Eminem in Interviews

[Nostradomus]

Does anyone else find it hard to watch Em struggle through interviews? I don't know what's his deal, he's done hundreds of them throughout his career and it's like he's getting worse. Some of his recent interviews with Zane and Sway I found almost unlistenable, I had to take a break from watching them because of boredom/frustration. He's so repetitive, I can almost perfectly predict what Em is going to say after hearing the question. It's like he's trying to find the perfect words for his answer.

I just watched a couple of Drake interviews, and shit, it's like apples and oranges. Drake is in contrast a very well spoken young man. I just get pissed off watching Em in interviews these days, if he wasn't the best rapper on the planet, people would lose their patience because it takes so long for him to get his point across. Anyone else feel me? Am I being too harsh?

[Kill You]

It's because he's always been a very shy and awkward person. I'm sure when he was taking the drugs that they boosted his confidence. But now he doesn't have that confidence booster.

[Devil'sAdvocate]

I think he's doing it on purpose, I wouldn't concern myself.

[yoda you can call me]

it does seem like you're watching an imposter sometimes, but the truth of the matter is, em was high as a motherfucker back in the day, to deal with his shyness and anxiety in these situations.. now hes sober

[TSizzle]

Excellent post, StayWideAwake.

[emusic]

Yeah I feel the same way.

But It's a personality thing, I notice it even in his older interviews when he is not goofing around. He'll appear well spoken if you saw him answer a question for the first time (but really he answered it a million times before.)

I feel like, I sorta know what's going on his brain when he talks, because I'm like him sometimes.

There's like a million ideas floating in his brain, part of it because he is so conscious of himself and everything around him. This makes it harder for him to focus. So he often stops talking to focus on what he's going to say (when he stops, he is seeing all these ideas, and thinking which track to take) without drifting and talking about something else. And his OCD doesn't help.

You'll notice that he often drifts, and answer something totally unrelated to the question. He realizes this when he does it, that's why he says things like: "did that make sense?" after he's done speaking.

Also you'll notice him saying a lot of half ideas, and interpreting himself to say something else.

Sometimes he's just glad that he said something -even if it didn't make sense- without giving up and stop talking at all, because sometimes you feel like doing that.

He'll do better with question he answered before, or he predicted and thought about its answer in his head. because he had time to organize his thoughts, so if he finds a way to use an answer he said before he'll use it. He used some go to answers with things that wasn't really related in his Zane, Sway interviews.

Of course if he was comfortable and less nervous, he'll do better. His magazines interviews are better, because he does it in his home, or in his office, or in the studio. He's less conscious of the distractions in a familiar environment with familiar people, who he doesn't think about what they might think about what he's saying while he's saying it.

About being repetitive. part of it is because if he thought of an answer before he'll use it confidently, another part is because you watch all his interviews that is directed to different audiences who might not have heard it, another part is because the interviewers ask the same questions (especially that the topics are controlled)

[Mr Change]

Seems like he has a hard time answering questions.

[slims]

Yeah I feel the same way.

But It's a personality thing, I notice it even in his older interviews when he is not goofing around. He'll appear well spoken if you saw him answer a question for the first time (but really he answered it a million times before.)

I feel like, I sorta know what's going on his brain when he talks, because I'm like him sometimes.

There's like a million ideas floating in his brain, part of it because he is so conscious of himself and everything around him. This makes it harder for him to focus. So he often stops talking to focus on what he's going to say (when he stops, he is seeing all these ideas, and thinking which track to take) without drifting and talking about something else. And his OCD doesn't help.

You'll notice that he often drifts, and answer something totally unrelated to the question. He realizes this when he does it, that's why he says things like: "did that make sense?" after he's done speaking.

Also you'll notice him saying a lot of half ideas, and interpreting himself to say something else.

Sometimes he's just glad that he said something -even if it didn't make sense- without giving up and stop talking at all, because sometimes you feel like doing that.

He'll do better with question he answered before, or he predicted and thought about its answer in his head. because he had time to organize his thoughts, so if he finds a way to use an answer he said before he'll use it. He used some go to answers with things that wasn't really related in his Zane, Sway interviews.

Of course if he was comfortable and less nervous, he'll do better. His magazines interviews are better, because he does it in his home, or in his office, or in the studio. He's less conscious of the distractions in a familiar environment with familiar people, who he doesn't think about what they might think about what he's saying while he's saying it.

About being repetitive. part of it is because if he thought of an answer before he'll use it confidently, another part is because you watch all his interviews that is directed to different audiences who might not have heard it, another part is because the interviewers ask the same questions (especially that the topics are controlled)

[__EWF]

^^There are lots of artists in the same position, and yet they manage to answer questions without being so repetitive.

But anyway, was he ever really that articulate in interviews? Not IIRC. He was much more comfortable though, and I don't buy that it was all down to the drugs. When you give yourself over to therapy, it can break a you down, and then you have to rebuild. That's kind of the point, to find healthier ways of doing things. To change.

