NPR Interview

Terry Gross interviewed Jon Stewart in September.
Terry definitely did her homework. She told Stewart what he said at one moment in his life and asked questions about it. She asked questions about Stewart's Jewish background, his view on politics and his TV show.
She would ask a general question and follow it up with a more personal question. For example, she asked a question about Stewart becoming more political through his show and followed it up with one of his serious moments on the show. Some questions were serious and some were humorous. At one point, she stopped Stewart to ask a specific question about the war in Iraq.
Terry clearly had a strategy. She kept the interview fairly fun despite many questions being very serious. Asking a question about Stewart being voted the most funny person in high school was definitely an example of asking a question to keep a light feel on the interview. Also, making fun of Stewart's athletic ability, or lack there of, kept the interview fun. Gross's job is to conduct an entertaining interview so her audience is satisfied, and I believe the mix of quesitons helped entertain the crowd.
Any evasive meaning to a question was answered with humor, which isn't surprising because Terry was interviewing a host of a comedic show.
The relationship between Terry and Jon appeared to be comfortable. Both seemed to have a lot of respect for each other.
Terry Gross taught me that you can never do too much homework for an interview. She was prepared, and that's the most important thing. Terry also listened closely to Stewart and asked several follow-up questions. These follow-up questions enhanced the interview. No amount of preparationg can replace being inquisitive and looking for moments to get a deeper, richer answer. I will look to be more attentive in my interviews.