So, I conducted my very first band interview for Revolt-Media on Wednesday. A live interview. With a band. The lead singer, Ben Clark, no less. A very good, up-and-coming band. They’re called The Lashes. Want to check them out? Click HERE.

Anyway, yes, I conducted the interview Wednesday via telephone (hey, there is a country between us, after all), and I was extremely nervous, to say the least. The Lashes have been in Maxim, Hustler, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, and yes, even a small bit in Rolling Stone. Not to mention a few TV appearances. What was I, a meek little freelance writer from West Virginia interviewing them for the Indie music magazine I write for going to possibly ask that hadn’t been asked before? What?! Me?!

Needless to say, I survived. And I’m going to tell you how.

When conducting an interview, you need to divide your time into three parts - the before, the during, and the after.

Before the Interview

Preparing for an interview is by far the most difficult, tedious part.

Before you conduct your interview, you need to first figure out what kind of interview it’s going to be - formal, informal, over the phone, in person, through email - knowing the kind of interview it will be is crucial to the rest of your planning. My interview was over the phone, so all I had to worry about was making sure I had no home distractions.

Once you know what kind of interview you’ll be conducting, you must decide the purpose of the interview. Is it going to be a feature article? Then decide what the topic of the article is going to be. Is it going to be published as Q&A style? Then decide on a solid direction for your questions - for example, you’re not going to want to ask the interviewee what his favorite brand of cereal is if the point of the interview is the struggle and rise of his band. Do some serious research about your interviewee to help you decide in what direction you want to go.

This brings us to choosing questions. Your questions must focus on the point of the interview. Going back to my interview with Ben - since the point of my interview was to highlight who The Lashes really are, I had the luxury of asking a wide variety of questions - how the band came together, what message they want to convey with their music, where they see themselves in the far future - that sort of thing. I was also able to throw in a few random questions about love lives, role models, etc. Adding some questions that indirectly follow your topic is fine, but make sure your questions ultimately focus on the point of your interview. This doesn’t mean you can’t keep your questions interesting, though.

As far as an order of questions are concerned? Go ahead and arrange them in an order that makes sense and one you’re comfortable with, but I guarantee that unless your interview is extremely formal, you won’t follow that order. And you’ll probably develop some new questions along the way. I certainly did. Be ready for both.

Lastly, you need to both confirm your interview time, and get your space prepared. Ben’s PR people confirmed my interview with my editor - however, if you don’t have that luxury, make sure to confirm the interview yourself. And a few hours before the interview, get your questions, writing utensils, tape recorder, whatever you need, set up.

During the Interview

Cast all your nerves aside, because this is the fun part! Rather, it should be, unless you end up interviewing a real ass. I was lucky - Ben was a sweetheart.

Begin the interview on time, and start by telling your interviewee in what direction you’re going with your piece. This will prepare him for the kinds of questions to expect, and it will assure you that he doesn’t think you sound like a bumbling idiot. Also, get permission to record the interview if you’re using a recorder.

Start with your first question - as I said before, you most likely won’t follow your question order, but by starting with your first question, you’ll set the general direction of the interview.

Listen attentively, and never interupt your interviewee. Period. If he says something that sparks another question or comment from you, jot your thought down and address it after he’s finished talking. And if you aren’t sure you understand an answer, ask to clarify.

Most people are going to tell you to stick within your time limit - however, I won’t. Ben and I were scheduled for a 30 minute interview. My editor suggested keeping it to 15. We ended up talking for 45. Ben had a few lengthy answers, and offered some additional information on his own. After the first 25 minutes, I did point out to him that he had other interviews scheduled and that I had taken up much of his time - he assured me it was fine, and everything worked out. This won’t be the case for all interviews, so make sure you touch base with your interviewee concerning time.

Once it’s time to bring your interview to a close, take the opportunity to clarify any information you may be even slightly confused about, and genuinely thank your interviewee for his time.

After the Interview

Your interview is over, and it was a success! Hooray! Or, your interview is over and it was a complete disaster in which case you can totally trash your interviewee for being a mean jackass! Hooray! In any event, there are four main things you must do after an interview.

Make sure your tape recorder worked (if you used one), and immediately begin to organize and transcibe your notes. Everything is still fresh in your mind right after the interview, and you may even want to add a few notes. Make sure you got everything you need, and you understand everything you got.

Send a thank you note to your interviewee. This is just nice, and good networking.

Contact your editor (if you’re working for one) to both let her know you’ve successfully finished the interview, and confirm your deadline.

Lastly, start putting it all together!

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