What the radio station failed to mention is that many radio hosts may step right on every one of those five set-ups and/or punchlines and completely ruin the timing of a joke. That can make a radio interview very painful. Comedians know that the best hosts are either highly sensitive to the talent of their individual guests or they are former stand up comics themselves.
This type of radio interview remained the status quo until the day that I walked into the WGN Radio studio and handed my sheet of questions leading to jokes to Steve Cochran, a true veteran of outstanding radio (and a stand up comedian). Steve, looked at me, unsmiling, and said, "Oh you can throw that away. We're going to wing it." My heart stopped. "Wing it," I thought. That's what I've been trained "not to do" by countless radio personalities. I was totally unprepared mentally. That day, I began to "wing it" in shock. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
Years later, I still recall this first unrehearsed radio interview every time I walk through the doors of a new radio station. This past week, I co-hosted the "Down and Dirty" Show with Frank Fontana. I could not have been more at ease. Frank is a wonderful host who knows how to interview effortlessly. I've learned a lot since my first encounter with Steve Cochran of WGN Radio and I now interpret the experience of a live radio interview on my own terms: Talking on the radio is an experience nearly identical to talking to an old friend on the telephone. You listen, you laugh, you chat, you laugh. What could be natural?! Would you talk to an old friend with a handful of prepared notes? Of course not. Hearing a natural and fun exchange is what makes radio enjoyable and engaging. The listeners become caught up in that camaraderie.
If you are being interviewed on the radio, throw those notes away. Look at the interviewer as if he is a long lost friend. Catch up on news. And as Steve Cochran most brilliantly put it, "Just wing it!"
