The Gist

Encounters With the Very, Very Famous

Chuck Klosterman on his new book X, which includes profiles of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Taylor Swift.

Author Chuck Klosterman visits SiriusXM Studio on Oct. 27 in New York City.

Matthew Eisman / Getty Images

Listen to Episode 744 of Slate’s The Gist:

Subscribe in iTunes RSS feed ∙ DownloadPlay in another tab
Slate Plus
members: Get your ad-free podcast feed.

One piece of interview advice from Chuck Klosterman: You can’t make a celebrity interview feel like a real conversation. “They know it’s not real. They wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be asking these questions, if it wasn’t for the tape recorder,” says Klosterman. His new book, X, includes profiles and essays on some of the biggest names in pop culture from Klosterman’s storied career, including Kobe Bryant and Taylor Swift.

In the Spiel, breaking down the disparate, strange, nonsensical explanations for Donald Trump’s Russia leaks.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.

Email: thegist@slate.com
Twitter: @slategist