and the mindless scrolling through emails on her phone. I tried all the small moves of catching someone's attention. For instances, I positioned my book directly between our line of site, cover visible, while pantomiming deep interest and engagement that any interested person would want to know more about. I wanted a Terry Gross question. Undoubtedly, she is too dignified to engage in such frivolities, and I never got my question. Still, that moment reinforced for me her power. She is the link to the world of culture and ideas that enlighten and empower us to strive beyond our everyday tasks and concerns. She demonstrates what a well placed or designed series of questions can accomplish. Her interviews helped me turn similar waiting-room situations into moments of inspiration.
2
One great piece!
Well thought out. Well presented. More important, correct.
I've been doing interviews for broadcast for over 20 years and what she reports is what I've been experiencing every day.
If you work to connect with people, actually listen to them - and respond to what they say, that says a lot to them
It makes them feel heard, respected, and safe with you.
Well thought out. Well presented. More important, correct.
I've been doing interviews for broadcast for over 20 years and what she reports is what I've been experiencing every day.
If you work to connect with people, actually listen to them - and respond to what they say, that says a lot to them
It makes them feel heard, respected, and safe with you.
Terry is a national treasure. Listen to her for a month and you will learn so much. Always done with fun, civility and respect. Wonderful.
7
Some of her most memorable interviews have been with people I would never have thought I'd care to hear from, such as a snake handler in religious ceremonies. Others were with people I couldn't wait to hear from--the Sendak interview being a high point. I still get tears in my eyes thinking about it and wondering how she managed not to sob.
As a journalist I have learned a tremendous amount about how to interview from listening carefully to Terry Gross. I have also learned how NOT to interview by watching Charlie Rose, whose techniques are the opposite of hers. It's ALL about him...he interrupts...no humility...incomplete sentences...slams hand on table, startling guests...you can't even tell what he's asking. (A favorite moment: Barbara Ehrenreich asking him, "You haven't read the book, have you?") Of course being invisible is easier on the radio than on television. Her chosen medium was the ideal showcase for her gifts. Hurray for tape so the interviews can all be heard again forever.
As a journalist I have learned a tremendous amount about how to interview from listening carefully to Terry Gross. I have also learned how NOT to interview by watching Charlie Rose, whose techniques are the opposite of hers. It's ALL about him...he interrupts...no humility...incomplete sentences...slams hand on table, startling guests...you can't even tell what he's asking. (A favorite moment: Barbara Ehrenreich asking him, "You haven't read the book, have you?") Of course being invisible is easier on the radio than on television. Her chosen medium was the ideal showcase for her gifts. Hurray for tape so the interviews can all be heard again forever.
6
We finally gave up on Charlie Rose for the reasons you outline. Terry Gross continues to engage!
3
Sorry, but I don't dig Terry Gross. I think she is overrated and find her up-speak and long, meandering questions to be incredibly annoying. Does anyone ever edit her or work with her on getting rid of those nasty habits? Like, how she says, "Like," several dozen times during one interview.? I know because I can count.
9
Yeah; she's OK, but you got really carried away. I can listen for a short time at times, but it just gets sooooooooooo boring. I can't even stand the sound of her voice for very long.
4
Then don't listen to her. Leave that to the adults.
5
A true hero of our time.
2
I just retired from a 40 year career in academic advising at a selective university. People often asked me what kept me in this work for so many years. Now I realize that I tried to talk to each student as Terry Gross would talk with them. I wanted to know what was special about them and I made them think deeply about this. The interview helped them find their direction at the university. It was fascinating and rewarding work.
I think Terry Gross could be a role model for academic advisors everywhere.
I think Terry Gross could be a role model for academic advisors everywhere.
3
Fascinating in all respects, including seeing pictures of her then and now. Don't know how she's been able to do that for 40 years. Had not stopped to think that many/most of the interviews would be done remotely -- I imagined her in physical proximity due to the warmth and engagement that comes across in most interviews.
3
As effective as Terry Gross is with most of her interview subjects, she recently struck out with Edward St. Aubyn, the author of the brilliant Patrick Melrose series of novels whose informing experience is childhood rape. Gross seemed fixated on this event, mentioning it over and over again as if to show how nonchalantly she could talk about the most appalling sexual crime. It became gratuitous. Other aspects of the novels - their satire of the upper classes, fatherhood, drug addiction, healing - went unexplored so we could be reminded, once again, about the shocking stuff at the books' core. Faced with St. Aubyn's candid, almost matter-of-fact responses to her questions about paternal sex abuse in his own childhood, she grew flustered and girlish. It was embarrassing.
7
All of her and their words aside, I find her infectious laugh to say it all.
1
A good piece but diminished by the descriptions of her attire. Do you tell what Charlie Rose is wearing?
2
Not Charlie Rose, but Martin Charnin. A good writer makes gives you word pictures and you can see what they are seeing: "Periodically, Charnin drew a purple comb through his own long, silver hair. He was wearing faded jeans, a matching denim jacket, and bright-white sneakers. On a table in front of him was his cell phone, which had a mint-green skin patterned like a hundred-dollar bill." http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/12/11/only-a-day-away
2
*a good writer gives...
No mention of Gross's rabid attack on Sally Mann (shortly after which Mann died)? Gross hounded Mann nonstop about the old American bugaboo - nudity. It was a pitiless and misguided tack and disgusting to most long-time listeners.
Sally Mann is not dead.
FYI - I'm pretty sure Sally Mann is still very much alive. Missed the interview you mention, but even if it was bad, I'm pretty sure it didn't drive Sally Mann to her grave.
I'm not familiar with the particular interview you reference, but I believe Mann is still alive and working.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Mann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Mann
I've always been a big fan of Terry Gross and agree with most of the positive comments here. However, in all my years of listening, I've heard one interview where I felt like she treated her subject very poorly - her interview with Allie Brosh (of "Hyperbole and a Half" fame). Ms. Gross was so pushy & rude to Ms. Brosh on the subject of her suicide attempt (asking for more & more details, even though Ms. Brosh was on the verge of tears), and generally quite dismissive in her tone throughout the interview. It made me wonder if, as a strong, successful woman of the Ms. Generation, Terry Gross was dismayed/annoyed by Ms. Brosh's fragility? Turned me off.
1
i wish everybody could be interviewed by ms. gross and more fully embody their vulnerability; a breath of fresh air indeed...
2
Is it just me?
Or do other people find Gross so enjoyable, in large part, because she's the exact opposite of the slick, even-keel broadcast media voice we're so used to?
Sometimes she stammers. Sometimes she stutters. Sometimes she gets flustered and her voice goes awry. I love that about her.
She's real. She's one of us.
Or do other people find Gross so enjoyable, in large part, because she's the exact opposite of the slick, even-keel broadcast media voice we're so used to?
Sometimes she stammers. Sometimes she stutters. Sometimes she gets flustered and her voice goes awry. I love that about her.
She's real. She's one of us.
5
I know people are not going to like what I say but, I think it is time for
her to step aside after 40 years and allow someone else to do Fresh Air.
Yeah, she has been very good I acknowledge but I am getting tired of her interviewing TV personalities with enormous egos.
Give it up Terry and give a younger person a chance.
her to step aside after 40 years and allow someone else to do Fresh Air.
Yeah, she has been very good I acknowledge but I am getting tired of her interviewing TV personalities with enormous egos.
Give it up Terry and give a younger person a chance.
I love NPR, and I like Terry. More often than not, the subjects she covers are of interest to me.
I'm sure that I'd like her in person, but I can't stand her conversational style. She speaks like a 14-year-old girl from the 80's.
I can tolerate it when I'm alone, but I have to turn her off when my kids are in the car.
It's not just unprofessional; it's unbelievably grating hearing her kind of speech from a woman in her 60's. It makes me cringe.
I'm sure that I'd like her in person, but I can't stand her conversational style. She speaks like a 14-year-old girl from the 80's.
I can tolerate it when I'm alone, but I have to turn her off when my kids are in the car.
It's not just unprofessional; it's unbelievably grating hearing her kind of speech from a woman in her 60's. It makes me cringe.
6
I guess she should act her age and be an old lady?
One of my fondest travel memories is a two day drive with my then teenage daughter from San Francisco to Taos, picking up Terry Gross interviews along the way. There were about a half a dozen different ones, including a surprisingly interesting one with Harrison Ford. I really felt that I had died and gone to heaven. I wholeheartedly second those who said she’s a national treasure.
2
Has anyone else fallen out of love with Terry Gross?
In recent years, her tendency to ask overlong questions and to answer her own questions before letting guests get a word in edgewise has become intolerable. You can even sense the guests squirming as she drones on and on.
Guests used to say, "That's a great question." or "No one ever asked me that before." Now they say "You answered that question better than I could."
When she interviewed Chris Matthews on October 1, 2013, he happened to say, "reducing the length of your question is a good thing to do. Try to find economy of language so that you can ask a three-word question and get a long answer. " I think he was trying to tell her something.
I find myself yelling at the podcast, "Shut up, Terry! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I finally unsubscribed.
Terry Gross earned her immense popularity by asking short, tough, sensitive and original questions that kept interviewees and audiences from being bored by the same old answers they already given or heard in other media. Now that she’s become so popular, she interviews as if listeners are interested in HER and her opinions. Sorry Terry, we’re not. Better to be silent and thought interesting than speak and be proven otherwise.
Terry Gross has jumped the shark!
In recent years, her tendency to ask overlong questions and to answer her own questions before letting guests get a word in edgewise has become intolerable. You can even sense the guests squirming as she drones on and on.
Guests used to say, "That's a great question." or "No one ever asked me that before." Now they say "You answered that question better than I could."
When she interviewed Chris Matthews on October 1, 2013, he happened to say, "reducing the length of your question is a good thing to do. Try to find economy of language so that you can ask a three-word question and get a long answer. " I think he was trying to tell her something.
I find myself yelling at the podcast, "Shut up, Terry! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I finally unsubscribed.
Terry Gross earned her immense popularity by asking short, tough, sensitive and original questions that kept interviewees and audiences from being bored by the same old answers they already given or heard in other media. Now that she’s become so popular, she interviews as if listeners are interested in HER and her opinions. Sorry Terry, we’re not. Better to be silent and thought interesting than speak and be proven otherwise.
Terry Gross has jumped the shark!
5
As soon as she's on, I have to change to station. Does being a reporter gives you the right to ask inane questions just to see where you can push your subject? The last interview I listened to was with Bill Withers; he verbally thumped her because she asked a nonsense question. I thought he would get up and leave. The sum of a suave voice, her intrusive/inane questions, and disregard of others' cultural milieu is almost unsupportable.
6
Fresh Air is only as interesting as the guests. Terry Gross is an unremarkable interviewer with a bevy of annoying and unprofessional vocal habits. She may have a talent for putting her subjects at ease, but once she gets past her prepared questions, she's pretty weak on the follow-up, frequently responding to a guest's answer with a dull, "Right". Furthermore, her interviews are edited, which is kind of cheating.
If she has a strong suit, I'd say it's politics, but when it comes to pop culture, she's a total shill, loving every new movie, hit TV show, and the latest record by every up-and-coming or has-been musician (Will these 60-something NPR hosts ever give up on trying to remain hip?). On top of that, she tends to fawn over celebrities, often coming across like a starstruck teenager. How embarrassing.
It doesn't surprise me that she's as popular as she is, within, of course, that certain public radio demographic. In that respect, I'd say Fresh Air, including its associate critics, is the interview show equivalent of contemporary "album-oriented rock", i.e., easy listening for aging baby boomers. Just like most of the other programming on NPR these days.
If she has a strong suit, I'd say it's politics, but when it comes to pop culture, she's a total shill, loving every new movie, hit TV show, and the latest record by every up-and-coming or has-been musician (Will these 60-something NPR hosts ever give up on trying to remain hip?). On top of that, she tends to fawn over celebrities, often coming across like a starstruck teenager. How embarrassing.
It doesn't surprise me that she's as popular as she is, within, of course, that certain public radio demographic. In that respect, I'd say Fresh Air, including its associate critics, is the interview show equivalent of contemporary "album-oriented rock", i.e., easy listening for aging baby boomers. Just like most of the other programming on NPR these days.
4
I've been listening to terry gross for decades as I walk. First, with a walkman radio, Second, recorded programs on cassette tapes, Third, iPods. Now, podcasts. Sometimes in the from car to post office line to kitchen - all with the same gadgets.
Terry is my companion, mentor, and cultural/political/psychological informant. Now at age 70, I worry that she'll retire before my demise. Sometimes during particularly moving "conversations", I felt a chill with the thought of her not being there in my ear.
Terry is my companion, mentor, and cultural/political/psychological informant. Now at age 70, I worry that she'll retire before my demise. Sometimes during particularly moving "conversations", I felt a chill with the thought of her not being there in my ear.
2
Gosh, you're right! I remember how painful it was to lose one, then both, of Click 'n' Clack, the car guys. That was pretty terrible. Not sure I could cope with losing Terry.
2
I find Gross's interviews fascinating and stimulating. Her biggest shortcoming, I think, is her frequent reliance on the lazy, formulaic tactic of drawing direct parallels between people's lives and their art. It's so often a dead-end approach. I've heard some interviewees get annoyed at this, as if she were saying: "You're not creative enough as an artist to deal with something that didn't actually happen to you." I'm sure that's not the impression she (usually) intends to make, but I understand her subjects' irritation. What's interesting about art is whatever the art itself does, not how closely it hews to the artist's biography.
3
I listen to her less and less. Condescending, often judgmental tone, pat questions, mediocrity given a pass at every turn. This is public radio?
3
Many, many times I would just sit in my car to hear the whole interview. It wasn't just her but the amazing people she interviewed. An aformation that there are people in this world that are pretty darn cool.
