Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet one of your favourite stars? I've wondered that my whole life. Maybe that's what drew me to the world of interviewing. As a kid I would watch all the talk shows - Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore, Johnny Carson, Oprah, etc. - and I would think to myself, "Geez, they're not asking the questions that I would like to ask", or worse, "The interviewer just let the guest get away with not asking the question, or not finishing the answer to a question."
And then, I would wonder to myself, "what is that celebrity really like during the commercials when the camera isn't rolling?" Well, today I got to interview one of my favourite singers: Matt Dusk. As you might expect, I always have a short chat with my guests before we start the interview, to put him/her at ease, address any technical issues, and discuss possible areas of questioning. That's when I get to see what they're really like.
So far I have not been disappointed. Quite the contrary. Everyone has been exceptionally nice, totally professional and enthusiastic about being interviewed. Matt Dusk is intelligent, articulate, very knowledgeable about - and shows great respect for - the genre of music he sings, and highly astute when it comes to the realities of the music industry. His comments about TV singing competitions like "American Idol" and "The Voice" were right on. His comments about being a Canadian musical artist competing with American artists were enlightening - who knew that the Canadian government gives musical artists a helping hand so they can make it big? And he has marketing savvy: making the same album in 3 languages to tap into the music scene in different countries is nothing short of brilliant. And what a humble, likeable guy. I'm sure that came across in spades in the interview.
So, for all the stories you hear about some celebrities being rude, self-absorbed, disrespectful "divas" - well, so far, none of those people have lit up my zoom screen. But if and when they do, I'll be ready for them. After all, some people might say that I'm a bit of a diva myself......but that's for another conversation!