♪♪♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK.
MY NEXT GUEST IS THE AWARD-WINNING HOST OF NPR'S
"FRESH AIR" AND IN MY OPINION, THE GREATEST INTERVIEWER WORKING
TODAY.
PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," TERRY GROSS.
HEY, TERRY.
>> HEY, STEPHEN.
IT'S SO GREAT TO LITERALLY SEE YOU.
I'M USED TO TALKING WITH YOU ON THE RADIO.
>> Stephen: I KNOW, I'M USED TO TALKING TO YOU OR EVEN JUST
HEARING YOU ON THE RADIO.
THIS IS COMING UP ON THE 50 50th ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL
PUBLIC RADIO, AND WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT WHICH I DID NOT KNOW
IS YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE RADIO INTERVIEWING PEOPLE FOR 45 OF
THOSE 50 YEARS, NOT ALL OF THEM AT NPR, BUT WHAT WERE THOSE EARL
WILL I DAYS LIKE DOING YOUR SHOW?
I THINK I HAVE A PHOTO HERE I WANT TO SHOW EVERYBODY.
THIS IS YOU BACK IN THE EARLY DAYS.
YOU LOOK LIKE YOU COULD BE A BASS PLAYER FOR PETER FRAMPTON.
I LOVE THAT HAIR!
IT'S ALMOST LIKE A SUPERPOWER.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
IT WAS LONG.
LONG AND BIG.
>> Stephen: WHERE DID THAT GO?
ON THE FLOOR, SLOWLY.
IT KIND OF LIKE GOT SHORTER AND SHORTER UNTIL THERE WAS HARDLY
ANYTHING, WHICH IS SO MUCH EASIER TO DEAL WITH.
>> Stephen: WELL, HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
WHAT WERE THE EARLY DAYS OF -- WAS IT CALLED "FRESH AIR" AT THE
BEGINNING?
>> WELL, I COULD TAKE IT BACK TO WHEN I STARTED IN RADIO WHICH
WAS ON THE A COLLEGE CAMPUS AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
AT BUFFALO, WHICH IS INTERESTING BECAUSE WHEN NPR GOT STARTED, A
LOT OF PEOPLE CAME FROM COLLEGE CAMPUS STATIONS AND THE STATIONS
WERE ALSO FEEDING A LOT OF REPORTS TO NPR AND SO ON.
SO IT WAS A REALLY EXCITING TIME TO START, AND I THINK, AS A
WOMAN, IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO START BECAUSE THE WOMEN'S
MOVEMENT WAS REALLY BIG ON CAMPUS, AND COSH, WOMEN WERE
BREAKING INTO RADIO AT OUR COLLEGE STATION AND OTHER
COLLEGE STATIONS, TOO.
AND, OF COURSE, BILL SEMERING WHO ALSO HAD BEEN A MANAGER AT A
COLLEGE STATION WAS THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING AT NPR,
HE CREATED "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED" AND HIRED SUSAN
STANBURG AS A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AND SHE WENT ON TO
HOST THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: WELL, AS I SAID BEFORE, AND I'VE SAID TO YOU, IS
THAT I THINK YOU'RE THE BEST INTERVIEWER OUT THERE.
CERTAINLY THE PERSON I LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED BY THE MOST.
>> OH, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: AND I ALSO LIKE LISTENING TO THE WAY YOU DO
INTERVIEWS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALL THE THIRD PERSON
SITTING IN THE BOOTH.
LIKE YOU TWO, WHOEVER YOU ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, AND
WE'RE THERE ALONG FOR THE RIDE OF THIS CONVERSATION.
IT'S ALWAYS FELT VERY INTIMATE.
AND I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU THINK THE INTERVIEWER'S JOB IS.
HOW DO YOU -- WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES WHEN YOU'RE DOING AN
INTERVIEW?
>> IT DEPENDS WHAT THE INTERVIEW IS, BUT, IDEALLY, I'D LIKE TO
GET TO SOMETHING I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW.
YOU KNOW, I DO A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCH BEFORE THE INTERVIEW,
AND I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT SOMETHING THAT I DON'T KNOW.
I WULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THINGS THAT I DO KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE THE
LISTENERS DON'T KNOW.
THE LISTENERS DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW IT.
BUT I LIKE SOME -- FOR INSTANCE, IF IT'S NOT A NEWS INTERVIEW, IF
IT'S NOT AN AREA OF EXPERTISE IN THE NEWS, I LIKE PEOPLE TO BE
CASUAL.
I WANT TO GET TO KNOW THEM, THEREFORE HAVE LISTENERS TO GET
TO KNOW THEM.
I WANT THEM TO BE CASUAL, FUNNY, AND CAN HAVE DETENTION --
CONFIDENTIAL, TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH INTO
REVEALING THEIR BEST SELVES.
I DON'T MEAN TO BECOME NAKED ON THE SHOW AND REVEAL THEIR
SECRETS.
IT'S NOT THE PLACE FOR IT.
WE ALL NEED PRIVACY AND SOMETHING REALLY PERSONAL IN OUR
LIVES, BUT TO BE THEIR PEST AND MOST COMFORTABLE PUBLIC SELF.
>> Stephen: WE'LL TAKE A BREAK AND BE BACK WITH MORE TERRY
GROSS.