4
Why, why - almost excvlusively female - writers find it irresistible to inform readers or listeners what a subject they write about wears?
Here: "Gross, who wore a leopard-print scarf knotted at her neck..."
This proclivity and bad habit has one even worse - and yes, sexist - aspect, when women and women rights activists then jump on an author - only when he is a male. He is sexist, "reducing" a person into an object, etc.
When would (female) authors be strong enough to resist this insulting, sexist tempetion? Male authors, never ga ga about what she wears on top of that learned - hard way - never mentioned fashion details, yet female writers still do this ... and generally get away with it, with majority of female readers actually stil' "appreciate" such attention to an outfit or make up or hairdo.
Here: "Gross, who wore a leopard-print scarf knotted at her neck..."
This proclivity and bad habit has one even worse - and yes, sexist - aspect, when women and women rights activists then jump on an author - only when he is a male. He is sexist, "reducing" a person into an object, etc.
When would (female) authors be strong enough to resist this insulting, sexist tempetion? Male authors, never ga ga about what she wears on top of that learned - hard way - never mentioned fashion details, yet female writers still do this ... and generally get away with it, with majority of female readers actually stil' "appreciate" such attention to an outfit or make up or hairdo.
4
Terry excels at her work. Talk of great interviewers makes think of Jian Ghomeshi, whose abilities as an interviewer were also remarkable. Such a shame that he thew it all away.
2
Terry Gross is a treasure - her mellifluously fluid voice and insightful, calming questions bring out the best in the interviewees and listeners - negative comments are so unnecessary, if you don't like her, change the channel. haters gonna hate....... She's the reason I sit in my driveway long after arrival just to hear the end of the story.
27
Yes, sitting in the driveway to listen to the end of the interview. I've done that many, many times.
Like her or not, she's great at interviewing. Thankfully, KQED out of SF repeats her show in the evening.
That said, two of my own favorite interview Terry did were Gerry Conlon (the subject of In the Name of the Father), and Keith Richards.
I admired Conlon's constantly bringing Terry back to the focus of what the British government's current and historic practice in Ireland has been was masterful on Gerry's part.
And Keith's "nice try, Terry" at the end of their interview, which got a real laugh from Terry, was great. The "nice try" was the try that almost every interviewer of Keith does, which is to get him (or the Stones collectively) to say "mea culpa" for Altamont and the murder of a gun-toting Black man by Hells Angels there. The situation wasn't (and still isn't) funny, but the "blame it on the Stones" has gotten to be de riguer for interviewers of the Stones. Curiously, not for the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, who had some actual responsibility for the Angels' presence at Altamont.
That would be an interesting interview, Terry.
That said, two of my own favorite interview Terry did were Gerry Conlon (the subject of In the Name of the Father), and Keith Richards.
I admired Conlon's constantly bringing Terry back to the focus of what the British government's current and historic practice in Ireland has been was masterful on Gerry's part.
And Keith's "nice try, Terry" at the end of their interview, which got a real laugh from Terry, was great. The "nice try" was the try that almost every interviewer of Keith does, which is to get him (or the Stones collectively) to say "mea culpa" for Altamont and the murder of a gun-toting Black man by Hells Angels there. The situation wasn't (and still isn't) funny, but the "blame it on the Stones" has gotten to be de riguer for interviewers of the Stones. Curiously, not for the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, who had some actual responsibility for the Angels' presence at Altamont.
That would be an interesting interview, Terry.
2
The Keith Richards interview was a great one but I remember the "nice try" closing differently. It struck me as "nice effort to do a meaningful interview" as opposed to all the vapid ET-type interviews he must have sat through. I will have to go back and listen again.
I could be wrong. I took it as a parting shot by Keith.
If she reads this I want to say a big "thank you" for asking the tough questions and covering people, issues, and events that need to be explored. When other national news media are note covering the stories and not asking the tough questions, I am grateful for Terry's interviews; always a standout, intellectually stimulating, educational, and a public service to our democracy.
9
I used to love to listen to Fresh Air at noon every weekday but the local Southern NPR affiliate (WFAE) decided that *more* right-wingy stuff from WBUR would be better in the time slot. Ugh.
Race to the bottom @ NPR, no? Game shows. "Balanced" i.e. conservative 'news & current affairs' programs. Big Corporate underwriting. Pandering to downmarket philistines. A more twangy overall dullness.
But at least it's not that liberal, artsy Terry Gross, right?
Race to the bottom @ NPR, no? Game shows. "Balanced" i.e. conservative 'news & current affairs' programs. Big Corporate underwriting. Pandering to downmarket philistines. A more twangy overall dullness.
But at least it's not that liberal, artsy Terry Gross, right?
17
I went all "Marc Maron" when I saw the picture of Terry in her office- looking on the walls for clues to the "Inner Terry". Wonderful story, wonderful talent. There are few who more eloquently shape questions in such a way to so gently extract such unique insights. For me, the highlight so far has been her "un-interview" with Maron. Thank you, NY Times, thank you, Ms. Gross.
Listen to her on internet radio!
the Right has been at war with PBS and NPR since Newt-what-a-hoot Gingerich successfully choked off federal funding for public radio ,back in the '90's. The effect appears to have had some good consequences, forcing stations to beg for money and thus reflect more of local sentiment, but then if you are form the northeast, the local sentiment in central California or in Texas may not be she you enjoy. I absolutely love Terry's interviews, and for those deprived of them in the hinterlands, they can be found on line.
Terry's main audience is on NPR, a station which is a lightning rod for conservative venom. I've listened to countless interviews she's done with people I never thought I'd be interested in -- only to be deeply impressed by how Terry brings their humanity out, which is simply indescribably wonderful. She could easily teach psychologists a thing or two about intelligent directed conversation touching delicate topics. Terry is easily one of the top five people in the radio business that I deeply respect and enjoy listening to. Well done!
31
Here's a fantasy interview perhaps a few here may appreciate. Terry Gross and Jeremy Paxman interview each other.
2
Paxman would destroy her.
I was right about the 'few'!
1
Terry Gross does seem to have a real problem interviewing people she either doesn't like or does not agree with.To bring out those you are not simpatico with is the highest art of a top interviewer. Hard questions producing difficult, often complex, answers in respectful dialogue is, to me, several cuts above the ordinary. Granted, I have only heard a minority of her shows, but in those I have heard, the pattern is there. In "conversation" with "friends", Gross does an excellent job; interviews with "the others", not so much.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
7
I don't agree. I've listened to Terry for years, and the only interview in which I felt she was put off by the interviewee was Gene Simmons of Kiss, who was aggressively misogynistic. That being said, she's had to interview some real cretans and misanthropes and, while not resulting in a warm, fuzzy interview, were highly professional and informative.
I think your bias is showing, Steve.
I think your bias is showing, Steve.
Earlier posting a somewhat breathless comment on TG, I've now read most of the 250 comments left thus far by other Times readers… and I'm shocked, shocked! – a good few are hostile towards her, often on substantive grounds! I respect those grounds and that hostility; yet Terry Gross retains my admiration.
3
Her voice is my signal to change the station.
15
Perhaps sad, but true. At least for me. Especially with their people like Terry Gross, NPR et al. went too far with political correctness and slant for me to continue our family decade+ and above average finacial support.
It has been, too often and for too long, i.e. consistently, too much to benefit. Our three, now high school daughters and son and we are affraid to the society, the country, and even to mainstream liberal causes as well.
It has been, too often and for too long, i.e. consistently, too much to benefit. Our three, now high school daughters and son and we are affraid to the society, the country, and even to mainstream liberal causes as well.
Love Terry Gross, and this comment is not about her.
Why on earth do we need to hear 3-4 comments on her appearance? I guess I kind of understand the bit about her short stature, but what she's wearing is completely irrelevant to the article, and begs the question: would this have been part of the article if it were about a male? Where are the NY Times editors at times like these? If they are going to hire a journalist who includes a run-down of someone's appearance (especially someone who is rarely seen as part of her job), then someone ought to at least be available to strike those details from the final draft. You'd think this would be second nature at this point, since so many people have been called out for this kind of writing (or in other contexts, e.g. female actors being asked by the press about boyfriends, what designer they wear, etc.).
Why on earth do we need to hear 3-4 comments on her appearance? I guess I kind of understand the bit about her short stature, but what she's wearing is completely irrelevant to the article, and begs the question: would this have been part of the article if it were about a male? Where are the NY Times editors at times like these? If they are going to hire a journalist who includes a run-down of someone's appearance (especially someone who is rarely seen as part of her job), then someone ought to at least be available to strike those details from the final draft. You'd think this would be second nature at this point, since so many people have been called out for this kind of writing (or in other contexts, e.g. female actors being asked by the press about boyfriends, what designer they wear, etc.).
9
Most profiles I've read about well-known people, male and female, include descriptions of their appearance, including height, demeanor, and clothing. Sartorial choices reveal a lot about personality. I don't find Burton's observations about Gross sexist or perjorative in the least.
19
It's Journalism 101, standard-form reporting to provide a physical description of your subject. If that description includes something that helps to reveal personality or quirkiness, all the better. It is perfectly pertinent to the piece to mention that this tiny, somewhat retiring woman -- with a deceptively large radio persona -- styles herself the way she does. Gender does not matter.
4
I have to agree with JR. I am a fan of Terry Gross and her extraordinary interviews. Her investment in preparation before one is balanced by her insight and her willingness to ask the good -- i.e hard -- questions. But I hear that distinctive disembodied voice and I am curious about the external details. I was glad to see some info about what she wears, about what food she likes to eat. It adds to the texture in a useful way.
4
It could be my imagination, but when I hear Stephen Colbert's current interviews it seems to me that he is channeling TG. He does seem to be a real fanboy of hers.
6
Terry Gross is a skilled, intelligent and empathetic interviewer whose program can get me raptly interested in and care about people and topics I never thought I could be interested in. That having been said, I find some consistent unevenness in her interviews. She has less sure footing on foreign affairs topics, where she seems influenced by mainstream views and journalists (lot of interviews of New Yorker journalists about their articles on the Middle East, for example, and not many with journalists from the region or other individuals from the region). Her knowledge of international issues seems more limited than her knowledge of some arts, and popular culture (movies and television, especially). Some of her best interviews are of individuals whose life stories don't fit into any genre or who are quirky and idiosyncratic. This all to say that I do admire her and her work, but also have my critique. I agree with several others who laud the hard-hitting BBC interviewers in comparison to NPR, whose interviewers are way too nice to political figures and celebrities (not Terry so much, though. I loved the Hilary Clinton interview, where she provoked her!)
6
well, it's about time terry got the new york times treatment. what a terrific interviewer including a wonderful style and resonance. what a kick to see pic in her earlier life.
one of hillary clintons' biggest gaffs during 2008 election was her impolite and mistrusting tone of terry interviewing her. if she had ever 'bothered' to listen to or familiarize herself with ms. gross it might have gone differently. it was obvious she had very little respect for what terry does better than anyone else, talk with and interview her guests.
one of hillary clintons' biggest gaffs during 2008 election was her impolite and mistrusting tone of terry interviewing her. if she had ever 'bothered' to listen to or familiarize herself with ms. gross it might have gone differently. it was obvious she had very little respect for what terry does better than anyone else, talk with and interview her guests.
12
Terry Gross is a national treasure.
11
Terry Gross is a national treasure.
14
Good profile, but Susan Burton should have taken a note from Terry's work and not injected herself into the story.
38
I agree. I think the writer tried to pull off a too-cute flourish for the finish, which did not quite work. A sort of "I see what you did there" tie-up, garnished with a bright, red ribbon. Unfortunately, this is the direction is which reporting is moving, and not just in the Arts and Culture sections. Contrast this reportage with the more tradition work of N.R. Kleinfield, in his recent -- superb -- piece, "The Lonely Death of George Bell," where the reporter is invisible. Granted, the subject of that story was present only in spirit, but we did get a strong inkling of who he was or may have been, without being told what the writer felt about him.
I mourn the passing of the invisible reporter.
I mourn the passing of the invisible reporter.
3
I totally agree, Fred. In this instance the decision to "leave it in" was a mistake. The last section disrupted the rhythm of an otherwise good piece.
4
I'm a reluctant fan - I listen often. She's a great interviewer. I still cry when I hear this piece in the NYT with part of her interview with Maurice Sendak ( http://goo.gl/tBQqrm ). There is magic in the way she handles the interview..
She definitely has her quirks. Upspeak. And, as others have pointed out, I really don't understand her seeming obsession with sex (and this is a guy writing this). I understand that sometimes it is absolutely relevant to the interview but most times a persons sexual proclivities aren't particularly relevant unless Terry makes it so. But no matter, she pretty much always circles around to it and quite often the line of questioning just sounds so out of place to the interview. Forget it if the person is gay or lesbian, that's a guarantee of an eventual (often awkward) line of sexual questions. I remember she was interviewing a man, and he was gay. I don't remember / know how that particular fact was related to the interview but next thing, the line of questioning went to his first sexual experience. He answered the question but you could plainly hear that he was trying to be discreet. But Terry pressed on and we went on to hear how this guys first sexual experience was with someone whispering Broadway show tunes in his ear. It was an amazingly awkward moment..
She definitely has her quirks. Upspeak. And, as others have pointed out, I really don't understand her seeming obsession with sex (and this is a guy writing this). I understand that sometimes it is absolutely relevant to the interview but most times a persons sexual proclivities aren't particularly relevant unless Terry makes it so. But no matter, she pretty much always circles around to it and quite often the line of questioning just sounds so out of place to the interview. Forget it if the person is gay or lesbian, that's a guarantee of an eventual (often awkward) line of sexual questions. I remember she was interviewing a man, and he was gay. I don't remember / know how that particular fact was related to the interview but next thing, the line of questioning went to his first sexual experience. He answered the question but you could plainly hear that he was trying to be discreet. But Terry pressed on and we went on to hear how this guys first sexual experience was with someone whispering Broadway show tunes in his ear. It was an amazingly awkward moment..
