Another Fluffy Distraction

Here's a quick item on an engaging interview I heard this afternoon on On the Media. I don't usually follow celebrity journalism that closely, and I have to admit that I hadn't previously heard of Jancee Dunn, who was on promoting her new book, But Enough About Me: A Jersey Girl’s Unlikely Adventures Among the Absurdly Famous. She's written for Rolling Stone and appeared in MTV, so she seems to know a thing or two about rock celebrity interviews. She related an interesting strategy in getting groups to come out of their shells during early-morning interviews: Pay attention to the drummer. Although she's likely not interested in anything the drummer might have to say, the rest of the members of the group become so annoyed and jealous that the drummer might get the upper hand that they almost start competing for the interviewer's attention. That's when the interesting stories and money quotes start coming out. She also had an intriguing anecdote about her rumored romantic involvement with Ben Affleck. I won't spoil it here, but it raises a valid point about our culture's celebrity obsession. I may even take a look at Dunn's book the next time I'm in the bookstore. You can listen to the interview, but a transcript is not due up until Wednesday. I'll try to remember to update this post with a link when it's available.