Radio interview!!!

[kittynh]

I've turned down a chance to do a radio interview about UFOs before. Let's face it, I"m not really an expert. I just signed up on the web site as I wanted there to be one "expert" that was a skeptic.

Now I have another chance to do an interview with the Sirius site.

I don't know how good a debater I am. I'm afraid I'll suck. Usually when I answer a question on the web site I have lots of good sound input from people on the forum and astronomy friends. I'll be on my own. Sure I"ve read a LOT, on both sides, but I"m not good about names and places. I'm told one interviewer is a skeptic and one if a believer.

Part of me is like "oh heck, go for it!" The other part is that if I fall on my face I"m letting the skeptic movement down. If I turn it down, certainly they will ask someone else, maybe someone other than AN ARTIST. Other than explaining that those are NOT really space ships in older paintings, I haven't the education for this.

Mind you, my voice also sounds like I"m about 12 years old.

If anyone hears my interview, PLEASE do NOT hate me. Because a part of me is attracted to this like some people are attracted to bungee jumping. Maybe it's not smart, but I'll try anything once.


EEEEKKKK!!

(any advice? I really need debating advice? What do I say if I dont know the answer? My usual comeback is, "so you are telling me that the best explaination is that some beings from millions of light years away, travelled to the Earth to kidnap Earl, instead of maybe Earl got drunk or has a brain tumor?)

eekkkeekkkeekkkkeeekkkkk

[Mercutio]

Will it be live? Do you need someone to call in the studio with a nice softball question?

[kittynh]

it's only supposed to be for 10 minutes....I'll let everyone know so they can call in and ask questions like, "are Venusians sexier than Martians?"

[kittynh]

It's this Thursday at 9:15 EST!!!!!

AUGH!!!!

someone named Rory on Sirius. If this is one of those comedy shows please someone let me know before hand. Or I"m sunk.

Ummmm, should I give my real name? I know...I'll be Melinda Mercutio! That's right, my husband writes sonnets for a living...

yikes, I'm in for it NOW!!!

[kittynh]

and we can't get Sirius where I live here in the mountains. You can kind of get it in your car, but you need lots of extra stuff to get it to work in your home.

[kittynh]

wait a minute! It's for Maxim radio???? What???? Their motto is "Maxim radio, the best thing to happen to men since women".

Oh crap, they are going to ask me to take my top off, I know it. (I've listened to Howard Stern, my mom is his oldest fan. And I mean oldest BOTH ways, she became addicted to him when he was just starting out in DC).

[Hamradioguy]

Well, you might keep in mind Occam's Razor- Given two theories for why something happens the simpler is usually the correct one- works for alien abduction claims and "UFOs are interplanetary space travelers".
And remeber Carl Sagan's take on claims that UFOs are beings from another world: "Where is the evidence?"
There ARE strange things seen now and then in the skies. (See my PM in a bit on Iridium Flares) They may be the result of a lot of different phenomena. Alien visitors are one possibility but Occam's razor and Dr. Sagan sugest that this is perhaps the least likely answer.
Good luck- 10 minutes isn't much time for either viewpoint to be discussed at length.

[kittynh]

I know, which is one reason I took this interview. I paniced when I was offered part of an hour discussion with a radio program out of California. That and I had to get up at 4am to be on!

[YoPopa]

Just be you Kitty. You're an intelligent, well spoken, sincere, and totally hot mamma skepchick. If you get stuck pull out the calendar and mention that you've been published.

[TimmyBerry]

Three wonderful words: "DO NOT PANIC".

=) In large, friendly letters, too.

[kittynh]

When should I break it to them I'm Venusian?

Nah, I'll wing it and if nothing else may learn never to do this again. I'm hoping that being this kind of show, it'll be light hearted.

[Kochanski]

Well, you could have friends and family shoot lots of stupid questions at you and see how you respond. A dry run. The dumber the questions the better.

You can't script anything but if you can think of a good story to tell, a short one that is good, too. You must have a few from your work at the website.

Also, don't let them rush you to answer.

Trying to think of anything else helpful.

I am sure you will be fine. Just having a good functioning brain puts you miles ahead of any loony they could get to argue the other side ;)

[Soapy Sam]

Don't try to " lecture". Just pretend you are talking to the kittens. Your actual audience is unlikely to average anywhere near that smart.

[kittynh]

soapy! My eldest Kitten just got into MIT grad school! I'll pretend I'm talking to the 1-3 graders at school!

[Ed]

A problem that I have encountered when having a live public debate/discussion is overcoming the tendency to fill dead air.

Take a deep breath and then talk. It is not so much prepairing a response as it is not rushing into it. You mind will do the work.

The best piece of advice that I ever got about expounding was from my Doctoral sponser who told me, prior to my teaching my first class "say what you have to say with impunity".

[Garrette]

I've never appeared as the interviewee on radio, but I've had a fair amount of success as the call-in skeptic on woo shows.

I assume you have the technical aspect down.

I assume you know how to condense things to the basics.

My advice is this, and it's the same for politicians: Stay On Point.

If you are asked a question about "A", but "A" is fraught with pitfalls that can't be addressed in a brief response, then address it with a generality and mention point "B". Tie it in, like politicians do.

Being on the radio is only partly about facts. It's largely about presentation.