8
"I really don't understand her seeming obsession with sex"
Why not? Not only "Dr. Ruth", that (also diminutive) busy peddler of sex "education" also knew that sex sells, sells, sells.
Why not? Not only "Dr. Ruth", that (also diminutive) busy peddler of sex "education" also knew that sex sells, sells, sells.
A good interviewer asks the questions you as a listener would ask. But Terry Gross asks the questions you as a listener never even thought to ask. She is the absolute best at what she does. She does her research but then sits back and listens and waits for their lead. She allows herself to be surprised and to let the listener to be surprised, which is a remarkable thing. When I turn on NPR and I hear her voice, it's like hearing my favorite song. I turn her up and cannot wait to experience the perfect interview.
13
I enjoy Terry"s interviews but I also cringe when they seem to end abruptly, right after the guest has perhaps revealed very personal information. While the interviews are meaningful and often intimate I think she needs to articulate an appreciation for the guest or for the book they wrote and discussed, or for the show they're in, e.g..before just saying "thank you very much,"thus terminatig the interview.
I too listen to Fresh Air almost every day. Sometimes I listen to the same interview more than once. Terry Gross is an amazing interviewer. Not only does she ask intriguing questions, but she shows her personality and at times her vulnerabilities. Thank you Terry for all of these years of terrific broadcasts!
7
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that someone as visible as Ms. Gross would elicit the kind of hostility evidenced in some of the comments below. Where I live (pop. 137 midwestern town) Terry Gross is the gift that never ends. She understands that her audience is not just made up of east coast academics but rather people from all walks of life in all kinds of cultural and geographic circumstance. There are so many times when a Terry Gross interview has led me to buy a novel from the author of the day or go to the library to read up on a topic raised by her subject in a field I never considered.
Terry is indeed a national treasure, and when I make a contribution to public radio she is the primary reason.
Terry is indeed a national treasure, and when I make a contribution to public radio she is the primary reason.
17
Terry Gross has done an excellent job as an interviewer, and I do find many of her interviews entertaining and enlightening. However, she does seem to have a real problem interviewing people she either doesn't like or does not agree with.
To bring out those you are not simpatico with is the highest art of a top interviewer. Hard questions producing difficult, often complex, answers in respectful dialogue is, to me, several cuts above the ordinary. Granted, I have only heard a minority of her shows, but in those I have heard, the pattern is there. Conversation with "friends", very much a yes; conversation with "the others", not so much.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
To bring out those you are not simpatico with is the highest art of a top interviewer. Hard questions producing difficult, often complex, answers in respectful dialogue is, to me, several cuts above the ordinary. Granted, I have only heard a minority of her shows, but in those I have heard, the pattern is there. Conversation with "friends", very much a yes; conversation with "the others", not so much.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
6
Where others broadcast emitting sound, Terry almost pulls sound in to the microphone with each pause. Closer and closer we get to people and issues and art and uniquely human experiences prompted by curiosity and understanding without the exploitation of drama however entertaining nonetheless. I'm a fan.
4
while i've enjoyed many lovely conversations on fresh air, most of the time i switch stations when it comes on. i sometimes find terry gross a bit prurient, and there are far too tv related guests. also, her theme music is awfully annoying.
6
Listening is the hardest work in communication. Terry Gross is the master of communication. Her preparation is impeccable, and her artistic ability to improvise is admirable. I thank her for illumination.
2
I'm reminded of a great quote from a NY playwright whose name I've forgotten--it was years ago: "The opposite of talking isn't listening...it's waiting." Priceless.
In the beginning I listened to her regularly. She mostly interviewed writers, and was always well-prepared. Now she mostly interviews the celebrity of the month, and tends to flatter them by asking no more of them than they ask of themselves. I occasionally still listen when a politician or interesting writer is on.
I admit that the Hillary Clinton interview was revealing; it was as if Clinton were saying "how dare you suggest that I have my own convictions!"
I admit that the Hillary Clinton interview was revealing; it was as if Clinton were saying "how dare you suggest that I have my own convictions!"
5
A few years ago I attended a party where we were told to come as our favorite person. I arrived as Terry Gross. I wore hip glasses, a hat, leather jacket and and head phones. Not many people could guess who I was, but once it was known, people started sharing their favorite interviews with me. I got to talk about Terry Gross for hour and hours. What a great night!
33
Terry Gross is a national treasure. I've learned more from her interviews than any other source. Her voice is soothing, comforting, and she knows how to make an interviewee really open up to her. Unlike most interviewers she doesn't just ask questions, but she listens, follows up, and best of all doesn't interrupt the subject of her interview. I cannot imagine how sad I will be when Terry retires. In this age of 7x24 media, she is THE best!
2
Susan, you made the right call in leaving that exchange in.
And one other thing: Gross is one of the best interviewers I've ever heard. In the top three, for sure. (I'll name the great Ted Koppel as one of the others, and leave the third as a bit o' mystery).
And one other thing: Gross is one of the best interviewers I've ever heard. In the top three, for sure. (I'll name the great Ted Koppel as one of the others, and leave the third as a bit o' mystery).
2
I think she is just awful. There seems to be nothing that she cannot turn into a tale of childhood trauma. All she seems to be interested in is the personal. She is not one to go to for a discussion of ideas.
13
In fairness, a personal interview on the radio is not a very good venue for discussing any but the most trivial and simple of ideas. While many of Gross's interviewees are people whose ideas are the reason they are being interviewed, the interview is more about the person behind the idea rather than an attempt to educate the public on the fine details or to serve as a serious format to discuss an idea itself. If you want "just the facts" then read the books, articles and newspaper accounts of those ideas to become informed. The shortcoming is yours not Ms Gross's.
Rich conversation. Nothing like it, private or public. She's inside the music all the time.
3
Her regard and respect for her subjects is expressed most vividly and genuinely in her silence. A silence free of ego, or of one-upmanship. Silence that listens, that doesn't judge, that gives space for deeper thought and reflection, that invites, that makes possible those moments of sharing things never shared before, that evokes new and unexpected personal insight and revelation. She uses it not as a technique, as a means of "therapy," or as tool to exploit. It is, rather, her way of being with others. A rare and wonderful thing.
5
Wonderful article.
Robert
Robert
1
I've been listening to Terry for nearly 20 years now. As an American living abroad, she instantly takes me back to my culture and makes me feel like I'm inside the interview. Whenever I listen to her, I feel like I'm home again. Her questions are delightfully simple at times - perhaps irritating to some, but to me they cut at the essence of life and at pure curiosty. She doesn't give way to the pretense of interviewing. It takes courage to ask the sorts of questions she does - and you can tell her questions are driven by pure curiosity.
I'll never forget when I met her 7 years ago when I returned to the Philly area to visit my parents. There was a WHYY event and she was there. I approached her to compliment her on her interview with Alan Greenspan, which my husband really enjoyed. I'll never forget her very human reaction, which was to offer that she thought she'd been too soft on him and didn't part of me wish she'd been tougher? I just love that she cared about what her listeners thought and began probing my own praise of her interview. She is such an accessible and unabashedly honest person. I feel so grateful to be able to listen to her podcasts of Fresh Air. Keep up the amazing work, Terry. Bravissima!
I'll never forget when I met her 7 years ago when I returned to the Philly area to visit my parents. There was a WHYY event and she was there. I approached her to compliment her on her interview with Alan Greenspan, which my husband really enjoyed. I'll never forget her very human reaction, which was to offer that she thought she'd been too soft on him and didn't part of me wish she'd been tougher? I just love that she cared about what her listeners thought and began probing my own praise of her interview. She is such an accessible and unabashedly honest person. I feel so grateful to be able to listen to her podcasts of Fresh Air. Keep up the amazing work, Terry. Bravissima!
5
I wish there was a way in the morning by text or by e-mail that I can learn who Terry will be interviewing that day,
4
Me, too.
I have such admiration for this woman and her skill. Many years ago, I listened to her interview Gene Simmons from the band KISS, the manner in which he treated her in the interview was so disgusting and I was so impressed in her ability to not get "hooked" into his mysogynistic web that he was trying to weave that I had to send her a message stating how awed I was. She politely replied her thanks for my noticing...without throwing him under the bus.
7
Yes, that was a remarkable interview!
Terry Gross is amazing. Part (only a small part, mind you) of her genius as an interviewer is her effortless intimacy – I feel as if I might know her, and that if I ever did meet her we'd be so simpatico that I would happily share my deepest secrets with her. Should her one-on-one "guests" experience even a smidgen of this ease with her, they'll be Play-Doh in her hands. I'd wager that they do, and we, her eavesdropping listeners, are graced with astonishing revelations…
2
Nice to see an iconic radio personality getting her due. On another note, why do the female journalists always open the articles about featured females subjects with a passing comment about what their subject is wearing?
1
"On another note, why do the female journalists always open the articles about featured females subjects with a passing comment about what their subject is wearing?"
1) Because these things are - statistically significant - part of what female journalists consider of interest (to them and their female audience)
2) Because (statistically significant) majority of women and women audience is indeed rather interested in these details and considers it important.
3) Because, unlike male journalists (or males in general) female journalists are not immediately attacked as "sexists" bringing up these appearance details.
1) Because these things are - statistically significant - part of what female journalists consider of interest (to them and their female audience)
2) Because (statistically significant) majority of women and women audience is indeed rather interested in these details and considers it important.
3) Because, unlike male journalists (or males in general) female journalists are not immediately attacked as "sexists" bringing up these appearance details.
Another unusual moment occurred in Gross's interview of Uta Hagen. She asked- with naive curiosity- about acting. Hagen chastised her (I paraphrase here): you wouldn't ask Yo Yo Ma how to play the cello or Lucien Freud how to paint - why expect acting to be a trick, something anyone can do well ?
It was a stern but sincere push back for Gross's ocassional flaw- not knowing what she doesn't know yet over reaching a bit, expecting all things to be revealed.
But , in truth, the areas she flounders in are few.
It was a stern but sincere push back for Gross's ocassional flaw- not knowing what she doesn't know yet over reaching a bit, expecting all things to be revealed.
But , in truth, the areas she flounders in are few.
4
I was disappointed to learn, some time back, that Terry Gross's interviews are not just edited for highlights but sort of time-tailored for pace and flow. Pauses are drawn out or sped up for effect, so that what sounds like a lively and fully engaged conversation is in fact somewhat contrived. Knowing that changed the way I listen to her show. I don't trust it quite as much as I used to. It seems less genuine.
The Nation's Interviewer also has a bad habit of interrupting her subjects. Wanting to hear Wes Craven's rat story, I searched for and read the transcript of that old interview. Ms. Gross interrupted him just as he was about to launch into an interesting tangent! It's something I hear her do a lot now, but I was surprised to learn that she was that pushy at the start of her career. I am reminded of that New Yorker cartoon with the caption, "On the internet no one knows you're a dog.": on the radio, no one knows you are 4'11 and shy by nature. Could have fooled me.
The Nation's Interviewer also has a bad habit of interrupting her subjects. Wanting to hear Wes Craven's rat story, I searched for and read the transcript of that old interview. Ms. Gross interrupted him just as he was about to launch into an interesting tangent! It's something I hear her do a lot now, but I was surprised to learn that she was that pushy at the start of her career. I am reminded of that New Yorker cartoon with the caption, "On the internet no one knows you're a dog.": on the radio, no one knows you are 4'11 and shy by nature. Could have fooled me.
7
Important and rather relevant observations.
Pushy, interrupting. We call them kibitzers.
Pushy, interrupting. We call them kibitzers.
You are surprised that there is editing involved? Do you think this was the first draft of the article? That your favorite novel just came tumbling our of the author's mind that way? You think soap opera are actually televised portions of peoples' lives?
1
Years ago I heard Terry Gross interview a poet, (I don't remember who), and the poet read a beautiful passage about love that he had written. Terry listened and said then said in a knowing tone,"Wow is that about heroin?"
One could sense the shock and horror of the poet from the screaming, brief silence, the he said softly, "No, it's about love". Without skipping a beat, Terry just moved on.
One could sense the shock and horror of the poet from the screaming, brief silence, the he said softly, "No, it's about love". Without skipping a beat, Terry just moved on.
8
Sadly, I have to say this is rather typical for Ms. Gross' way of interviewing and engaging.
Yep, that's our Terry. Either utterly asleep at the wheel with her questions or out to lunch altogether.
Great guests; terrible interviewer.
Great guests; terrible interviewer.
The BBC's "Hardtalk" program, the career of Ted Koppel, and an awareness of NPR's descent into middlebrow mediocrity all refute the idea that Terry Gross is a good interviewer. She's far too tendentious, chatty and judgmental in a suburban soccer mom sort of way to do her job well.
5
Not to detract from any of the well-deserved praise being lavished on Terry Gross for her top-notch interview skills, but I feel compelled to point out that she is guilty of committing one of the cardinal sins of broadcast journalism: the all-too-frequent mispronunciation of her guests' names. For a professional whose stock-in-trade is her vocal and linguistic precision, it is inexcusable not to take a moment before airtime to confirm with her guests that she is pronouncing their names right. One of the first things we are taught in print media is to check how a name is spelled; so it follows that a radio host has an obligation to check how it sounds! I cringe when I hear her mangle her guests' names in their presence--and they are usually too polite to straighten her out. Nothing is more jarring--and distracting from "the moment."
4
I wish that - lack of care to get pronounciation of her guest right - would be thye only or the main shortcoming.
