BY JOSEPH HUDAK | October 16, 2014
Published online at Rolling Stone
Leaning against Kix Brooks' well-stocked bar, watching the popular country DJ conduct an interview with Little Big Town, it's difficult to note exactly when the actual interview begins. In fact, the atmosphere in Brooks' man-cave studio is so informal, one could be sitting on the leather couch between Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman and still not know when the red light was turned on
"It's like hanging out with a buddy talking. And that's not always the case," says Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook. "There are some times where you have to carry everything, or else there's dead silence."
"It seems like the interview didn't even start," agrees Schlapman, who with her LBT mates stopped by to promote their upcoming album Pain Killer. "We were just having a conversation."
That's the way that Brooks, who has hosted the widely syndicated country music program American Country Countdown for the last eight years, prefers to work. For the Louisiana native, who along with Ronnie Dunn formed the Nineties' most successful country duo, Brooks & Dunn, radio is about comfort and conviviality — which explains that swanky bar stocked with liquor and wine from his own Arrington Vineyards
"It's not contrived," Brooks says of his "hey buddy" interviewing style after the Little Big Town session. He's seated in a chair, again leather, adjacent the guest couch — the studio is decorated á la Louis L'Amour, all Western accents. Brooks closes his laptop and places it in the bag that he totes to the studio every Monday and Tuesday, show taping days. "I obviously like to hear myself talk, so it's a nice fit," he says with a laugh
But the gregarious Brooks wasn't just turned loose with a microphone when ABC — who oversaw a series of radio stations and programs prior to current owners Cumulus Media — hired him in 2006. He's proud of the fact that he did his time at a broadcasters school in Connecticut
"When ABC first hired me to do this show eight years ago, Disney owned ABC at the time and they also owned ESPN, and they sent me to Connecticut to interview school. It's where Dan Patrick and all those guys have to go, and they have to keep going to remind themselves of what a good interview is. It was one of the most interesting things that I ever did," he says
As part of the training, Brooks — who has since been named National Broadcast Personality of the Year by the CMA three times — watched interviews, both good and bad, for nine-hour days. "There were unbelievably compelling moments that were lost because the interview was not handled properly, and that was a great education for me," he says
But the still touring and recording star received his most intensive education on the other side of the microphone. Both with Brooks & Dunn and as a solo artist, Brooks has answered his share of interviewers' questions
"It's been a real journey for me as an artist to be interviewed by people who make you feel comfortable and by people who are not prepared and are just hammering questions at you. After three or four, you don't really feel like answering them any more because you know they don't care. I think listening is a huge part of an interview," he says
As is not pissing off the subject with the first question. Brooks recalls such an experience when being interviewed for a story upon taking the American Country Countdown job
"One of the first things [the reporter] asked me was, 'So you're going to do a countdown show. What's next, are you going to be a game show host?'" he says, grimacing. "I said, 'You know, I don't know where you are right now, but if you want to tell me I'd be happy to come over there and have this conversation in person.' He chilled out a little bit."
Published online at Rolling Stone
Leaning against Kix Brooks' well-stocked bar, watching the popular country DJ conduct an interview with Little Big Town, it's difficult to note exactly when the actual interview begins. In fact, the atmosphere in Brooks' man-cave studio is so informal, one could be sitting on the leather couch between Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman and still not know when the red light was turned on
"It's like hanging out with a buddy talking. And that's not always the case," says Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook. "There are some times where you have to carry everything, or else there's dead silence."
"It seems like the interview didn't even start," agrees Schlapman, who with her LBT mates stopped by to promote their upcoming album Pain Killer. "We were just having a conversation."
That's the way that Brooks, who has hosted the widely syndicated country music program American Country Countdown for the last eight years, prefers to work. For the Louisiana native, who along with Ronnie Dunn formed the Nineties' most successful country duo, Brooks & Dunn, radio is about comfort and conviviality — which explains that swanky bar stocked with liquor and wine from his own Arrington Vineyards
"It's not contrived," Brooks says of his "hey buddy" interviewing style after the Little Big Town session. He's seated in a chair, again leather, adjacent the guest couch — the studio is decorated á la Louis L'Amour, all Western accents. Brooks closes his laptop and places it in the bag that he totes to the studio every Monday and Tuesday, show taping days. "I obviously like to hear myself talk, so it's a nice fit," he says with a laugh
But the gregarious Brooks wasn't just turned loose with a microphone when ABC — who oversaw a series of radio stations and programs prior to current owners Cumulus Media — hired him in 2006. He's proud of the fact that he did his time at a broadcasters school in Connecticut
"When ABC first hired me to do this show eight years ago, Disney owned ABC at the time and they also owned ESPN, and they sent me to Connecticut to interview school. It's where Dan Patrick and all those guys have to go, and they have to keep going to remind themselves of what a good interview is. It was one of the most interesting things that I ever did," he says
As part of the training, Brooks — who has since been named National Broadcast Personality of the Year by the CMA three times — watched interviews, both good and bad, for nine-hour days. "There were unbelievably compelling moments that were lost because the interview was not handled properly, and that was a great education for me," he says
But the still touring and recording star received his most intensive education on the other side of the microphone. Both with Brooks & Dunn and as a solo artist, Brooks has answered his share of interviewers' questions
"It's been a real journey for me as an artist to be interviewed by people who make you feel comfortable and by people who are not prepared and are just hammering questions at you. After three or four, you don't really feel like answering them any more because you know they don't care. I think listening is a huge part of an interview," he says
As is not pissing off the subject with the first question. Brooks recalls such an experience when being interviewed for a story upon taking the American Country Countdown job
"One of the first things [the reporter] asked me was, 'So you're going to do a countdown show. What's next, are you going to be a game show host?'" he says, grimacing. "I said, 'You know, I don't know where you are right now, but if you want to tell me I'd be happy to come over there and have this conversation in person.' He chilled out a little bit."
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