Obviously don't lie and don't dodge, but do not have them dictate the course of discussion.

[CFLarsen]

Take a deep breath and then talk. It is not so much prepairing a response as it is not rushing into it. You mind will do the work.

Then she has a pr....

Oops.

Kittynh, I've done radio interviews before, and the key is to remember to breathe slowly. Don't get carried away. You are there because you know a lot more about the subject than 99.999% of the listeners.

1: No evidence of UFOs has ever been found.
2: Lots of natural explanations.
3: If we don't have enough information, it doesn't mean that the alien-spaceship explanation is equally valid.

And, of course, never forget: Urge people to come here and learn more! ;)

[Luke T.]

Please find a way to record the interview and make it available to us!

[YoPopa]

Please find a way to record the interview and make it available to us!
I second the motion but open the request to the rest of "us". Kitty has enough to take care of and radio reception is an issue for her. Reception is an issue for me as well. I get one talk station well, so I can record Rush L. if anyone wants to compare and contrast. Or, maybe not. :rolleyes:

[kittynh]

I tend to drift off when I speak, point A to point Y.

So I'm going to focus on avoiding that.

Also, I know I laugh at my own responses or when I am nervous. I've done quite a few print interviews, and edited I sound great (I've had kind people interview me).

So DO NOT LAUGH!!!

Yeah, I've been doing answers to questions, but the thing I'm concerned about is that the questions will be far less specific than I am imagining. A question like, "so did a saucer crash at Roswell and where are the alien bodies" is a BAD question. Because I could probably do about 2 hours on that. I think I'm just going to have to say, "no". (a top secret spy balloon crashed, I know that). And there are no bodies. Reports of bodies are based on the sort of crash test dummies the Air Force used for testing in later years.

AUGH!!!! I'll just stick with "no". Oddly, I'm not too worried. I HAVE to get in a JREF plug.

I'm not going with the long guinea pig story though if they ask how I got involved. I"m going right for the JREF plug if I can.

DO NOT LAUGH!

I'm so much better in real life. I was once interviewed by a Chicago reporter over the phone, for a newspaper, and it didn't turn out as well as I liked. Mainly because when she was talking to me it was from her home and her child was whining the whole time. I finally asked her to call back when things were "calmer" at her house. She never called back and the interview sort of implied I didn't like children! I was "snippy". Is "snippy" a word?

[Soapy Sam]

soapy! My eldest Kitten just got into MIT grad school! I'll pretend I'm talking to the 1-3 graders at school!

Yes, dear. We noticed. We are well pleased.

Deep breaths now, be calm....slowly breathe in....and out.....in.....

<Pool Boy! Get the Valium!>:D

[kittynh]

well, we'll just let the woos win this one! It'll be something new....

[Luke T.]

So how'd it go? I don't have Sirius, so I couldn't listen.

Or is it at 9:15 p.m.?

It was so much easier in the military. 0915 v. 2115.

[kittynh]

PM!!!!

Or else I missed it! I've been downloading information for a bit. I always confuse hypnopomic and hypnogogic!

my daughter tried asking me questions. LIke, "I just saw a UFO." My answer, "oh that's nice."

I'm not enough of a Randi!

10 minutes of sheer terror! Next time I"m giving then Claus's phone number!

Pool Boy said, "oh you are so going down in flames." Isn't it lovely when your family supports you?

I'm sticking to converting the 3-5 year old range. None of the kids at the preschool believe in UFOs. I've got them all trained!

[Soapy Sam]

Hah! That's the spirit. Get ' em young and they'll be Jesuits the rest of their lives- but they won't be woo Jesuits!
Lots of folk screw up on radio. I bet you don't sound nearly as bad to listeners as you think yourself.

[kittynh]

I'm getting to the point where I don't care. Usually when I am interviewed I"m promoting my work or something that will make me money!

So while being a skeptic is very important, if I mess up it doesn't mean the aliens win!

[kittynh]

I did it!!!

[kittynh]

don't ask about the Venusians. ever.

[Hamradioguy]

don't ask about the Venusians. ever.

So, um, what about the Venusians?

[kittynh]

It was a new low in skeptic education. You see, Maxim is the "radio channel for men". The Venusians looked like hot Scandinavian super models. They visited the Earth in the 40's and 50's. It went downhill from there.

See my post here for the details. And I actually lied and said I was an atheist! (first time that has ever happened huh?) because when it comes to science I am an atheist. I sort of have a seperation of belief and science when it comes to stuff like this.

But WHY THE VENUSIANS!!!

Oh and the Scientologists are going to kill me.

I dont' think they'll mind that I called L.Ron Hubbard a "lying drug addict", do you?

Here is the low down.....


http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=53063

[Kochanski]

Well, since it is Maxim radio, you had to expect them to work hot babes in there somehow.

Oh, don't worry about the Scientologists, I think they are laying low after South Park show ;) They have to be fairly embarassed. Ooh, I will have to remind them about that next time I pass their "Free Stress Test" in the subway. Shout "TOM COME OUT OF THE CLOSET" a few times and see if I get a good reaction :D

[kittynh]

So, um, what about the Venusians?


did I tell you NOT to ask?

They asked me if I would do it with a hot Venusian. I told them no, I went for more the Angelina Jolie type.

Thank goodness they did not use my name.