The Daily Show
The Daily Show was a unique and memorable experience. . . . Ill never forget it.
I was scared and apprehensive before I got to New York, but by the time the process started I was more excited than terrified. A frantic re-reading of The Great Warming reminded me of some of the things I had said, especially facts and figures, but other than that I didn't prepare at all.
The process starts at 3, when you have a phone conversation with the very charming producer. She questioned me about the book, asked questions, then told me that she had no idea what Jon Stewart would ask me, which was not exactly reassuring!
A car picks you up at 5.15 and transports you to a warehouse-like building by the East River. You are greeted warmly and shown into a green room, which is reserved for guests, complete with a large flat screen TV. The producer introduces herself and tells you you must not tell jokes. That's their job. She was wonderful at putting you at your ease. At 5.40 I was in make up for a few minutes--just some powder to remove shininess on my forehead. At 5.50, Jon Stewart pops into the green room and shakes hands. He asks me two questions,. one funny, the other serious. Clearly, he was sizing me up and fortunately we "clicked." He was very friendly, which put me at ease, but I noticed his expressive eyes, which changed as he shifted from humor to serious issues. This, I realized, was the way he would cue me on stage.
And so it proved. We sat and watched the show through the second commercial break and had a good laugh, so much so that it was no big deal being led through the wings for one's appearance. The studio is quite small, with about 200 people in the audience in bleachers, who were noisy and enthusiastic, a marvelous backdrop. Then the interview, which lasted about 5 minutes. It was more of a conversation that an interview, for we looked into each other's eyes and ad-libbed. He took the questioning one way, I would steer it back, but in the end the chemistry was wonderful and I enjoyed every moment of it. You get so involved in the conversation that you become oblivious of the audience and anyone but Jon Stewart.
We could have gone on for a long time without effort, for I was mesmerized by his intelligence and ability to switch from being screamingly funny to deadly serious in seconds. It looked effortless, but was the result of intense preparation. He had read the book and zeroed in on the issues without hesitation.
It's easy to be mesmerized by celebrities, but this time I was not in awe, but truly seduced by an extraordinary interviewer. This is a truly remarkable human being I feel very privileged to have had this experience and will never forget it. And what was nice is that the audience appreciated it.
And to cap it all, Lesley, my wife, took charge of my wardrobe and ensured that I looked good. The adrenalin rush was with me for at least 12 hours afterward, and I am still in disbelief that I was on the Daily Show, just for a few minutes in the Big Time.
loved the interview! i am an anthro/archaeo grad student at university of texas and was thrilled to see a fellow archaeologist on my favorite program. it was a great showing.. and you'll be proud to know the clip will be shown in my intro class as a short break during lecture. congrats and cheers shawn
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Loved the interview as well! I appreciate the behind the scenes look at the daily show; I've long been a fan of Jon Stewart and his uncanny ability to interview. It really was like watching a friendly conversation, with the "prophet of doom."
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I saw you on the Jon Stewart show and was caught up in what seemed to be such a lucid and straight forward explanation of global warming. I've now read your book and I'm still reeling from the reality of global warming, desertification, the demise of agriculture, the impact of huge population centers starving, and how the puny little stockpile of emergency rations I've put by will probably get me killed by my neighbors for my tuna fish. Thank you for making the possibility of catastrophe vividly real -- it's not somebody else's global crisis; it's mine.
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