In Othello, Othello kills Desdemona, but no one reads that play as a model for their own behavior. In Lou Reed's case, you're listening to a song, and in my case you're reading about a life. Like Lou, I trust my audience to make their own moral determinations.

People looked to Kurt Cobain because his songs captured what they felt before they knew they felt it.

It can be nerve wracking if you walk into the interview and you're not sure what to expect.

I'd say the vast majority of my interview experiences have been pleasant, better than pleasant. But sometimes there will be people who will size you up. There can be that "rock star" thing where they think it's cool to pull back.

I'd always read a lot about rock 'n' roll growing up, but the first real thing I set out to do was become an English professor. Even so, I always hoped in some way or another that I would get to write about music in a popular - non-academic - format.

When I broke into music journalism it wasn't easy but there was more of an established path. I wanted and was able to have a grown-up person's job with a real salary writing for a fairly sizable audience about stuff I cared about. When you're starting out, you try to get as much experience as you can so people will see your work, and maybe start giving you the assignments you want, and paying you (hopefully both). And if you're lucky you land someplace where you can stay for a while. But today that's a trickier trajectory to envision.

Doing an interview you're going to have certain things you want to get at, but you're better off if you play to people's strengths a bit. You're also assessing how it's going and adjusting as needed. Does your subject seem up for it, willing to do it, and is he or she enjoying the interview? Or do they need to be coaxed, or reassured, or whatever they might need from you? Like writing, interviewing is a process that you keep learning, and you're always trying to get better and better.