The LOST Five-Question Interview with Neal Pollack, the World's Greatest Living Author
NOTE: This interview with Neal Pollack was conducted on October 16, 2003 at Quimby's Bookstore in Chicago. In this interview, K+M refers to "Karen and Mandy" and NP refers to "Neal Pollack." Easy enough.
K+M: What kind of peanut butter do you prefer, creamy or chunky?
NP: Chunky.
K+M: Any specific brand?
NP: No.
K+M: If you could choose one superpower, what would you pick?
NP: Superpowers are really different now. They used to be like flight and heat vision. Now you have stuff like retractable claws. I'd like to be like the Marvel character, Galactus. He's omniscient. I'd pick omniscience.
K+M: What's your favorite board game? (Says Karen, "This is very telling about a person.")
NP: Trivial Pursuit.
K+M: You're good people.
K+M: Describe your worst date in ten words or less.
NP: I farted incessantly during Rebel Without a Cause.
(Some guy whose name we don't remember, but who reminded us of Ed Begley Jr speaks): Did you go out with the girl again after that?
NP: No.
K+M: On Salon.com, when you covered the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards , you gave Ted Allen (food and wine expert on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and former Chicago native) a shout out and asked him to get in touch. Did he?
NP: I really do know Ted. We wrote for the same paper in 1993/1994. And he did get in touch. I think he appreciated this approach better than just sending an email, "Now that you're famous..." Ted Allen is the least likely of the Fab 5 to get all caught up in fame.
[These sorts of interviews seem to work out best when Karen is unprepared. If you're a celebrity, or quasi-celebrity, and would like to challenge our five-question interview--not to be confused with the five-question quiz of the Daily Show's Craig Kilborn era--please send an email to Hit Or Miss. Karen will be sure to not have a writing utensil or notebook paper. Mandy will probably take notes with fine penmanship.]
--karen steiger and amanda azcona