If I am listening to the radio it is WNYC. I hear Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the best interviewer on radio or television often. It is not so much an interview but an adult and sympathetic conversation where an awful lot of truth somehow just slips out. Viva Terry.
2
If you like Terry Gross, you'll love Marty Moss-Coane. Also on NPR here in Philadelphia, she is a very talented interviewer, my favorite. She is on air weekdays, two hours a day, from 10a to Noon, divided into two shows. At times the shows are local, designed for the Philadelphia listener, but most are fare for a much broader audience. Try her podcasts: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/432220853/radio-times-with-marty-moss-coane
4
Agreed. Lived in the Philly area for many years before moving away. Marty and Radio Times remains one of my favorite shows. The shows are interesting, have depth and I learn so much every time I listen. Still keep in touch through the podcasts and they never disappoint.
I don't recall who Gross was interviewing, but when she asked her guest a typical Terry question along the lines of, "So, like, when your mother killed herself, did that, like, negatively affect you?" I wondered, yet again, why she is held in such high regard.
Thank heaven for the BBC.
Thank heaven for the BBC.
20
I've never understood the fascination.
(Ditto with Leonard Lopate, for the NYC crowd.)
(Ditto with Leonard Lopate, for the NYC crowd.)
9
We should hope for Terry to moderate a general election debate between candidates for president next year.
2
I had to turn the radio off when Terry asked Elizabeth Smart if her rapist captor had bad breath when he was attacking her. I do not call that question insightful nor sensitive.
10
I've occasionally listened to Fresh Air over the past 20+ years. I say occasionally because I find Gross to have a one-track agenda, no matter who the interviewee and his/her subject is. A friend and I used to joke about a Terry Gross interview being "Welcome to Fresh AIr. Now let's talk about your sexual preference. [giggle giggle]" This was well before the Hillary CLinton interview, which had me shouting at the radio to get her to move on to something more important than whether Clinton decided to support gay marriage for political reasons, wasting ten minutes of air time playing prosecuting attorney when it was obvious that Clinton had said all she was going to say about it. Basically Gross sounded like so many Congresspeople who expend more words putting forward her thoughts about a topic before actually asking the question. And that interview was of a piece thematically with all too many others she's conducted.
I'm also not fond of her upspeak and near-giggle when asking a question.
In short, NPR has better interviewers; John Hockenberry and Tom Ashbrook come to mind. I'd listen to them for hours; Terry Gross, only if the interviewee is someone special.
I'm also not fond of her upspeak and near-giggle when asking a question.
In short, NPR has better interviewers; John Hockenberry and Tom Ashbrook come to mind. I'd listen to them for hours; Terry Gross, only if the interviewee is someone special.
12
I have been listening to Terry Gross for years. I thought think this review is harsh without being based supported by many interviews.
Can't believe they didn't mention her "interview" of Gene Simmons from KISS. He was a jerk. She didn't flinch.
Terry Gross: No. Let's get to the studded codpiece.
Gene Simmons: Oh yes.
Terry Gross: Do you have a sense of humor about that?
Gene Simmons: No.
Terry Gross: Does that seem funny to you? Are you --
Gene Simmons: No, it holds in my manhood.
Terry Gross: [laughs] That's right.
Gene Simmons: Otherwise it would be too much for you to take. You'd have to put the book down and confront life. The notion is that if you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs.
Terry Gross: That's a really obnoxious thing to say.
Gene Simmons: No it's not, it's being -- why should I say something behind your back that I can't tell you to your face?
Terry Gross: Wait, it -- it -- has it come to this? Is this the only way that you can talk to a woman? To do that shtick?
Gene Simmons: Let me ask you something. Why is it shtick when all women have ever wanted ever since we've crawled out of caves is, Why can't a man just tell me the truth and just speak to me plainly? Though, if I do that -- you can't have it both ways.
Terry Gross: So you really have no sense of humor about this, do you?
Gene Simmons: Oh, I'm laughing all the way. You know, we're --
Terry Gross: Oh, to the bank, right?
Gene Simmons: Well of course. [laughs] Don't I sound like a happy guy?
Terry Gross: Not really, to be honest with you.
Terry Gross: No. Let's get to the studded codpiece.
Gene Simmons: Oh yes.
Terry Gross: Do you have a sense of humor about that?
Gene Simmons: No.
Terry Gross: Does that seem funny to you? Are you --
Gene Simmons: No, it holds in my manhood.
Terry Gross: [laughs] That's right.
Gene Simmons: Otherwise it would be too much for you to take. You'd have to put the book down and confront life. The notion is that if you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs.
Terry Gross: That's a really obnoxious thing to say.
Gene Simmons: No it's not, it's being -- why should I say something behind your back that I can't tell you to your face?
Terry Gross: Wait, it -- it -- has it come to this? Is this the only way that you can talk to a woman? To do that shtick?
Gene Simmons: Let me ask you something. Why is it shtick when all women have ever wanted ever since we've crawled out of caves is, Why can't a man just tell me the truth and just speak to me plainly? Though, if I do that -- you can't have it both ways.
Terry Gross: So you really have no sense of humor about this, do you?
Gene Simmons: Oh, I'm laughing all the way. You know, we're --
Terry Gross: Oh, to the bank, right?
Gene Simmons: Well of course. [laughs] Don't I sound like a happy guy?
Terry Gross: Not really, to be honest with you.
4
"Real moment. Leave it in." And then you don't.
6
A day without Terry Gross is a day without sunshine.... or at the very least, a less-good day. I might roll my eyes for whatever reason at the choice of guest for the day, but inevitably she creates an interesting interview. I so envy her skill! It can be so delightful, too, to hear the interviewee acknowledge her; my favorite example of this is at the end of an interview with Alan Cumming in which he flirtatiously said her entire name in such a way that we (and she) knew that he knew exactly who she is. She sounded so pleased -- it was adorable.
4
Terry Gross asks wonderful questions and then gets out of the way and lets the subject answer, often at length. Too many other interviewers - think Charlie Rose - ask questions and then repeatedly interrupt the response. Terry has the best job in America and she's great at it!
2
I started listening to Fresh Air when it began to air in Cincinnati where I lived in the 1980's. There are 2 things I can say about her interviews:
1. Rarely do I come away wondering why she did not ask a question or why she did not follow up on an answer. Her interviews seem complete. Almost nothing "left on the table" and...
2. She has the ability to interview people that I have absolutely NO interest in and at once show why these people ARE interesting and of course, why what they do IS interesting.
A truly great interviewer.
1. Rarely do I come away wondering why she did not ask a question or why she did not follow up on an answer. Her interviews seem complete. Almost nothing "left on the table" and...
2. She has the ability to interview people that I have absolutely NO interest in and at once show why these people ARE interesting and of course, why what they do IS interesting.
A truly great interviewer.
3
Terry Gross is simply captivated by celebrities. There is not much "meat" in her interviews.
10
TG has been a great illuminator of the cultural class, but I wish she could open her subject matter up to include day to day people who live to get by. She could illuminate the cultural class to what the rest of us are doing.
20
As in Studs Turkel?
1
I listen to her because many of the people she has on as guests are people I find interesting and want to know more about. But I think she is highly overrated as an interviewer. At times, she can sound shockingly naive, if not downright dumb. And her extremely bad habit of sprinkling her sentences with the most overused word in the dictionary --- 'like' --- is, excuse the pun, gross.
12
Thank goodness for the radio Gods of NPR. What would life be without these incredible people who open up our lives to fascinating people, subjects and experiences each and every day? No wonder families gathered around their radios when nothing else was available. We still are! The melodious voice of someone like Terry Gross is extremely soothing, illuminating and satisfying. Best of all? The radio can always be turned off. Kudos to the interviewers such as Ms. Gross who compel us to resist that urge. Although -- hate to say it -- Leonard Lopate is my fav.
1
This is one of my favorite articles ever published in the New York Times. It gave me a sense of who Terry Gross is as a person, and not just the source of some of the best interviews on radio. I love it when she asks a person a question that makes her interviewee pause for a long moment, and then ask, "How'd you learn about THAT?" This seems to happen once per interview, too.
Here's a question I hoped the article would answer: Does Terry do all of her own research, or does her staff help her out with that? Could Ms. Burton, or someone who's worked with Ms. Gross, satisfy my curiosity about this?
I don't want Ms. Gross to interview "normal" people. I enjoy hearing how she reveals her subjects to be achingly human. Oh, and I'd love to interview her!
My only complaint about "Fresh Air" is that Terry is letting her producers conduct more of the interviews nowadays. They aren't as polished as she and Dave Davies are, and I sometimes end up turning the radio off when I find out the one without a good radio voice (in my estimation) will be conducting that day's interview. She sounds over-eager.
It's been fun reading the comments posted here by other Terry Gross fans.
Here's a question I hoped the article would answer: Does Terry do all of her own research, or does her staff help her out with that? Could Ms. Burton, or someone who's worked with Ms. Gross, satisfy my curiosity about this?
I don't want Ms. Gross to interview "normal" people. I enjoy hearing how she reveals her subjects to be achingly human. Oh, and I'd love to interview her!
My only complaint about "Fresh Air" is that Terry is letting her producers conduct more of the interviews nowadays. They aren't as polished as she and Dave Davies are, and I sometimes end up turning the radio off when I find out the one without a good radio voice (in my estimation) will be conducting that day's interview. She sounds over-eager.
It's been fun reading the comments posted here by other Terry Gross fans.
1
I'm sure Gene Simmons will be disappointed that he wasn't included in the story...
2
Syrup and soap. The very essence of why I stopped supporting NPR/WGBH years ago. Happy she is there for those who enjoy her pap, but scarce minutes on public radio really should be used to support critical thinking and incisive analysis. I'm sure she brings in millions of support.
6
I used to love Fresh Air and Terry Gross' interviewing style but I just got tired or her questioning always going to the lurid and sensational. I rarely listen to the show anymore. Now that there are so many podcasts to listen to I guess Ive just evolved in what I expect from an interview.
7
But hey, Howard Stern - with his own exploitation of sex as a "draw" - is making even more $$$ than poor Ms. Gross can ever make at NPR. So, at least, she (and NPR) are trying ... to slow the steady decline in listenership.
Thanks for this beautiful, human article. You managed to capture so many thoughts about art, connections, being alive.
1
Thank you for publishing this story about Terry Gross, whom I consider a national treasure.
2
It's always nice when your press is done by admiring journalists who want to be liked by the person they are interviewing. Unfortunately, it tends to produce secular hagiography. The only way to really know who a person is is to be in adverse circumstances with them, not when they are on their own turf, but are somewhere that feels strange to them, and perhaps, a bit intimidating as well. It is only when a person is challenged that we see their true character. Ms. Gross seems like a typical NPR liberal, and a rock-solid interviewer, but this adulatory essay reveals almost nothing surprising.
One thing is for certain. In this sentence: "She’s [Ms. Gross is] deft on news and subtle on history, sixth-sensey in probing personal biography and expert at examining the intricacies of artistic process.", the phrase 'sixth-sensey' is an abomination to the ears, and should be changed, or deleted. It is an awful construction.
6
I am neutral on Terry Gross, as I haven't listened to her enough. But I am not neutral on the writing of Susan Burton, who I was not familiar with. My goodness - that was an amazingly intimate yet respectful portrait of Gross. Burton literally painted a picture with words. And the end...about the 'secret.' I didn't even fully understand what she was talking about, but loved her description of her regrets about the 'secret', her changing mood, and then her acceptance of what she'd said. This interview was art.
4
Terry is excellent and while her interviews lean a bit too much toward the entertainment industry for my podcast taste I do enjoy her work. The one thing which the article does somewhat address is her obsession with sex. I'll never forget her discussion of the nude appearance of an actor ( I think Seth Rogan) and the relative fullness of his member and I'm thinking "what is this woman thinking ?". I guess we all have our passions.
3
It was probably a prosthesis anyway. But when you're smitten, you're smitten. Jussayin'!
Not only Howard Stern or "Dr. Ruth" found sex to be a reliable seller to which masses are drawn in good enough numbers.
Many of these comments complement (and compliment) the article but miss, I think, the reason Terry Gross is so engrossing ....
She not only has genuine empathy and a wide range of interests, but she's super smart and has the ability to understand and discuss whatever subject matter comes her way next (birds today, popular culture tomorrow).
I try to listen en route to work every morning. There have been many times I've waited in the car to finish a segment rather than get to work on time. I guess that's what NPR would call a parking lot moment.
She not only has genuine empathy and a wide range of interests, but she's super smart and has the ability to understand and discuss whatever subject matter comes her way next (birds today, popular culture tomorrow).
I try to listen en route to work every morning. There have been many times I've waited in the car to finish a segment rather than get to work on time. I guess that's what NPR would call a parking lot moment.
3
Can't stand her. She is more interested in using the guest as a platform for promoting herself. I stopped listening with any regularity when she was interviewing Ethan Hawke about the film "Boyhood," and she totally shut him down, quite rudely, when he was speaking when she wanted to speak, and she said something like, "Can I talk?" It was unbelievable. Also, her annoying habit of saying "like" after every fourth word is totally adolescent. You'd think after all these years she'd learn how to speak a bit more professionally.
A great interviewer is someone who can say just enough and then shut up and let the guest talk. I have the same issue with Charlie Rose, who can't stop himself from using his show to show off his own knowledge, or lack thereof, which most people are not interested in hearing.
A great interviewer who does similar work, but with exponentially more polish and intelligence -- and most important, respect for the guest -- is Eleanor Wachtel, with the CBC in Canada. She's a real pro. Studies her subject, asks just enough, and then gets out of the way and lets the guest talk. After all, we are there to hear the guest, not the interviewer.