I do agree that he can be very self-conscious and insecure. He has clearly been briefed on what to say and what points to get across. This is typical, but artists also normally add their own thoughts and mix things up a bit. Em sticks to the script, though he seemed most comfortable with Big Tigger and added a few comments here and there.

It was interesting when he said he was thinking ahead, and how to answer the next question. I think that gives insight into what is going on. He puts that pressure on himself, worrying about how he comes across and how he's going to answer the questions. Didn't he even say his when he sat down with Sway?

[kkaniff]

Wasn't even going to bother to respond, but putting Em and Drake in the same sentence, in any context, irritates me.
...
"He's done hundreds of them, I don't know what's his deal."
* He's had a close-knit circle of friends all his life.
* He has stated, hundreds of times, that he doesn't like the attention.
* He has OCD, which was evidently supressed during his period of drug use. I'm not sure what sort of drugs he was on but it's safe to say that they made him more social.
* He has always been painfully shy.
* He has never been especially eloquent in his interviews.
What all these seemingly random points add up to, which you should have realised by yourself if you had given it any thought at all rather than spewing forth any random thought that happens to cross your...PAUSE *deep breath*
I don't like Drake. At all. Comparing SimpGawd to Em makes me sorta aggresive.
Anyway, Em seriously has issues, and part of the reason I'm so irritated is the fact that it's posts such as yours that are responsible for him weighing his words so carefully, when every stray random thought of his can be taken out of context, dissected, overanalyzed and made into world wide news.
Also, apparently since his album was close to perfect, lets nit-pick his lack of Drake-like eloquence in his interviews. What's next, critiquing how he walks? Get a life, nigga.
Also, you suck for comparing Em to Drake.
Also...

[Hopsinshadie]

Does anyone else find it hard to watch Em struggle through interviews? I don't know what's his deal, he's done hundreds of them throughout his career and it's like he's getting worse. Some of his recent interviews with Zane and Sway I found almost unlistenable, I had to take a break from watching them because of boredom/frustration. He's so repetitive, I can almost perfectly predict what Em is going to say after hearing the question. It's like he's trying to find the perfect words for his answer.

I just watched a couple of Drake interviews, and shit, it's like apples and oranges. Drake is in contrast a very well spoken young man. I just get pissed off watching Em in interviews these days, if he wasn't the best rapper on the planet, people would lose their patience because it takes so long for him to get his point across. Anyone else feel me? Am I being too harsh?

You don't like it when he says:

''But at the end of the day.....''

"It is what it is.''

''Not to sound cliche, but...''

[EminemInsider]

I've noticed he seems to have had all his most articulate interviews on the radio. I wonder if it's a face-to-face thing. Maybe he kind of chokes under pressure when he's on camera and there's some jackass asking him the same questions he hears after every release.

Eminem also probably doesn't like explaining his songs. He probably thinks, "that's what the lyrics are there for." I admire that - it's kind of annoying when a rapper starts explaining his lyrics like a self-important douche.

[Nostradomus]

Wasn't even going to bother to respond, but putting Em and Drake in the same sentence, in any context, irritates me.
...
"He's done hundreds of them, I don't know what's his deal."
* He's had a close-knit circle of friends all his life.
* He has stated, hundreds of times, that he doesn't like the attention.
* He has OCD, which was evidently supressed during his period of drug use. I'm not sure what sort of drugs he was on but it's safe to say that they made him more social.
* He has always been painfully shy.
* He has never been especially eloquent in his interviews.
What all these seemingly random points add up to, which you should have realised by yourself if you had given it any thought at all rather than spewing forth any random thought that happens to cross your...PAUSE *deep breath*
I don't like Drake. At all. Comparing SimpGawd to Em makes me sorta aggresive.
Anyway, Em seriously has issues, and part of the reason I'm so irritated is the fact that it's posts such as yours that are responsible for him weighing his words so carefully, when every stray random thought of his can be taken out of context, dissected, overanalyzed and made into world wide news.
Also, apparently since his album was close to perfect, lets nit-pick his lack of Drake-like eloquence in his interviews. What's next, critiquing how he walks? Get a life, nigga.
Also, you suck for comparing Em to Drake.
Also...

Bro, I don't like Drake either. I just happened to hear one of his interviews and was impressed. Maybe I am weighing Em's words too carefully, but I just get kind of frustrated when I watch a long 4 part interview with Zane and virtually learn nothing that I did not know already.

[csw621]

inb4 mono's permab&

edit:to be clear, drake is a fake talentless hack but im p sure everyone here knows that regardless of how painfully hard they're trying to troll

[King Lance]

that's simply because drake > eminem

if you don't wanna get pissed off by the comparison, just lower your standards a bit

lel breh