Terry Gross - The Queen of the Interview

What is the difference between a movie star and a radio star?

Since we do not see people over the radio, a radio star’s success has less to do with their physical appearance and more to do with their creative merit. In the radio world, groundbreaking thoughts and ideas are the most valuable currency. One of the most innovative radio stars of our time is Terry Gross. Gross can truly claim that her success was built on her creative merit and imaginative practices.  

Terry Gross is the host of Fresh Air, one of the most popular radio shows in the country. The show has been nationally distributed through NPR since 1985. On Fresh Air, Gross hosts personal interviews with popular cultural figures - artists, comedians, musicians, politicians, writers and other experts in their fields. While this interview format is not necessarily new in the world of radio, Gross’s approach towards the medium is groundbreaking.

Gross’ work is unique because of her in-depth research and focus on creating an intimate relationship with her interviewee. The New York Times calls her a “master class in conversation.” By creating intimacy and trust with the  interviewee, Gross is able to gather more intimate answers from her correspondents. It is almost like listening in to a therapist talk to her client. Allowing for Americans to view these cultural icons in a different, more personal tone, audiences are able to see them as more whole and complex beings. They see these interviewees as whole, complex beings. They see a side of them they would not see in less intimate spaces, like on the Today Show or Oprah.

Gross’ persistence in her field has allowed for her to become the powerhouse she is today. She has been hosting Fresh Air for over 40 years now and has conducted over 13,000 interviews. If the popular idea that 10,000 hours in a field makes you an expert in that field is true, then Gross certainly is an expert in her field. And it shows, Gross always knows the right questions to ask and when to ask them. She navigates the gentle pushes and pulls of conversation with ease, and never forces people to give the answer she wants to hear. She is compassionate and sympathetic to the stories she listens to, like she is listening in to a story told by a friend. But she is also firm, and can smell a bullshit story from a mile away.

Gross’ success also depends on how she navigates the political climate of the US. As Fresh Air is distributed to listeners all across the United States, Gross has to be careful in the topics she covers. She is catering not only to a liberal listener or to a conservative listener, but has to keep the entire country in mind when forming her conversations. She generally does this by adopting a neutral stance in her questions. She allows her subjects to become passionate about issues they are involved in, but Gross herself rarely speaks on her own views and politics. In all of her interviews, she is the constant and her subjects are the variables, making her work so pleasant to listen to on a daily basis.  

In many ways, Terry Gross’ interviews are tackling the same issues that we are in this class - to figure out what makes creative people tick. What is their process, motivation, domain and field? What led them to be the person they are today? I think listening to a couple of Fresh Air episodes will help all of the groups in class formulate questions for the interviews in the second project.