A great interviewer is someone who can say just enough and then shut up and let the guest talk. I have the same issue with Charlie Rose, who can't stop himself from using his show to show off his own knowledge, or lack thereof, which most people are not interested in hearing.
A great interviewer who does similar work, but with exponentially more polish and intelligence -- and most important, respect for the guest -- is Eleanor Wachtel, with the CBC in Canada. She's a real pro. Studies her subject, asks just enough, and then gets out of the way and lets the guest talk. After all, we are there to hear the guest, not the interviewer.
18
You have hit the nail on the head. Thank you.
I used to love Terry Gross. Not anymore. I could never love anyone who refuses to call torture torture and insists instead on the euphemism "interrogation techniques." Unforgivable. It was a fine affair, but now it's over.
16
For ten years, the only place on public radio where I ever heard the word "torture" used was Terry Gross's show. The news departments wouldn't use it, preferring to use the euphemisms of the government they worked for, but when Terry was talking to guests, they'd use it, and I thought she did too. It's possible there were guests where she didn't use the word, but she always struck me as the only national public radio person with enough courage.
(Obviously people could say torture on Pacifica, and Comedy Central, and sometimes even MSNBC.)
(Obviously people could say torture on Pacifica, and Comedy Central, and sometimes even MSNBC.)
your loss. Her role is not to pass moral judgement. What we learn when she is careful with her word choices is worth foregoing the moral judgement.
Fresh Air got me through graduate school. I had a 2-hour commute each way (!) to the University of Texas at Austin, and I looked forward to the drive home every afternoon because I got to listen to Terry Gross on KUT. Her gift for the art of the interview has spoiled me; she has this remarkable ability to bring her subjects to life in a way that interests me even in people I've never heard of or people who do things I don't like. Hearing her program is still a huge treat for me. Thanks for this article.
2
While I am over 70 years old, I only discovered Terri four or five years ago. Not sure how it's possible that I missed so many years of what had to be wonderful interviews. She asks such smart questions and elicits such insightful answers. I love her!
2
She is a treasure.
1
Its a sad comment on my worklife that I often end listening to "Fresh" Air on my drive home (it comes on at 7 p.m. Pacific). Got to say listening to her is both fascinating and maddening. She gets good guests and her preparation is evident BUT... Is it really necessary to repeat the full bio of the guest before and after every break? Her "if you are just joining us, our guest tonight is...." shtick drives me up the wall! Recently she interviewed David Oyelowo and I swear she must said the full name like fifty times in the show. To add to the torture she threw in a couple of questions just around the last name - how it was uncommon in England but apparently a royal name in Nigeria and how did that make him feel yada yada yada. By the end of the show 'Oyelowo, Oyelowo, Oyelowo' was ringing in my head like a manic mantra.
On the upside I saw the actor in a cameo in an episode of The Good Wife and was able to proudly point him out to my wife. And yes I said the full name.
On the upside I saw the actor in a cameo in an episode of The Good Wife and was able to proudly point him out to my wife. And yes I said the full name.
4
I surely like Gross' interviews.
But what was that flap she had with Bill O'Reilly?
Didn't she come out on the short end of that exchange?
But what was that flap she had with Bill O'Reilly?
Didn't she come out on the short end of that exchange?
1
No. His storming out made him, not her, look bad--and garnered the show a great deal of attention.
in the tradition of studs terkel
the craft ,subtle and seductive
and the story gets told
the craft ,subtle and seductive
and the story gets told
1
My word...so many nasty comments here!
I often lament that in my lifetime (I'm 56), journalism will go down the toilet. It's already started...thank God for people like Terry Gross!
I often lament that in my lifetime (I'm 56), journalism will go down the toilet. It's already started...thank God for people like Terry Gross!
5
Scroll on past the knee-jerk negativity, and concentrate on the comments that make you smile, laugh, and/or think--or all three. That's what I try to do, anyway.
Lots of people use the Internet as a safety valve. It helps to keep that in mind.
I appreciate your post!
Lots of people use the Internet as a safety valve. It helps to keep that in mind.
I appreciate your post!
Three o'clock every day at work, I listen to Terry on Detroit's NPR station, she is the very best. I hope she carries on for many years.
3
But we want to know the secret, too! ... Wonderful piece.
2
This article has offered me some hopeful exchanges. My curiosity about people, their lives and about life in general is almost always taken the wrong way by others. I am genuinely interested and want to know "how things work". In depth learning allows me to have a greater understanding. Terry Gross has a very UNIQUE ABILITY to succeed at doing this, without being misunderstood.
3
She is good because she does her homework before the interview (she reads the book or books, and she writes out her own questions) ,she is articulate and she sets the interviewee up to tell their story. She obviously spends a lot of time and effort preparing for each interview.
7
Several Terry Gross highlights and kudos: Her 2010 interview with Donald Rumsfeld was absolutely hard-hitting (enough to school Mike Wallace); her hilarious debacle of an interview with Gene Simmons (she pulled the plug and got the last word); and her interview with an aged country music legend, who gave the ultimate compliment: "Lady, you know more about me than my second wife." Thank you, Terry, for what you do. Congrats on your anniversary!
6
Being from the Philadelphia area, Fresh Air with Terry Gross and WHYY are 2 reasons to make me proud. I too was deeply moved by Terry's last interview with Maurice Sendak. Other interviews I particularly cherish are with Oliver Sacks and Roseanne Cash.
19
For decades I have felt that Terry Gross is simply the best interviewer in the business. And she keeps getting better. She asks the hard questions without being aggressive, she asks the questions that you wanted to ask, and she asks the questions that you would never think to ask. She is a national treasure.
For a humor break, if you haven't seen the Mike Birbiglia video starring Terry Gross, go see it immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTVFNZKuN-g
For a humor break, if you haven't seen the Mike Birbiglia video starring Terry Gross, go see it immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTVFNZKuN-g
18
That was great! Thanks for sharing.
2
Wow, only a couple paragraphs in and I feel I need to stop and say how beautifully written this essay is! EG:
"She has short blond-gray hair and heavy-framed glasses. She wears fitted jackets and chunky black shoes, stud earrings and red lipstick. To movie theaters, she brings a bag of pillows; at 4 feet 11 inches tall, she has often described herself as ‘‘smaller than life.’’ In her, a fragility — fair skin, narrow bones — is fused with a powerful sense of self-containment. She feels a periodic need to take a walk around the block."
Bravo Susan Burton!
"She has short blond-gray hair and heavy-framed glasses. She wears fitted jackets and chunky black shoes, stud earrings and red lipstick. To movie theaters, she brings a bag of pillows; at 4 feet 11 inches tall, she has often described herself as ‘‘smaller than life.’’ In her, a fragility — fair skin, narrow bones — is fused with a powerful sense of self-containment. She feels a periodic need to take a walk around the block."
Bravo Susan Burton!
3
Terry,
Thank you for all the great work!!!
Thank you for all the great work!!!
3
The comparison to psychotherapy is explicitly mentioned in the story itself, and I just want to say that as someone who has practiced that impossible profession for my career, that Terry's Gross's interviews do indeed have a lot of overlap with psychotherapy sessions. Sensitive, non judgmental, letting the interviewee create her as they need her to be. Curious but gentle, genuinely wanting to know this other person, this lost art of conversation is such a humanizing and healing force in our lives.
6
Terry Gross is maybe the only broadcaster I have simultaneously opposed responses to. On the one hand, I, too (like several other commenters), find myself screaming back at the radio during "Fresh Air," often because I can't bear listening to the upspeak (which, admittedly, has gotten better over the past few years, but can be a horrendous distraction when it reappears) and the omnipresent "like." Now that I know Terry took singing lessons, I'm wondering why she doesn't do something about these annoying traits (it would be easy to do, compared with learning to sing!).
On the other hand, I truly like her. Sometimes I loathe her approach to an interviewee (Quentin Tarantino, for example), but many times I realize that she's followed up on something that would pass other interviewers by. When she's good, she's really good, and, unlike egomaniacs like Charlie Rose (interruptions, steamrolling over people, anticipating their responses, obviously not listening in any nuanced way), she's excellent at drawing out extremely interesting comments and stories--and not just about personal matters.
On the other hand, I truly like her. Sometimes I loathe her approach to an interviewee (Quentin Tarantino, for example), but many times I realize that she's followed up on something that would pass other interviewers by. When she's good, she's really good, and, unlike egomaniacs like Charlie Rose (interruptions, steamrolling over people, anticipating their responses, obviously not listening in any nuanced way), she's excellent at drawing out extremely interesting comments and stories--and not just about personal matters.
5
"Upspeak" is a habit of making statements sound like questions. As an interviewer she is asking questions!
I find that Terry Gross's casual language, use of like, and occasional stammer are actually ingenious techniques to disarm the interviewee and create a no-pressure, informal atmosphere.
I find that Terry Gross's casual language, use of like, and occasional stammer are actually ingenious techniques to disarm the interviewee and create a no-pressure, informal atmosphere.
1
An absolutely wonderful interviewer and I always look forward to her show. I never gave any thought as to her age as her voice belies her age. Her voice is young and intelligent and her laugh is very infectious. She simply is as good as it gets.
4
Another Times article where the writer insists on making it about herself (see last couple of paragraphs). T. Gross is a highly skilled interviewer, as we all know. Her interviewer, however, seems rather unskilled and rather unprofessional for injecting her personal "secret," whatever it was (and who cares) into this piece. Where are the editors? Where are standards?
5
Have to agree with those who seem to be in the minority: can't stand Terry Gross. The minute I hear her whiny, nasal voice I leap up to switch the channel before I can suffer even a minute of her painfully leading "interview" style. She gets the good guests, but that's all I can say to her credit. Can never figure out how she got where she got to: surely there are far better professional interviewers in this country.
9
"surely there are far better professional interviewers in this country."
Please tell me an example of someone who is "far better" than Terry Gross!
Please tell me an example of someone who is "far better" than Terry Gross!
1
Not necessarily a new or different comment, but I loved this article. I love Fresh Air and Terry Gross. I listen to her almost every day and have for many years. Thank you, Terry. I used to work the swing shift and would listen on my way home, in the wee hours.
I'm not certain is Ms. Burton's last comment should have been included...seemed unnecessary. I do understand how she wanted to share something with Terry, how could you not.
And, yes, I think as we age, we do become more mindful and introspective.
Also, meaningful to know something about you too, Terry.
Thanks, NYT's.
I'm not certain is Ms. Burton's last comment should have been included...seemed unnecessary. I do understand how she wanted to share something with Terry, how could you not.
And, yes, I think as we age, we do become more mindful and introspective.
Also, meaningful to know something about you too, Terry.
Thanks, NYT's.
3
Her stammering and pausing cause me to go to another station. If you like liberal softballing then she's your gal. If only she'd come up with an ah-ha moment sometimes.
7
Terry Gross is the best interviewer in the history of radio. Heck, she may be the best interviewer in any medium. It is clear she does her research and is in tune with her subjects. Best of all she had integrity. It is always a pleasure to listen to her. I have learned so much from her shows.
3
Um, I have a question for Terry. Um, what do you do when, um, you ask a question, um, about something, um, about which, you know, you know nothing in such a way that, um, the interviewee thinks you talking about something else?
Pure white bread and schoolmarm charm. While she has had some fascinating folks on, 9 times out a 10, I find myself switching stations because of her infuriating dance around a solid question I'd like answered. If it's a musician, fine artist, or writer of serious literature, I don't even get to the first question. She's OK in politics and pop artists but she pitches such softballs even when scandals are involved that I think Idi Amin would have loved to been on her show.
Pure white bread and schoolmarm charm. While she has had some fascinating folks on, 9 times out a 10, I find myself switching stations because of her infuriating dance around a solid question I'd like answered. If it's a musician, fine artist, or writer of serious literature, I don't even get to the first question. She's OK in politics and pop artists but she pitches such softballs even when scandals are involved that I think Idi Amin would have loved to been on her show.
8
Terry Gross is great. It takes a great set of skills (or maybe a staff of researchers?) to handle the range of interview subjects she does (politics, economics, music, movies, literature, celebrities, military, science, to name a few). Gross is better than most interviewers at not inserting information about herself into the interview.
3
Terry Gross has done an excellent job as an interviewer, and I do find many of her interviews entertaining and enlightening. However, she does seem to have a real problem interviewing people she either doesn't like or does not agree with.
To bring out those you are not simpatico with is the highest art of a top interviewer. Hard questions producing difficult, often complex, answers in respectful dialogue is, to me, several cuts above the ordinary. Granted, I have only heard a minority of her shows, but in those I have heard, the pattern is there. Conversation with "friends", very much a yes; conversation with "the others", not so much.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
To bring out those you are not simpatico with is the highest art of a top interviewer. Hard questions producing difficult, often complex, answers in respectful dialogue is, to me, several cuts above the ordinary. Granted, I have only heard a minority of her shows, but in those I have heard, the pattern is there. Conversation with "friends", very much a yes; conversation with "the others", not so much.
That said, kudos for a job well done.
2
Like many others I listen to Terry Gross almost every - I can because I have the time and am retired. I have listened to so many interviews over the years, so many of them unquestionably brilliant. One does stick in my mind, I think because of the somewhat rare instance, I think, when she became a bit angry. The interviewee was Larry Clark, the photographer and movie director, who had recently directed and created a movie called "Kids." He also created a book of photographs called "Tulsa" which depicts people taking drugs, sex, etc. The movie was extremely controversial at the time (still is) and Terry Gross questioned him very directly about his work and specifically about the film. Aside from this interview, which was extremely good, I have never heard an interview in which she appeared to be angry or irritated at the guest. Without doubt, she is brilliant at her craft.
