Music

Here's how to avoid boring music interviews

by Mark Teo

We’ll be honest: We’ve seen heaps of boring music interviews. El-P and Killer Mike, a.k.a. Run the Jewels, have, too. Even if they strive to provide honest, thoughtful responses during interviews, they tire of answering the same questions over and over again—and that’s why they’ve posted the following guidelines.

Note that the duo didn’t prohibit certain mundane questions—they’re not prohibiting us from asking about their last album, their influences, or their upcoming tour plans. Instead, their do-not-ask list serves as a basic template for how to avoid boring conversations. Let’s break each point down.

• Do not ask how we met. This is a basic way of saying two things: First, don’t ask musicians things they’ve been asked hundreds of times. Second, do your research—if you want a basic Run the Jewels bio, LMGTFY.
• Don’t ask what we think about the state of hip-hop. We get that questions about the state of X are meant to be flattering; it treats your subject like an authority. But it’s also an impossible question to ask—it’s asking someone to summarize the zeitgeist, which is, like, all sorts of impossible.
• Don’t ask how we feel about other artists. Because Run the Jewels might be #INFLUENCERS, but at the same time, their personal opinion about others might not be relevant. (This question, by the way, was worn out forever when everyone single rapper ever was asked about Kendrick’s verse on… do we even need to complete this sentence?) Beyond that, though, Run the Jewels may be asking interviewers to stop creating sensationalist headlines—we don’t need stories about Killer Mike anointing rap’s saviour or El-P’s latest beef.