RE: Gene Simmons, KISS, WBUR, Fresh Air

["Pete Ferrand" <petef@sprynet.com>]

Around this time of year Fresh Air puts on lots of repeats anyway so
adding this to the pile is no surpise. I'm sure it's generated a lot of
requests and talk since first airing so it makes sense to put it on -
one of the main goals of radio or any performance is to get an emotional
response.

One thing interviews are supposed to do is let the listener know what
the interviewee is like - and we certainly did from Terry's interview,
although some of us already knew what Simmons is like. So the purpose
was fulfilled even if he's not someone we'd like to deal with, ever. 

When I heard this interview originally I thought Terry had not handled
it well, but then I listened again to the tape - I always tape the show
and listen in the car - and she seemed to be better on second listening
which is an odd discovery for me. 

It should also be noted that this interview ran for almost the full show
- I'm sure if Terry and the staff had felt it was a disaster she could
have cut it into a smaller segment, which they commonly do.

The only surprise for me was in light of the extensive research that
goes into these shows, and in light of Simmons' past spectacles, Terry
could easily have been prepared with a few snappy comebacks and had more
fun with this. At least it would have sounded less awkward.

I've noticed that since the last, oh maybe five years or so, Terry seems
to be less engaged with the show in general and mostly going through the
motions on the air. Not hard to see why, interviews always have a
certain sameness about them and there's only so far you can go with a
format like Fresh Air's.

-Pete
Enfield, NH