The interview with author Dan Ephron discussing the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was a recent example of a great interview.
The interview with author Dan Ephron discussing the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was a recent example of a great interview.
20
Listen to her interview of Gene Simmons of KISS - within minutes of the interview's start it's clear there's no love lost between the two.
1
My hero.
Proves it can be done. Without her there would be little other evidence,
Proves it can be done. Without her there would be little other evidence,
15
This story made my day. Terry Gross is my favorite person on radio and you have captured the essence of what makes her interviews so compelling--she empathetic and makes interviewees feel comfortable, no matter how difficult the subject that is being discussed. Thank you.
46
My absolutely favourite voice on NPR - subtly provocative, always empathic, NEVER dull. A week without hearing Terry's lovely voice leaves me feeling bereft. Please remain as our radio companion through all the years to come and connect as only Terry Gross can.
45
I stopped listening to Terry Gross years ago due to my dislike of the following:
1 - Closed-ended questions where she gives one or more options which forces her interviewees to respond to her assumptions first, rather than just answer the question. It makes the focus her and not open inquiry or interest in her guest. Trust your guests; don't make them take care of you.
2 - Her manner when speaking to emotions and personal psychology, where she sounds uncomfortable,- laughing and asking questions/giving responses that are simplistic, dismissive and usually reflective of a person that can't tolerate those moments of intimacy. If this style is meant to draw out her guest, it comes off, to this former listener, as naivete, at best, and, at worst, as ignorance and insensitivity.
3 - Too many silly, superficial questions.
1 - Closed-ended questions where she gives one or more options which forces her interviewees to respond to her assumptions first, rather than just answer the question. It makes the focus her and not open inquiry or interest in her guest. Trust your guests; don't make them take care of you.
2 - Her manner when speaking to emotions and personal psychology, where she sounds uncomfortable,- laughing and asking questions/giving responses that are simplistic, dismissive and usually reflective of a person that can't tolerate those moments of intimacy. If this style is meant to draw out her guest, it comes off, to this former listener, as naivete, at best, and, at worst, as ignorance and insensitivity.
3 - Too many silly, superficial questions.
69
Good for you KateM. I could not agree more! Dead on observations.
And I cannot stand the constant "nervous laugh" that sounds so contrived. I do not find Terry Gross to be one of the best ... but one of the worst. I stopped listening to her years ago.
And I cannot stand the constant "nervous laugh" that sounds so contrived. I do not find Terry Gross to be one of the best ... but one of the worst. I stopped listening to her years ago.
8
Perfect!
3
This is a perfect encapsulation of Gross' shortcomings as an interviewer. Unfortunately, due to her longevity and very limited competition (Charlie Rose is even worse, for different reasons), Gross gets a free pass from many in the media.
1
40 more years! 40 more years!
16
Terry is a very fine filter (not gross) with a melodious voice reflecting a deep spiritual non judgemental curiosity. She allows the interviewee, if they are comfortable, to express themselves as they are. She also knows the buttons to push and is not afraid of pushing them. All the years I have listened to her I found myself asking questions in my head and finding she asks even better questions at a deeper layer. She once interviewed the actor Chris Cooper and asked him about being arrested as a young man. It was a a question she had researched and he was so upset with the question he could not go on with the interview. it was not that she asked in a bad way but that she asked the question. I felt bad for both of them but it seemed like he had not resolved the past. She is gentle but penetrating. Fantastic.
10
This is a great piece. Especially the last few paragraphs, in which the reader is left out of the secret between the writer and Terry. The only other interviewer doing important work that I know of is Charlie Rose. (There are undoubtedly others working at levels of accomplishment around the world.) I'd like to see someone write a brief comparison of their work, their styles, their approaches.
14
Charlie Rose used to be great...when he was actually listening and not interrupting his guests and finishing their sentences for them.
1
Interesting. I found the last few paragraphs self-indulgent and pointless and I wish the author had left them out. To each his own.
3
It's interesting that you bring up Charlie Rose. To me, his and Gross's styles are nearly opposite. Rose can be so ingratiating toward guests that he comes across as smarmy. Gross does sometimes butter up those she interviews, but to my ear she does so with a card up her sleeve (an "uh-oh, now I have to think" question at the ready). Rose makes an effort to show viewers that he is a social peer of his more upper-crusty or A-List guests, while Terry Gross still plays the part of that curious girl from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. I prefer Gross's style, by far.
4
I normally dislike listening to people on the radio. To some extent it doesn't matter whether its Limbaugh, some local dj, or the smug tones of NPR. But I do like Terry Gross. She is the best interviewer in broadcasting. She doesn't bait or talk over her guests like Charlie Rose or Tavis Smiley. She generally asks good incisive questions with a tone that's pleasant but also has its own quiet authority. She sometimes veers into multi-part questions which are become difficult to track, but she knows how to get beyond the obvious even if she has to ask a few routine questions to get there.
27
I was felt this was the ultimate metric of celebrity: You knew that you were a celebrity if you were interviewed by Terry Gross for Fresh Air.
7
You don't realize how good Terry is at her craft, until you hear other NPR journalists doing on air interviews, in which they are trying to sound like Terry, and not doing it well at all. It isn't surprising that someone who has spent decades perfecting her art is so brilliant at it. She is even more fun to listen to than "Car Talk"- and Terry is still active and doing it.
13
There are plenty of great interviewers on NPR who far surpass Terry Gross ... Linda Wertheimer, Susan Stamberg, Noah Adams, Tom Ashbrook, Robert Siegel, Jacki Lyden ... the list goes on and on and on and on ...
4
Ah, "Car Talk" — At last a chance to say that I gave up listening to it years ago, being sick unto death of the yuks of the brothers. Much easier to get any useful information they might give by reading it in a newspaper, without the yuks.
Terry Gross is the best!
Terry Gross is the best!
3
Sorry. I like her interviews, but no way are they more fun than Car Talk. As I recall, Terry *did* interview the Magliozzi brothers, and that *was* fun. RIP, Ray.
1
Wouldn't it be wonderful if each nominee for president sat for an interview with her? How about having her on a debate panel? She's simply the best - just ask Bill O'Reilly!
20
I loved this article as I love Terry Gross. The interview with Maurice Sendak was one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. I think the article really clarifies why the interview seemed like nothing I had ever heard on radio before. It was the conversation you wish you could have with someone important to you who was dying but were unable to have. All of her interviews are great, but that one was the greatest. No one beats Terry Gross for bringing out the most important aspects of the people she interviews.
43
Terry Gross is an excellent interviewer and like most of us has a separate life from her work life. Often these two lives or personas have a very thin line between them depending on the situation. Her interview with Hillary Clinton is a good example of her emotion and passion while Clinton seemed to become defensive and shy away from an important issue. Unfortunately that seems to be the problem with most politicians. Hats off to Terry, keep on interviewing with passion, grace and respect.
22
Terry Gross is almost always a delight to listen to on Fresh Air. There was a time where her "either or" questions drove me crazy because it limited the response rather than opening up the discussion. She hasn't done that in a while thankfully.
I always try to get to the car in time to listen to the whole show. She is terrific and a true treasure.
I always try to get to the car in time to listen to the whole show. She is terrific and a true treasure.
6
Terry Gross is one of the big reasons I listen to NPR. I find her interviewing style insightful and riveting. Yes, I would like to be interviewed by Ms. Gross but I'm afraid I would inadvertently confess something that I had never spoken of before. That is the power of Ms. Gross; and it's okay.
14
Really, given what NPR has become, basically left wing spew,
Terri Gross is the only reason to listen
Terri Gross is the only reason to listen
I guess when you are so routinely praised, some listeners will want to object. I love the idea of Fresh Air, I'm very often, like most people here, intrigued by the choices the producers of the show make and interested in hearing the selected guests talk about their work and life. So why do I so often end up shouting at the radio, or blissfully switch to news radio, sports talk, just to get rid of the soft, too sweet taste? So with utter respect for a great career, admiration for the public service she and staff have provided for people in their cars over the last few decades, here's what drives me nuts:
Ms. Gross seem incapable of understanding that working class people are capable of art. I remember her asking author Donald Ray Pollack how it was possible for him to have written his book of short stories while he worked in a local factory. Does she think that only grad students have the time to write? Is her insensitivity to class in America a brilliant technique that I foolishly don't realize or is she truly tone deaf on this matter? Then there's the fawning over the most forgettable mid-level creative work out of Hollywood...the apparent ignorance of the most basic facts of global and political relationships... a suburban type of predictable progressivism in politics matched with middle brow taste. O Terry why do you torture me so?
Ms. Gross seem incapable of understanding that working class people are capable of art. I remember her asking author Donald Ray Pollack how it was possible for him to have written his book of short stories while he worked in a local factory. Does she think that only grad students have the time to write? Is her insensitivity to class in America a brilliant technique that I foolishly don't realize or is she truly tone deaf on this matter? Then there's the fawning over the most forgettable mid-level creative work out of Hollywood...the apparent ignorance of the most basic facts of global and political relationships... a suburban type of predictable progressivism in politics matched with middle brow taste. O Terry why do you torture me so?
23
I have worked in a factory. It's exhausting and I didn't have the energy at the end of the day to pursue my other ambitions. I would assume that was what she was talking about, not insinuating that the person was stupid or that working class people are uncreative.
49
Listen to the interview. You'll see that her tone is condescending.
1
I just wish she would interview more people who work in factories.
2
Terry is a national treasure.
27
Thanks for a great story about one of my favorite strangers. Think of all the millions of "driveway moments" we have shared collectively! Terry, I hope you read my comment!
10
She is such a great and natural interviewer. Highlights of my commute listening to her were her interviews with Bill O'Reilly and Gene Simmons - classics. And most memorable are the Sendak interview and the interviews with Charlie Hayden where she got him to sing Wayfaring Stranger which he then recorded. Great moments.
9
I admire Terry Gross. I gained so much respect for her after hearing her unforgettable interview with Gene Simmons. Why she didn't hang up on such a smarmy creature I will never know. She handled it with grace and manners that I would have had difficulty maintaining. Real, real professionalism in a difficult situation. She extinguished the fire of anger that grew in me as I listened.
16
I, too, remember that interview, but came away from it with an entirely different reaction. I was surprised that Terry didn't know Gene Simmons was Jewish. She assumed he was a Gentile and seemed shocked when he revealed he was Jewish. She didn't know how to react. I thought she was poorly prepared for the interview, something I have observed in many of her other interviews over the years.
well, at least we found out for certain how vile Gene Simmons really is.
1
Be sure to check out the much more pleasant, but still enlightening, interview with Alice Cooper. She enjoyed it so much, she decided to try talking with Gene Simmons.
Little did she know that Mr. Simmons isn't interested in acting like a gentleman. She's written about that interview in one of her books, btw.
Little did she know that Mr. Simmons isn't interested in acting like a gentleman. She's written about that interview in one of her books, btw.
1
Dissident view it seems, but can't take the smarminess, the intellectual radio pause she deploys, and not enlightening.. fascinating to read that people think otherwise
31
I'm with you. Can't stand her. She's often poorly prepared and her way of speaking the the guests is often rude and condescending.
1
You're not alone.
She's not everybody's cup of tea. Do you like Morning Edition and All Things Considered better, or are you not an NPR fan in general?
1
Terry Gross's interviews on "Fresh Air" are part of my daily commute. I listen to the podcasts while I take the subway every day. I especially enjoyed getting to hear Marc Maron interview Terry Gross this year at an event at the 92nd St. Y. It was so fun to hear Terry being the interviewee, rather than the interviewer!
8
I wish she'd do the same in Chicago--preferably with someone other than Ira Glass.
1
Among the things I really miss since moving to the UK 11 years ago, is listening to Terry Gross on NPR in the afternoons.
While I've become accustomed to and actually admire the take-no-prisoners style of BBC presenter-interviewers -- they can be vicious here, especially with hypocritical politicians, something American journalists could improve on -- Terry Gross is a breed apart, primarily because of her compassionate and incisive intelligence and That Voice.
My fantasy programme: Terry Gross and Lyse Doucet interviewing each other.
While I've become accustomed to and actually admire the take-no-prisoners style of BBC presenter-interviewers -- they can be vicious here, especially with hypocritical politicians, something American journalists could improve on -- Terry Gross is a breed apart, primarily because of her compassionate and incisive intelligence and That Voice.
My fantasy programme: Terry Gross and Lyse Doucet interviewing each other.
11
Don't most public radio stations simulcast their programming online, so that one listen from anywhere on earth? And if the time zone difference, or any other factor, makes listening in real time infeasible, one can always listen to archived programs, no?
You can listen to her on podcast!
Yes! So glad I'm not the only one to fantasize about being interviewed by Terry Gross. Of course, what we really want, is to have achieved something that Terry Gross would find worthy of an interview.
55
i'd like to thank Terry for such insightful moments when doing my laundry. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't do any chores without her. I look forward to listening to her wonderful voice every week. And I thank her for helping me out to let my ESL students appreciate the best America has to offer through Terry's perspective and her wonderful guests.
She truly trascends boundaries!
She truly trascends boundaries!
34
What a great story about an outstanding journalist. I have to say that I worked in airline PR for 20+ years and have done scores of media interviews. But the highlight was appearing on Fresh Air and being interviewed by Terry Gross. And I made her laugh. That was more than 10 years ago, and I still take pride in knowing I made Terry Gross laugh on the air. While I've never had the desire to be a journalist, I always said if I did, it would be in radio. And it's because of people like Terry Gross and all the other great NPR hosts who have such great voices that get into your head with their knowledge, insight and storytelling capabilities.
30
I have been listening to Terry since 1981 on NPR and have always loved her style of questioning and inquiry.
