you talking to me? I might just laugh right in your face.

first, here's what I've got for you regular readers...gig and interview posts from January 2010:

We Are Scientists (Uninhabitable Mansions supporting) - 21.01.10 - Black Cat, Washington, DC - my Popwreckoning review my There Goes the Fear review

my interview with Chris Cain and Keith Murray of We Are Scientists part 1 part 2

the Cribs (Adam Green and the Dead Trees supporting) - 19.01.10 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC - my Popwreckoning review tag team interview with Ross Jarman

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word of note to any aspiring bloggers:
you will receive far more personal insults and complaints about your writing than you ever will compliments.

last night before bed, I made the mistake of visiting the Web's authoritative blog/site for all things We Are Scientists. the owner, the lovely Renee Barrera, had kindly posted links to my two gig reviews (done separately for PW and TGTF) and my two-part interview with Chris Cain and Keith Murray. I don't know why I bothered to look at the comments. well, actually, I do know why I bothered. I was hoping someone would say, "great job!" or "this was a fun interview, I'm glad she was able to meet them and post the interview for us." I had expected the complete gloss over of me as interviewer - after all, this was a WAS interview, and they're the stars of the piece, not me.

I was, however, not expecting for one female fan to say she wanted to punch me in the face for the way I laughed in the interview, with another fan concurring with her statement.

really? you're threatening someone with physical force for having a good time? while they're interviewing your favourite band? and getting insights about the said band for you?

I'm never going to apologise for the way I laugh. there's a reason why I laugh when I'm interviewing someone: it's because I approach band interviews in a light-hearted way. I know bands are usually tired and having already been through their umpteenth interview, they're not looking forward to talking to some blogger like me that they've never met from a blog they've never heard of.

so I try to make my questions interesting. I do my research way ahead of time to come up with some queries for them that they haven't heard before, so it's more fun for them and they'll feel more comfortable talking to me and feel like they can trust me, like we've been mates for years. that's the goal anyway. and comfort is key to a successful interview, in my experience.

my first big interview (with Friendly Fires) worked out extremely well because we had already broken the ice (the Ed[d]s couldn't believe I'd travelled by myself to another country to see them) and they seemed to appreciate the questions I'd asked them weren't the same run of the mill "how did you guys get together?" (answer: they met at school) types. when you can prove to someone that you've done your homework and that you're a real music fan, things usually come together better than you expect.

and I've thought to myself, if Chris Cain really hated the way I laughed, I doubt he would have talked to me for over an hour beyond the interview itself. agree?

and going back to my laugh...I have many stories about my "unique" laugh. the most recent I can think of is being in hospital last summer and having been "heard" before I had been "seen" by my attending nurse, who swiftly explained that my laugh was particularly joyous. at the time, I was getting blood drawn in the infusion (cancer) ward so I was happy to provide a little sunshine. so apparently my laugh is memorable by the good folks of Georgetown Hospital. and that's a good thing, b/c people who get stuck there often don't have much to smile - or laugh - about.

folks, this isn't 'Dateline', '20/20', or '60 Minutes'. and feel free to discuss the content of the interview, b/c that's what I work hard at. but taking pot shots at my guffaw? that's going below the belt.

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however, today was an eminently better day:

Friendly Fires came to the Radio1 studios for a chat with Fearne Cotton about their chances for the two BRITs they have been nominated for. as usual, it was lolzworthy, including Fearne imploring a wary (and trying desperately not to give any more fuel to the fire that he's fey) Ed Macfarlane to stroke Jack Savidge's newly clean shaven chin (er...?); Jack mispronouncing the name of his "favourite" member of JLS; and Edd Gibson insisting that should Peter Kay ring them in Australia at 4 AM local time with the news that they've won a BRIT, they'll all be dressed in their nightgowns ala Wee Willie Winkie.

I would also like to note here that both Fearne Cotton and Ed Mac have equally unique and possibly annoying laughs like mine so really, if those WAS fans have a beef with the way I chortle, they can take similar complaints to them as well.
listen here

Fanfarlo were Marc Riley's live in-session guests at the Manchester Oxford Road studios this evening, and they played four songs on 6music. absolutely brilliant.
listen here