The power of silence
Love him or hate him, but Piers Morgan is a fine interviewer. He recently had the disgraced former actor-turned-Christian grifter Russell Brand on his show.*1 Brand, ever the performative twat, had his Bible on him… since being accused of some rather awful behavior by several women, he now has — oh surprise of surprises! — “found Christ” and now cloaks himself in a protective shield of highly calculating PDoR’s (Public Displays of Religion).
Piers Morgan asked Russell Brand if this was the same Bible he carried with him in court, which Brand confirmed — he carries it everywhere. Morgan asked if the actor had any specific passages annoted, as he previously said he had, to read and give him strength or inspiration during his trial. Brand said this was the case. Then Morgan asked him if he would be so kind to share some of those relevant Bible passages with the audience. Brand said he would, and began looking through the pages. For several minutes, he kept looking, mumbling, coming up with… nothing.
The best thing an interviewer can do isn’t just asking a critical question, but to actually give the person they’re interviewing a lot of time to answer. Say nothing, encourage them a little, then watch them unravel before our very eyes. A good interviewer knows how to fill silence with a critical note when needed, but a great interviewer knows the unbeatable power of silence.
Jean-Marie Valheur on Quora
studied and practiced journalism
*1 Russell Brand (1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster, and media personality. In September 2023, following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's documentary series Dispatches, five women publicly accused Brand of sexual assault and sexual and emotional abuse. The allegations concern incidents between 2006 and 2013 (Wikipedia).
For the whole interview go to Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.