The Podcast Asylum

For some reason, the presence of a microphone transforms normally interesting people into dull, dry lecturers who drone on endlessly with irrelevant, abstruse information rather than saying anything the listeners want to hear. The result is a podcast that no one can listen to for more than a few minutes without falling asleep.

If you are an interviewer and you suspect that your guest suffers from Podcastus Desiccatus, there are steps you can take to prevent this disaster. One option is to lubricate the guest with a generous supply of single malt whiskey or Belgian chocolate, thus rendering him or her relaxed and expansive. Another is to bring in a third person to help you create a conversation about the subject, rather than a lecture. (The best person to bring in might be someone who disagrees with your guest.)

You can also do some research and prepare questions that focus the interview on the most interesting material, or that provoke an unrehearsed response. But if you’re interviewing them in person, start with method one.

Thanks to Michele Holtz for suggesting this syndrome at a geek dinner this summer.