The Smoking Section Answers Your Questions

How do you get people to talk about shit they don't want to talk about?

Get 'em drunk. That always works. The drunker the better, as far as I'm concerned. You can also use reverse psychology, if you're planning to broach a sensitive subject. Here's two examples: I once had to do an interview with Pat Moynihan of that painful band Train. I really wanted to ask him, "What's the most awful thing anyone has ever said to you about Train?" So first I asked him, "What's the nicest thing anyone's said about your band?" That answer, of course, didn't make the magazine.

The other thing that pops to mind is an interview I did with Mars Volta, when they hooked up a few years back. If I remember correctly, their publicist said, "Just don't ask them about their hair!" I wasn't planning on asking about their hair, but after their publicist told me not to, I was inspired. So I asked Omar, their guitarist, "Doesn't it piss you off how much people talk about your hair?" That little "doesn't it piss you off?" trick has worked many times since. Examples: "James Blunt: Does it piss you off when people tell you that you suck?" "Britney: Does it piss you off when people take pictures of your coochie when you're exiting a car?" It really helps!