The two comments which I would like to make about her questioning line are her very persistent questions, mainly aimed at Politicians, about their support (or lack) of gay rights. Some may see this as badgering and may take offense. As someone who believes that no group should be denied their rights under the law, I don't see a problem with that.
My second issue is Terry's international "knowledge" or lack of it mainly. I don't know Terry personally but I seriously doubt if she has traveled a lot globally. In an interview with a Pakistani writer (I cannot recall the name) who was pushing this theory about how great Pakistan was, she never once asked about the creation of Bangladesh and the horrible debacle this was for the sub-continent. I remember shouting to my car radio "ask him about Bangladesh", but to no avail.
Overall I still think that Terry does a terrific job in her interviews. She is truly a treasure on NPR. Please keep up the good work Terry!
The two comments which I would like to make about her questioning line are her very persistent questions, mainly aimed at Politicians, about their support (or lack) of gay rights. Some may see this as badgering and may take offense. As someone who believes that no group should be denied their rights under the law, I don't see a problem with that.
My second issue is Terry's international "knowledge" or lack of it mainly. I don't know Terry personally but I seriously doubt if she has traveled a lot globally. In an interview with a Pakistani writer (I cannot recall the name) who was pushing this theory about how great Pakistan was, she never once asked about the creation of Bangladesh and the horrible debacle this was for the sub-continent. I remember shouting to my car radio "ask him about Bangladesh", but to no avail.
Overall I still think that Terry does a terrific job in her interviews. She is truly a treasure on NPR. Please keep up the good work Terry!
7
Thank you. The best time of my day is driving home and listening to "Fresh Air". Sometimes, I'll get to the parking lot and sit in idle so I can finish hearing her interview...
8
Thank you for this quietly stunning portrait of my favorite interviewer, ever.
9
Vivat! Vivat Terry!
1
Terry Gross is a National Resource. She combines courage, incisiveness, humor, HONESTY and an ability to engage with a wide range of people and subjects. For her alone I would be a member of National Public Radio.
6
The last interviews Terry Gross did with Maurice Sendek is as perfect of an interview as you will hear. Thank you Terry Gross.
62
Yes, yes, yes! I remember it well. So gentle, so respectful and so illuminative. Love, love, love Terry Gross.
2
Stephen Colbert's interviews with him are worth watching online.
2
I'll trade you ten Terry Gross for one Jean Shepherd.
14
Terry Gross as a Kennedy Center Award winner, introduced by and toasted by some of those she interviewed...
8
I so enjoy listening to Terry Gross! I love different types of music because of her. I know more about just about everything...because of Fresh Air. I never, ever, ever want her to retire. Thank you Terry!
9
Terry Gross is the consummate professional. You can tell from her interviews/conversations she has done her homework and tries hard not to ask trite questions. While she interviews many very famous people, she also interviews people that you may not be familiar with. However, because of her deeply personal questions, those conversations are often the most interesting and you discover someone has a moving life story which makes for great radio. Terry's voice is like silk honey and I never get tired of hearing it. Thanks Terry for many years of great radio! We love you on WHYY!
11
I love Terry's interviews...so frank, fresh, and seemingly more interested in the journey than on the destination.
Terry should, however, be a special prosecutor in Washington--everyone WANTS to tell Terry their secrets! No wonder so few politicians want to be interviewed.
Keep it up, Terry!
Terry should, however, be a special prosecutor in Washington--everyone WANTS to tell Terry their secrets! No wonder so few politicians want to be interviewed.
Keep it up, Terry!
9
"...seemingly more interested in the journey than on the destination."
For some of us that is a problem: Terry is always fishing and usually that means in shallow waters. She's good with Cindy Lauper -- mostly because Lauper is adept at running her own interview -- but she's in deep water with *anyone* out of her fishing hole. And that's a lot of folks she interviews (including the truly awful interview with Neil Young, to mention one).
For some of us that is a problem: Terry is always fishing and usually that means in shallow waters. She's good with Cindy Lauper -- mostly because Lauper is adept at running her own interview -- but she's in deep water with *anyone* out of her fishing hole. And that's a lot of folks she interviews (including the truly awful interview with Neil Young, to mention one).
The only interviewer I've ever heard who never insults the intelligence of her audience or her interviewees. Love you more than you know Terry!
16
You must be listening to a different Terry Gross than the one I've been listening to. Search for her interview with Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette about "Boyhood." Listen for the moment when she shuts him down because he is speaking and she wants to speak over him. Exemplary for the way she interviews most people. She wants to be the one on stage, and can't put her ego aside to let the subject speak.
A bit of "Idol Worship" here.
While I like "Fresh Air" there are times when Ms. Gross seems
incredibly naive.
While I like "Fresh Air" there are times when Ms. Gross seems
incredibly naive.
20
Or incredibly snobbish.
I would love hear her interview Trump...now.
I bet she would hang it up after that hour.
I bet she would hang it up after that hour.
4
As a former colleague of Terry's at WHYY from 1979 to 1983 when I was news director, I recall when her program was purely local and ran 3 hours every day. Three hours! Every day! Of course she became an extraordinary interviewer and good listener with all that practice (and a tremendous production staff of Danny Miller and Amy Salit and who knows who else over the years). And the interviews were interspersed with some of Francis's jazz collection to help fill time. She was...and is...a unique phenomenon, a delight for the ears and all the other senses. Kudos to her, her team and WHYY.
79
But she's far from a "extraordinary interviewer". She nearly always sounds like a star-struck college radio announcer auditioning for something better.
Great guests, no question. A personal plea: please once, just once, offer a question or an observation that surprises me (never mind the guest).
Never happens.
Great guests, no question. A personal plea: please once, just once, offer a question or an observation that surprises me (never mind the guest).
Never happens.
Could have been the world's greatest therapist.
10
I love Fresh Air, and Terry Gross. I had a job in New Jersey some years ago that had an hour commute, each way. I would rush out to my car at 4:00pm, when Fresh Air came on, turn it on and listen to Terry for the whole drive home. I never enjoyed anything more.
Thanks, Terry for the company all those years ago, and right up to today.
I live in the Mid-west now and I hear you each night at 8:00pm while loading the dishwasher, and cleaning up after supper. Wonderful!
Thanks, Terry for the company all those years ago, and right up to today.
I live in the Mid-west now and I hear you each night at 8:00pm while loading the dishwasher, and cleaning up after supper. Wonderful!
8
Listening to Gross in the backseat of my parents' car brought nothing but disdain for the entirety of talk radio. For years I was plagued with nightmares of the ilk—Keillor as a talking fish, Gross as some aunt always babbling on a covered porch. It wasn't until I acquired a license that I realized the nuance unique to Gross' conduct on air and appreciated her company. I never particularly desired to play the part of the interviewee, but to gain the fortitude to shut up and listen the way she does.
I wish the author had spent less time trying to paint such a descriptive portrait (something I also noted about fellow TAL writer Joel Lovell's Colbert GQ piece) and perhaps embrace Gross' neutrality. As a piece of admiration it certainly stands strong.
I wish the author had spent less time trying to paint such a descriptive portrait (something I also noted about fellow TAL writer Joel Lovell's Colbert GQ piece) and perhaps embrace Gross' neutrality. As a piece of admiration it certainly stands strong.
1
Oh my. National treasure? The Queen of the Credulous Softball? Give us a break.
26
A quick question, one often asked by many of us born in Brooklyn of others born in Brooklyn: "What High School did Terry Gross attend?"
1
She can be a very fine interviewer, but she had two habits that drive me crazy:
1. first is the annoying habit of saying "right" after someone gives a long thoughtful answer. I'm sure its said out of habit, but taken literally, to say "right" after an answer is to tell someone their opinion is correct. Its like giving a benediction. Totally inappropriate.
2. Her long-winded questions in which she asks a question, and then gives 3 or 4 possible answers, ala "did you do X because you were compensating for A, or you really felt B, or there was the possibility of C?" I assume she does this to prevent the person from giving a stock answer, but it also comes across as being a know it all - as though Terry is looking for the interviewee to compliment Terry on her insightfulness. It often sounds like she's trying to put words in the interviewee's mouth.
1. first is the annoying habit of saying "right" after someone gives a long thoughtful answer. I'm sure its said out of habit, but taken literally, to say "right" after an answer is to tell someone their opinion is correct. Its like giving a benediction. Totally inappropriate.
2. Her long-winded questions in which she asks a question, and then gives 3 or 4 possible answers, ala "did you do X because you were compensating for A, or you really felt B, or there was the possibility of C?" I assume she does this to prevent the person from giving a stock answer, but it also comes across as being a know it all - as though Terry is looking for the interviewee to compliment Terry on her insightfulness. It often sounds like she's trying to put words in the interviewee's mouth.
84
How about that she can barely get through a sentence without saying "like"? As a professional broadcaster on a network that caters to an educated listenership, one would think she would have trained herself, or been trained, to break that habit long ago. What an embarrassment.
2
Ditto!
I have always interpreted her "right" to be an acknowledgement of the answer, not agreement with it.
And providing a couple of alternative answers to an interviewee seems to me to be laying out the potential responses which Terry has speculated upon. The interviewee is free to discard those speculations and provide an entirely different answer.
I enjoy this aspect of Terry's interviews -- it enables me to contrast the answer which Terry is expecting with the answer that is actually given.
And providing a couple of alternative answers to an interviewee seems to me to be laying out the potential responses which Terry has speculated upon. The interviewee is free to discard those speculations and provide an entirely different answer.
I enjoy this aspect of Terry's interviews -- it enables me to contrast the answer which Terry is expecting with the answer that is actually given.
6
Terry gross is the George bush of npr. She can't utter an orininal thought without someone whispering it in her ear.
4
And how exactly would you know that?
1
Rick,
Please support your comment.
Please support your comment.
Not. That was Bob Edwards.
she is probably the #2 interviewer in the country..
#1 being Howard Stern
#1 being Howard Stern
3
Only if you like his persona. He can sound awfully juvenile at times.
1
Great voice. Great listener, too. I remember that interview with Sendak, it was really touching. She did at least one other interview with him in which he says "I hate people!" Introverts everywhere can relate to that...
Thanks, Ms Burton for your lovely article.
Thanks, Ms Burton for your lovely article.
10
Terry Gross is the best in her profession. She is to interviewing what Van Gogh is to art.
5
Terry, I do not comment normally but I hope you would read this.
I have been an immigrant for about 20 years here in my adopted country. Last year in my visit to China, a niece I first met asked me a question: "Why do you choose to live in a foreign land?" A few things occurred to me when I formulated my answer. Fresh Air in the form of your voice was on the top of my list.
I have been an immigrant for about 20 years here in my adopted country. Last year in my visit to China, a niece I first met asked me a question: "Why do you choose to live in a foreign land?" A few things occurred to me when I formulated my answer. Fresh Air in the form of your voice was on the top of my list.
201
I find that Terry Gross and The New York Times are within the same sphere of what I enjoy most in life; thoughtful, intelligent conversations that appeal to my insatiable curiosity about all things great and small.
2
Not Terry, but what a wonderful conment you wrote! We native Americans take so much for granted sometimes.
2
She would be much better if she would ditch her use of irritating vocal inflections of people much younger than she; i.e., uptalk, overuse of "like", etc.
37
I don't care for the upspeak, either. I was hoping the voice trainer she interviewed a few weeks ago would mention it to her.
Like it or not, "like" as a fill in for "something like" is going to stick around for a while. I've decided not to let it bother me.
Like it or not, "like" as a fill in for "something like" is going to stick around for a while. I've decided not to let it bother me.
1
Finally, an article about wonderful Terry Gross. She has improved the artistry of questioning over the years I have enjoyed her on NPR. What a gift to us you are Terry. And, yes, I dream about being interviewed by Terry Gross, and also about being Terry Gross. I think I have learned a lot about how to ask and how not to ask from her. My students certainly seem to think so. Thanks Terry. Don't retire, don't leave the planet!
6
13000 interviews?! Holy cow. I've probably only heard half of them. And here I thought I was a true fan.
5
Just as she craves to be "inside a song," she knows how to get "inside a life" with such grace. Can there please be more gentle, compassionate and beautiful souls in our national scene like Terry Gross?
61
We love spending part of our evenings with Terry and her guests. They are always on time, pleasant and interesting. Oh-- and they know when to leave.
5
Did anyone else find themselves reading this article in Terry Gross' voice in your head? I'm in college but have been listening to npr since I was in elementary school. Terry's voice and the intimacy she creates will always travel with me.
168
Yes I did! The only thing missing from Susan Burton's wonderful article was Terry Gross's voice.
1
Jess: Yes, the first thing I thought about when I read the title of this article was her voice. What I'd do for a voice like her's! Terry's voice combined with her excellent interview skills are truly a gift for all who have the pleasure of listening to her.
I've never heard a better interviewer. Her intutive perceptiveness, intelligence, and natural gentle ability to get inside the mind and heart of those she interviews is unsurpassed.
10
I always admired Terry Gross's reporting and today she has even more gravitas. I like her voice. She sure beats some of the inch deep, inch wide talking heads we see and hear on tv and radio in 2015.
3
I try never to miss her show. She engages her guests and there is no trace of judgement. Her questions are well thought out, well researched and carefully parsed. Her reactions are genuine, her giggle infectious and she brings out the best in people. That is a special talent. She makes you feel as if you are in the room and part of the conversation.
8
I regularly sit in my idling car upon reaching a destination, gripped by her interviews, waiting for a break, so I can run inside and turn on the radio.
9
Terry Gross has one of the most distinctive voices and interview styles. Even her cadence speaks to calm and empathy and I can't help but stop whatever I am doing when she asks a question so that I can listen, really listen, to her question and then to her interviewee's response. It's a true lesson in the art of conversation!
