Journal #3 - radio interview "youtube remixed"

Justin Riray
Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Journal #3 - NPR Radio interview analysis
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 364

‘Remixing Youtube, one Video at a Time” - Melissa Block
All things Considered - March 16, 2009


Melissa Block knew about YouTube videos and how musicians record their performances or tutorials for the internet. She did research on Ophir Kutiel, a.k.a. Kutiman, pronounced and knew he was an Israeli musician and producer. The facts she stated were that he didn’t want to release his remix videos yet, but they were leaked by his friends and already have earned hundreds of thousands of views as well as the original videos pieces getting thousands of hits.

She asked pretty normal questions about his you tube producer stardom. She asked how he came up with the idea and implemented it. There were questions about how he feels about the videos and how it has changed his outlook on his own music. The questions weren’t very intimate or personal, they were all about his surface attributes.

She began asking him how it all started; and other general questions. It seemed like she already had all of the questions set, but it flowed very well. She asked a couple of follow up questions, but they were more like fun and comfortable interjectional type of questions.

There was one inadequate answer in which Ophir completely fumbled his words, especially since his English is pretty basic, and his reply didn’t really directly relate to the question. She just went on to the next question like nothing weird occurred - an acceptable recovery, but if she really cared then she would have asked him to clear it up.

The relationship was strictly business, except the fact that Melissa might have been a fan of Kutiman’s work. They had no personal relationship. If they did, you couldn’t tell by the interview.

This interview didn’t teach me much except maybe to always speak loud and annunciate clearly whenever you are on either side of an interview; for the sake of the other person and the sake of the listeners. This just wasn’t much of a learning experience - nothing else I didn’t already know. I’m not saying I’m a good interviewer, but I do know my interviewing textbook facts by heart.