What are the best interview questions ever?
February 7, 2022 7:16 AM Subscribe
I’m thinking of questions like Jeremy Paxman asking Tony Blair if he and George W Bush prayed together, or Oprah Winfrey asking if Michael Jackson’s abuse victims if they could have made ‘Leaving Neverland’ if Jackson was still alive, a great question in a run of great questions that elicited a gasp of approval from the audience.
What are the interview questions that made you stop and go, “WHOA! THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION!” I’d love to watch videos of such questions but written interviews are good too.
Matt Baker asking David Cameron “How do you sleep at night?”
The video is on youtube (search Matt Baker David Cameron)
posted by Balthamos at 7:32 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
The video is on youtube (search Matt Baker David Cameron)
posted by Balthamos at 7:32 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I continue to be amazed at the deep digging they do for the questions on Hot Ones. It seems like a gimmicky little show but then Sean asks something so obscure it catches the guest off-guard. It's one of the best celebrity interview shows out there.
posted by jozxyqk at 7:36 AM on February 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by jozxyqk at 7:36 AM on February 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
I mean, this isn't a deep cut or anything, but Terry Gross is a famous interviewer for a reason. I also find Anna Sales of the Death, Sex, and Money podcast to be really talented as well. Both Gross and Sales are really good at listening - I can't think of any specific questions they've asked, but I regularly think "good question" while listening to their interviews.
posted by coffeecat at 7:49 AM on February 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 7:49 AM on February 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
I've noticed how often guests of Terry Gross's say, "Wow, that's a great question." Sometimes that might be out of politeness, but it usually seems genuine. Here's a list of Fresh's Air staff's favorite interviews. I particularly remember her last interview with Maurice Sendak, and I can't believe it was 11 years ago.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:57 AM on February 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:57 AM on February 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is very niche, but I love the first question asked of guests on the Knuckleheads NBA podcast ("When you first got to the league, who was the first person to bust your ass?") so much that I made an FPP about it. It elicits a deep level of reflection and discussion that you seldom hear in sports-related interviews.
posted by googly at 8:13 AM on February 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by googly at 8:13 AM on February 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Perhaps not exactly what you're looking for, but reactions from Nardwaur's interviewees is something else. I give you You're Nardwaur -- We Have to Know.
posted by dobbs at 8:18 AM on February 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 8:18 AM on February 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
Jesse Thorne of Bullseye and the Maximum Fun podcasting empire ends up doing a lot of these. As opposed to a planned-in-advance amazing question—which he does regularly—the first one that comes to mind is the simple "Oh really?! I want to know why." It came at a moment where Willem Dafoe answered a question completely contrary to how Thorne expected it, and he was able to pivot immediately and explore the implications of Dafoe's unexpected answer. It was proof that Thorn was present in the conversation, and not beholden to a list of questions. It's here, at the moment that there are 33:00 minutes left.
He also did a series of Interviewing interviewers called The Turnaround, which explores the question of good questions a lot.
posted by umbú at 8:25 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
He also did a series of Interviewing interviewers called The Turnaround, which explores the question of good questions a lot.
posted by umbú at 8:25 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Nardwuar walked so Sean Evans could run. Here's Nardwuar interviewing Pharrell and blowing his mind at the quality of research in this interview.
posted by thebots at 9:05 AM on February 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by thebots at 9:05 AM on February 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
For a gotcha moment: Matthew Sweet asking Naomi Wolf about her total misunderstanding of the phrase "death recorded". (The Cut, Twitter Video). It's a combination of politeness, good preparation, devastating facts, and Wolf's sort of odd acceptance of it all to make a perfect storm. Impossible to imagine it being repeated.
In general though, I agree the best interviewers aren't trying for gotcha moments. The best answers often come from an interviewer who understands the subject, or subject's work, asking a simple question and giving them room to talk.
posted by mark k at 11:40 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
In general though, I agree the best interviewers aren't trying for gotcha moments. The best answers often come from an interviewer who understands the subject, or subject's work, asking a simple question and giving them room to talk.
posted by mark k at 11:40 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Not so much a specific question as a great technique: When Bob Costas was hosting Later he used to ask some very tough questions in a very clever, polite way. He'd start by reading a paragraph from some devastating but common complaint about the person. In Paul McCartney's case, it was something about how he'd really lost his edge after the Beatles and made a lot of bland pop. Then Costas would say something like, "I know this has been a criticism you've heard a lot over the years. What would you say in response to something like that?"
I don't remember the guest ever once getting huffy in response, and the answers were always fascinating.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:13 PM on February 7, 2022
I don't remember the guest ever once getting huffy in response, and the answers were always fascinating.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:13 PM on February 7, 2022
Mrs Merton asking Debbie McGee: “But what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?”
posted by fabius at 5:34 AM on February 8, 2022
posted by fabius at 5:34 AM on February 8, 2022
"Just how pissed off are you?"
Johnny Carson to David Letterman, during the whole late night talk show host shenanigans. And so much of it is down not only to Carson's perfect delivery, but in Letterman walking the line of being polite and letting rip in his answer.
posted by ewan at 8:58 AM on February 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Johnny Carson to David Letterman, during the whole late night talk show host shenanigans. And so much of it is down not only to Carson's perfect delivery, but in Letterman walking the line of being polite and letting rip in his answer.
posted by ewan at 8:58 AM on February 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
“What are the Ten Commandments?”
Stephen Colbert interviewing congressman Lynn Westmoreland. Westmoreland was known for having introduced legislation requiring the posting and display of the Ten Commandments in every state courtroom. Colbert asked him to name them and he could only come up with three (and I think only one of those was correct). I’ve never seen anyone so completely exposed as a hypocrite, with just one question.
posted by Troupe of trained rats at 9:37 AM on February 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
Stephen Colbert interviewing congressman Lynn Westmoreland. Westmoreland was known for having introduced legislation requiring the posting and display of the Ten Commandments in every state courtroom. Colbert asked him to name them and he could only come up with three (and I think only one of those was correct). I’ve never seen anyone so completely exposed as a hypocrite, with just one question.
posted by Troupe of trained rats at 9:37 AM on February 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
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posted by saeculorum at 7:19 AM on February 7, 2022