5
I remember the interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates, and how defensive he got when she simply joked that teachers do yell at kids sometimes. She was relating to him, and he found it incomprehensible that she might have been able to understand what it is like to be humiliated or belittled, as if this is unique to his experience. She handled it with grace, and tried to go on. Interviews must be difficult when your interviewee is full of defensiveness and assumes that you cant understand their experiences.
17
The best interviewer alive along with a wonderful voice I never tire of hearing.
7
her work has declined in the last decade------------not always as prepared as earlier in her career, the tone of her voice betrays the affection for the guest, she has become too intimate in her approach and ducks the tough issues, and therefore the tough questions.
16
Totally agree!!
I used to be a great fan trying to catch her interviews as much as I could. I treasured those years. After I moved back to North America in 2002, I became a sporadic listener and started to notice the uneven quality of her interview: for one she is not always prepared like before, and for another she sometimes lacks empathy in her tone of voice, which she was famous for having.
1
There are some people in this world who remain in conscious touch with their own and others' inner sensibilities. Terry Gross is one of those people.
What I mean is, we all notice and register and feel things around us on a daily basis that we don't speak about, and may not actually be consciously aware of. But those things are inside us, nonetheless. Terry Gross has an ability to tap into that submerged part of people. She's pretty amazing.
What I mean is, we all notice and register and feel things around us on a daily basis that we don't speak about, and may not actually be consciously aware of. But those things are inside us, nonetheless. Terry Gross has an ability to tap into that submerged part of people. She's pretty amazing.
15
" As a little girl, Gross loved realistic fiction (Beverly Cleary, the Betsy-Tacy series)"
Has Terry Gross interviewed Beverly Clearly? That would be something to listen to.
I moved to Portland four years ago, and discovered that's where Cleary had lived for many years, drawing some of her books' places and names from Portland (where there really is a Klickitat Street, as well a Quimby Street), and somewhat to my surprise that Cleary is still alive.
Has Terry Gross interviewed Beverly Clearly? That would be something to listen to.
I moved to Portland four years ago, and discovered that's where Cleary had lived for many years, drawing some of her books' places and names from Portland (where there really is a Klickitat Street, as well a Quimby Street), and somewhat to my surprise that Cleary is still alive.
6
She has a great presence but the only time she was foiled was when she interviewed BB King, who proved he was a better musician than human being
1
I can't imagine what the news media would be like if Terry Gross were the most common interviewer instead of Howard Beale.
I've been listening to her since WFCR began broadcasting her program. I am touched by her rapport with her guests and the way that she asks provocative questions and protects them from foolish answers.
I've been listening to her since WFCR began broadcasting her program. I am touched by her rapport with her guests and the way that she asks provocative questions and protects them from foolish answers.
2
I wish Terry Gross would interview fewer tragic figures and present more people who delve into the creativity and joy of life. I got so tired of hearing interviews of book authors who lived through a painful childhood, or reviews and previews of Breaking Bad...that I stopped listening to her show and only do so occasionally. It seems like the only way to be interesting to Terry Gross is to have lived through suffering, and what she really likes to do is to delve deeply to expose that suffering, that misery, and analyze it like a glass specimen.
I'm also bothered by the fact that she doesn't interview incredible authors outside of "mainstream" fiction and auto-biographical self-indulgent literature. When Ray Bradbury died, there was nothing she had done in the archives that amounted to an interview with him. I could be wrong but don't think she's ever interviewed Ursula K. LeGuin (she'd better get on it. She turns 86 today!!!). I enjoy her interviews on politics, foreign and domestic policy, science, comedy, and authors of fiction that does not stem from inner pain...but Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and countless authors of books about miserable live experiences that must be dissected and analyzed...she covers these types of topics multiple times a year...I've had enough of that material.
I'm also bothered by the fact that she doesn't interview incredible authors outside of "mainstream" fiction and auto-biographical self-indulgent literature. When Ray Bradbury died, there was nothing she had done in the archives that amounted to an interview with him. I could be wrong but don't think she's ever interviewed Ursula K. LeGuin (she'd better get on it. She turns 86 today!!!). I enjoy her interviews on politics, foreign and domestic policy, science, comedy, and authors of fiction that does not stem from inner pain...but Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and countless authors of books about miserable live experiences that must be dissected and analyzed...she covers these types of topics multiple times a year...I've had enough of that material.
16
I have listened to Terry Gross for some thirty-odd years, and I have never shaken the sense -- and I'm not alone in this observation -- that she frequently gets my attention because of the guests she manages to get on her show, not because of her very dim interviewing skills. In priceless interviews that no one else can get -- Neil Young, Pierre Boulez. among others -- the listener can only hope that the interviewee can pick the ball up and run with it, because Terry (mostly her producers I suspect) probably won't.
The kind of dumb questions she asked Neil Young literally struck him dumb at points -- i.e., dead air space -- and she was saved by Pierre Boulez who basically interviewed himself (I don't think Terry or her producers had a clue as to who he was or why he might matter).
Worst thing? She never surprises me with an insightful question or observation.
Lovely person and she continues to get great guests. She just rarely seems to be up to the task as an interviewer.
The kind of dumb questions she asked Neil Young literally struck him dumb at points -- i.e., dead air space -- and she was saved by Pierre Boulez who basically interviewed himself (I don't think Terry or her producers had a clue as to who he was or why he might matter).
Worst thing? She never surprises me with an insightful question or observation.
Lovely person and she continues to get great guests. She just rarely seems to be up to the task as an interviewer.
46
Can't wait until she retires. Her interviews are amazingly boring. Enough already!
1
I remember years ago she had Patti Smith on, and asked her (more or less), "In 197?, at a concert you gave in __________, you fell off the stage. How did you feel as you were falling?". For some reason, perhaps because it was the dumbest question I've ever heard an interviewer ask, it's always stuck in my mind.
More generally, she always fawns over famous pop stars, as if she were a starstruck teenage girl. Awful.
More generally, she always fawns over famous pop stars, as if she were a starstruck teenage girl. Awful.
3
Her Neil Young interview did strike me as particularly awful. He seemed annoyed by her questions and his disdain was palpable. It was an interview I wouldn't waste my time on again, given the chance.
Until I moved away from the Philly area a few years ago, I had regularly listened to Terry almost from her beginning. She is a treasure. I appreciated learning from this article that she is married to (not PC, I admit) a guy. I had always wondered about her orientation - not that it would matter to me.
1
She mentions her husband on the air every once in a while. There's also a funny fundraising video online that will let you see what he looks like.
1
Thank you for this story about Terry Gross. Like many others I admire her more than I can say.
In the seventies, when I lived in the Philadelphia area, I would listen to her in my car and more than once did that thing we all do at some point with a compelling story or piece of music, sit there till it ended, or race into the house to hear the end. She and Danny Miller were like friends I liked but never saw, like people who live far away but one feels close to.
I was in the same room with her once, at a sad event in the city after the final legislative defeat of the ERA in 1982. Gloria Steinem and other leading lights of feminism then were there. A great and sorrowful day. Both.
Keep going Terry Gross! We need you out here to help keep us sane.
In the seventies, when I lived in the Philadelphia area, I would listen to her in my car and more than once did that thing we all do at some point with a compelling story or piece of music, sit there till it ended, or race into the house to hear the end. She and Danny Miller were like friends I liked but never saw, like people who live far away but one feels close to.
I was in the same room with her once, at a sad event in the city after the final legislative defeat of the ERA in 1982. Gloria Steinem and other leading lights of feminism then were there. A great and sorrowful day. Both.
Keep going Terry Gross! We need you out here to help keep us sane.
98
I recently heard a recorded interview by Terry Gross with David Foster Wallace and then one with Jason Segel who was playing David Foster Wallace in "The End of the Tour" movie. Such different personalities, and her interviews with each were so amazing. One had me thinking about the meaning of modern life and the other howling with laughter. I can't count the times I have sat in my driveway listening to the end of one of her interviews before going into the house.
12
Marc Maron's interview with her is one of the great interviews. Truly. Terry is wonderful but I would love to hear from her on this one. So in my little way, I want to do a one-question interview with her. Sometimes it feels like she skips over follow-up questions and moves on to the next one. This may be for time's sake. Or some sake.
2
I probably started listening to Terry Gross in the late 1980s or early 1990s. When I lived in Asia for 10 years (from 1992-2002) I would lament that I couldn't access her radio interviews (this was pre-podcasts). I would buy the NPR interviews of her "Best" interviews on cassette tape and play them over and over. She was one of only 2 things I missed in my 10 years overseas: Terry Gross and really good chocolate!
2
I get it that people want to be interviewed by Ms. Gross. I, too, enjoy her interviews with the famous, the productive or the simply original folk she gets to talk with. What is most revealing about her from this article is her preference for interview at a distance. I might have conjectured that the wish/fantasy of being interviewed is a thirst for intimacy of a kind or a need to have someone with whom you safely share secrets. (The article compares Ms.Gross directly to a therapist). But I have to conclude that the thirst is actually for conversation, simple conversation. So lacking in busy lives today.
4
It's not a matter of preference, but her guests' comfort, I think. They're grateful they don't have to fly to Philly in order to be on her show.
The interviews seem so intimate, that I was shocked when I first learned they weren't conducted in person. I think not being in the same room helps people open up to her sometimes, though.
The interviews seem so intimate, that I was shocked when I first learned they weren't conducted in person. I think not being in the same room helps people open up to her sometimes, though.
1
I have been listening to Terry for as long as she has been on the air whenever I have been on this side of the pond. She is one of the few "decision-shapers" in her field, - in fact, in this country - and has had a great influence on me and, I am certain, many of her listeners. She carefully extracts what is needed for a listener to come to her or his own conclusion instead of hyperbolically shoving something into the airwaves. For this, I am grateful.
She is a treasure and a true "Spatz auf dem Dach" to put it into her surname tongue.
She is a treasure and a true "Spatz auf dem Dach" to put it into her surname tongue.
5
She has a great laugh, wonderful to hear.
20
Great article. Terry Gross has a perfect voice for radio. Awesome tone and all kinds of meaning-carrying inflections. Her knowledge seems limitless. She sounds like she's seen every movie, read every book, and listened to every album of everyone she's ever interviewed. She's the Beyonce or Rhianna of NPR. See has a great rapport with her guests--even when one might push her to exasperation. I especially loved her interview with Keith Richards and highly recommend those who haven't heard it yet to check it out.
http://nprfreshair.tumblr.com/post/2483621083/keith-richards-terms-of-en...
http://nprfreshair.tumblr.com/post/2483621083/keith-richards-terms-of-en...
6
i've been listening to Terry for as long as she's been on the air, here, in Philadelphia- we both live here. i used to rush out to my car after work, at 3, when her show used to air, to hear the jazz selection she played at the beginning of her show. i just saw her a few weeks ago, at a Whole Foods store. i did contemplate coming up to her and fan-girling, saying (what else would i say but the truth: "i love you, Terry!! I'm thrilled to meet you!!"). but, i stopped myself, did not want to intrude on her personal space. it was enough, that i had passed right by THE Terry Gross, that we here in Philly just love so much. talk about a moment. thanks for the great story on our beloved Terry Gross.
118
Me too. Same thing with the jazz selections. That's what got me interested in "Fresh Air". Then I noticed interesting guest selection and was hooked on her interviewing. A national treasure with a wonderful hearty laugh!
2
I actually see her fairly regularly, since I work at a local grocery store close to where she lives. I love her, and she is actually very approachable. Ive even asked her about her interview with Gene Simmons, and her stories are great. If you see her, say hello, she would definitely appreciate it. PS: She also is a cat lover! :)
11
Living in Philadelphia area in the 1980's, I became addicted to Terry's interviews on WHYY, which usually lasted 45 minutes or more. Then, in 1987, the format changed to accommodate a national audience. I was an originalist at first - don't mess with a great thing. But by the end of that year, when I was offered a job in Silicon Valley, knowing that I could listen to Fresh Air on San Francisco's KQED helped make the move that much more enjoyable, in spite of the new format -- which, of course, I've adapted to -- for the last quarter century!
8
Terry Gross is a national treasure. And what fun to find out she is a Betsy-Tacy fan!
78
Diminutive in stature but a powerhouse of an interviewer. May she continue to enthrall us with her interviews for a long time to come.
139
I love Terry Gross.
97
NPR could definitely raise serious cash by having a lottery where the winner would be interviewed by Ms. Gross. How cool would that be!!
204
There have been many "driveway moments" listening to Fresh Air. So much appreciate Terry's passion and interest; I always learn something new. The interview with Dr Andrew Weill helped reshape my career in the late 1990's.
6
Cate, I love the idea of Terri occasionally interviewing non-celebrities. Just a person she see walking down the street invited to come to the studio for an hour. How great.
You should be a radio producer (or maybe are?)
You should be a radio producer (or maybe are?)
7
Or an auction. I'll start at $100, but you probably know that I will go higher.
1
Thank you for this! I'm planning on listening to her show today, while I turn 100#s of apples into sauce and butter. Ms Gross is great company in the kitchen.
74
I, too, have "to be interviewed by Terry Gross" on my bucket list. It is just a fantasy but a sweet one. I have enjoyed her work for many decades even to the point of having purchased some of her interviews on CD. She is a national treasure.
47
It conveniently coincides with NPR's fall fundraising efforts. At least when you publish and interview with an actor who is promoting a movie or an author who is promoting a book you will mention the project somewhere in the text.
This story strikes me as a strategically designed media strategy executed by NPR's PR team and neatly planted right in the middle of the biggest fund drive of the year.
Given the very cozy relationship between New York's NPR station WNYC and NPR, I thought a little fair disclosure was called for.
Oh... a mention of how she got Bill O'Reilly to walk out on her would have been nice too!