My dissertation is on a musician I admire. I'm terrified I'll meet him.

[Tamman]

I'm writing my senior dissertation on a jazz musician who's still alive. Still performing. Still creating. I've analyzed his work for months. Read every interview. Transcribed dozens of solos. Feel like I know him through his music.

Next month, he's performing in my city. My professor arranged for me to interview him backstage. Meet him. Talk to him. Ask questions I've been researching for months.

I'm terrified.

What if he's rude? What if he's nothing like his music suggests? What if he hates my questions? What if I freeze and say something stupid?

But worse: what if my analysis is wrong? What if I've spent months writing about intentions he never had? What if my whole dissertation is based on assumptions he'd laugh at?

My professor says this is normal. That every scholar who studies living artists faces this. That the best interviews are conversations, not interrogations. That it's okay to be wrong as long as I'm curious.

Still terrified though.

What do you ask someone whose work you've studied for months? How do you move from analyzing to connecting? Anyone else interviewed someone they admire?

 

[DonBrown]

Okay but also: prepare for him to be interested in YOU.

This happens sometimes. They ask where you're from, why you chose them, what you're hoping to do. They're curious about the person who spent months on their work. It's flattering for them too.

So have an answer. Not rehearsed, but ready. "I've always loved your approach to harmony" or "your work taught me what improvisation can be." Simple. True. Lets them know you're a real person, not just a researcher.

And if he asks about your playing? (If you play.) Be honest. Tell him you're learning. He'll probably love that. Musicians love passing things on.