FACE TO FACE

IT'S always fascinating (well, nearly always)to meet people who have done extraordinary things.
And writing their stories becomes a pleasure, not a chore.
It's a fact of life that some people naturally respond better to journalists' questioning than others.
And, by the same token, there are some times when an interview feels doomed from the start: there's little connection or chemistry between you and your subject, their answers are flat and lazy and, to make matters worse, a PR is lingering in the background listening in.
Occasionally (but not very often) there's a horrible sinking feeling as the interview progresses, the point where you wonder what the hell you are actually going to WRITE.
One actress springs to mind with a dazzling on-screen personality but, in real life, fairly bereft of character. In spite of my best attempts to squeeze out something of interest she was a lost cause.
Others you imagine will be blunt and unhelpful turn out to be wonderful to interview.
Another challenge is finding yourself interviewing someone you've already (recently) interviewed. In the case of Irvine Welsh, there wasn't a terribly long gap between interviews but the end results were, I think, poles apart.
Anyway, below are a few 'celebrity' interviews. I've started with three from the bizarre world of the Bay City Rollers, thrown in some sport and some well known faces. More to be posted as and when I find them!