I had so much to cover but this interview was directly set up by Def Jam (props), so Common came to the studio surrounded by like 8 label people. Usually its just me, Pete and our guest, this time, the label reps were right there, all up in the convo. And right after I took my first break, it was whispered to me by a label rep that we only had 15 minutes when I was counting on at least another hour, which is why the end of the session seems rushed. Because it was. Also, all throughout the interview, Common kept looking over his shoulder, distracted by the label reps' presence, which in turn distracted me. Like they kept signaling to him to wrap it up. Part of what gets the better interviews is the intimate (pause) environment that our guests feel since its just us and them in the room. This one didn't feel as intimate as I'm accustomed to. Still and all, no shots to Def Jam, can't ever bite the proverbial hand that feeds me great guests. Its a different interview, but Common is a different dude.
