The Revival Pt. 17: Reflection of an Interviewer

I remember hearing the introduction music to The Late Show with Johnny Carson and getting chills. The anticipation during Ed McMahon’s introduction of Johnny was exhilarating… “And heerrrreessssssssssss Johnny!” My gram used to let me stay up late when I would sleep over to watch it. I admired Johnny Carson and the way he interviewed celebrities, athletes, political figures, musicians. I used to dream of one day becoming a television personality or a journalist, so doing this project was almost like a test for me.

When I was originally thinking about someone who I could interview with some amazing story about the Holocaust or a tragic event, I realized I had a real hero right under my own roof. He not only served in the military and went overseas, but he was the shyest person in the world! My role as an interviewer as well as a wife and my husband’s best friend benefited me in many ways during the interview process. I am pretty much the only soul that my husband will talk about the war with. I mean he will if you ask him, but his stories are usually vague and lack important or funny details. So, this was a huge advantage in my interview process. But, he also is my husband. My best friend. I have to see him every day (well, sometimes!) and this hindered me in a way during the interviews. I wanted to press him for more information concerning the various tasks and battles he encountered overseas, but knowing him the way I do, I couldn’t do it. I saw the pain in his eyes, the uncomfortable body language, and the change is voice. It struck a chord with me. The things he did overseas, the bad things, I think he is almost ashamed of, and this was a hard thing to take in as a wife and as an interviewer.All in all, it was a beneficial experience for my family. We will now have record of his time in the army and can share it for years to come. I don’t think the Late Show will be calling me anytime soon, but I think I held my own when it came down to content and coercing him to talk about issues he tried to avoid in earlier interviews.