As the year 2009 draws to a close it is time for reflection.This year was full of hard work, and there was a new addition in writing for Windy City Times. My first taste of celebrity interviews began with singer Taylor Dayne years ago for Windy City Radio. I had enjoyed a few interviews over my five years working with Tracy and the gang but this was a year that I brought focus to my work. With a little suggestion from my editor, Nunn on One was born in January of this year as a way to keep my articles more organized for the website and give my column a title.
I pursued star after star, sometimes interviewing up to four in one week! Slowly, I honed my craft, which it is not always an easy thing to do. It is a combination of listening, coming up with good questions and making the interview flow. Every once in a while an interviewee would almost interview themselves, such as Jane "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" Seymour. It was nice to just sit back and listen while the artists promote themselves and interject a question throughout the conversation. The goal was to make the column fun and promote artist's current projects at the same time.
Most interviews were done on the phone with my tape recorder—and even a few times in the bathroom of the restaurant where I work. When I returned to my table and told them where I was, the guest asked if Bruce Vilanch was really here and looked around the room—hilarious! I do love a face-to-face interview when the opportunity would present itself, such as meeting a Brady ( Christopher Knight ) or Family Feuder ( John O' Hurley ) . It is always nice afterwards to personally thank the person for their time and give them a copy of my work.
Taping and catching up with my college roommate Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on the TV show Smallville, formed its way into an article. With the help from the WB that interview garnered over 8,000 hits on our Web site!
I made the bread in the LGBT sandwich when I covered Jane Lynch ( Lesbian ) , Jai Rodriguez ( Queer ) , Margaret Cho ( Bisexual ) , Jaila Simms ( Transgender ) and a few who were in the closet. ( Don't ask me, I won't tell. )
If they were young and local, I could pay it forward by nominating them for our 30 Under 30 awards such as Chris Cohen ( Make Me a Supermodel ) or Jade ( RuPaul's Drag Race ) to continue their rise to fame.
What I enjoyed was finding a connection with so many celebrities. For example, I told RuPaul how important his openness meant to me coming out of the closet in the '90s. I could talk about my hometown, Nashville, with Donna Summer or show what a fan I am of the voice of Erasure's Andy Bell.
Musical acts sang to my tune such as Yoko Ono, Paul Stanley, Robin Thicke and Susannah Hoffs.
My breath was taken away on an afternoon with a fellow Nunn, Terri Nunn from Berlin. Most celebs were very hospitable like The B-52s Fred Schneider, who said I could interview him anytime he is in town.
I couldn't shake my love of the '80s market with Deborah Gibson, Cyndi Lauper and Ally Sheedy.
Sometimes the job involves taking a star out on the town like the Tenth Tenor or drinking martinis with a Jersey Boy.
Broadway babes showed their stuff whether I was talking gay with Fantasia from The Color Purple, dripping with sarcasm to The Addams Family's Jackie Hoffman or chatting away with legend Chita Rivera.
As campy as they can be at times, Mink Stole and Nora Dunn were first-class ladies and a delight to talk with.
Through the magic of e-mail, Pamela Anderson ( crazy ) and Kristen Chenoweth ( sweet ) were interviewed when their schedules were nightmares.
Reality shows were easy to land, from Project Runway contestants to Real World cast members and even Top Model wannabes. Here came the judges from reality television in the likes of Isaac Mizrahi, Tyson Beckford and Robert Verdi.
Even Oprah's favorite things—cook Art Smith, styling expert Lloyd Boston and the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan—were not off limits.
A crowning moment was my dream interview with Lily Tomlin. This icon I had watched as a child on Sesame Street was so kind and respectful of me—a nervous interviewer.
I sought advice from talk show host Wendy Williams on how to be a better interviewer ( "You want to start some fires, Jerry?" ) and slowly but surely I was on my way to becoming the gay Barbara Walters. If I could just make someone cry during an interview! Oh well, there's always next year…
While there were a few bumps in the road, as singer Mika lost his voice on Good Morning America the day of my interview or a big name would only speak to television interviews.
Overall, it was a pretty good year for Nunn on One. I have many more articles already in the bag for 2010 and promise to bring even bigger and better interviews for the new year!
To follow the future of Nunn on the run, add me on Facebook, just type "Nunn" in the search engine of windycitymediagroup.com or pick up an issue of Windy City Times today!
