Earlier on today, Dave posted an article about Robert Downey Jr. walking out of an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy. After being asked ...
Earlier on today, Dave posted an article about Robert Downey Jr. walking out of an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy. After being asked about a quote he gave to the New York Times in 2008 and his alcohol and drug addictions in the past, RDJ decided he had enough and said "I’m sorry, it’s just getting a little Diane Sawyer in here.”
And he was right to end the interview prematurely and walk out. The sad thing is though, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was actually doing a good job at getting into the super-hero mindset, up until he asked about the New York Times quote in 2008. I rather enjoyed the interview up until then.
Far be it from me to defend RDJ, in the past I've always felt when it came to piling the pressure on for negotiations with Marvel Studios, he always projected the whole debate if he'd return or not to gain some leverage. But that aside, he's a likeable guy and one who has had his demons.
My big problem here is just how relevant Krishnan Guru-Murthy's question was. It wasn't relevant at all. Seven years ago. Yes, you read that right. Downey Jr. was quizzed about a quote that was nearly a decade old. How does anybody think that is relevant? His drink and drug addictions are long behind him. By his own admission, he's sober since 2003. Now lets do the maths on that one, shall we? A whopping twelve years! The relevance? None, whatsoever.
As someone who spent well over a decade presenting an incredibly successful radio talkshow and has done hundreds, if not thousands of interviews with celebrities, this is just gutter journalism at it's lowest level. In fact, it's so low Krishnan Guru-Murthy should have seen a few talking turtles.
Junket interviews like this one are fast and relentless. It's tedious for the talent and boring for the journalists as there is quite a lot of hanging around and thumb twiddling. In my experience it's rare that the studios will enforce strict guidelines on what you can't ask. Normally, it's just common sense, from private family matters to court cases. While much of the American talk show circuit is well rehearsed and preinterviews are the norm, from the radio perspective, again speaking personally, very little is pre arranged or pre scripted. Sure, maybe a funny bit is pre-scripted or any liners are recorded, but those aside, it's pretty free flowing. I was never asked to edit anything out of any interview with any celeb, big or small, and I've had quite the moments as anyone who listens to the podcast or the old radio show will know. I would never agree to pre arranged questions, it wasn't my style.
As far as my style and skills went, I spoke and speak to these people like they were normal folks who shit, just like we all do. I make conversations and I make it as fun as I can. It never interested me then and doesn't now, to drag up some old fact or question that was asked a million times before. Why would it! It'd make me sound like an idiot who didn't do their homework. And nobody wants to sound like an idiot.
And while the views will rack up online for Krishnan Guru-Murthy, it's nothing but incredibly embarrassing. Did he not learn about asking out of date questions, from Quentin Tarantino? Or maybe he thought nobody every asked Downey Jr. about his addictions that he had twelve years ago. Is it stupidity? A stunt? Does he think he's great or above the celebs he's interviewing? Is it arrogance? No matter what it is, it's not relevant!
And he was right to end the interview prematurely and walk out. The sad thing is though, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was actually doing a good job at getting into the super-hero mindset, up until he asked about the New York Times quote in 2008. I rather enjoyed the interview up until then.
Far be it from me to defend RDJ, in the past I've always felt when it came to piling the pressure on for negotiations with Marvel Studios, he always projected the whole debate if he'd return or not to gain some leverage. But that aside, he's a likeable guy and one who has had his demons.
My big problem here is just how relevant Krishnan Guru-Murthy's question was. It wasn't relevant at all. Seven years ago. Yes, you read that right. Downey Jr. was quizzed about a quote that was nearly a decade old. How does anybody think that is relevant? His drink and drug addictions are long behind him. By his own admission, he's sober since 2003. Now lets do the maths on that one, shall we? A whopping twelve years! The relevance? None, whatsoever.
As someone who spent well over a decade presenting an incredibly successful radio talkshow and has done hundreds, if not thousands of interviews with celebrities, this is just gutter journalism at it's lowest level. In fact, it's so low Krishnan Guru-Murthy should have seen a few talking turtles.
Junket interviews like this one are fast and relentless. It's tedious for the talent and boring for the journalists as there is quite a lot of hanging around and thumb twiddling. In my experience it's rare that the studios will enforce strict guidelines on what you can't ask. Normally, it's just common sense, from private family matters to court cases. While much of the American talk show circuit is well rehearsed and preinterviews are the norm, from the radio perspective, again speaking personally, very little is pre arranged or pre scripted. Sure, maybe a funny bit is pre-scripted or any liners are recorded, but those aside, it's pretty free flowing. I was never asked to edit anything out of any interview with any celeb, big or small, and I've had quite the moments as anyone who listens to the podcast or the old radio show will know. I would never agree to pre arranged questions, it wasn't my style.
As far as my style and skills went, I spoke and speak to these people like they were normal folks who shit, just like we all do. I make conversations and I make it as fun as I can. It never interested me then and doesn't now, to drag up some old fact or question that was asked a million times before. Why would it! It'd make me sound like an idiot who didn't do their homework. And nobody wants to sound like an idiot.
And while the views will rack up online for Krishnan Guru-Murthy, it's nothing but incredibly embarrassing. Did he not learn about asking out of date questions, from Quentin Tarantino? Or maybe he thought nobody every asked Downey Jr. about his addictions that he had twelve years ago. Is it stupidity? A stunt? Does he think he's great or above the celebs he's interviewing? Is it arrogance? No matter what it is, it's not relevant!
