I’m listening to this interview of Alexander Technique teacher Robert Rickover and I’m struck by the difference between his poise and the awkwardness of the interviewer (Sheila Story?), a yoga teacher and writer for the Lincoln Journal Star.
The interviewer often interferes with the interview. She is sometimes rushed and jerky. And as she interrupts and pours out her words, she sometimes backtracks and goes in circles.
I hate it when journalists — who should know better — ask me for an interview and then try to hold me hostage to listening to their opinions on a subject I know 100 times more about. Dude, if you want to interview me, don’t spend our time telling me what’s up.
So I find it annoying listening to what purports to be an interview with Robert Rickover and being subjected to the host’s cliches on mind-body unity.
Robert: “About half of the people who contact me for lessons are in pain. The other half are performers, mainly musicians. They may be in pain, but they have an added issue — the quality of how they use their body has a direct impact on the quality of the product they are producing. A violinist with a stiff shoulder is not going to produce the same quality of a violinist with the same talent who does not have that.
“These fields are competitive. Huge demands are placed on musicians physically. You are performing the same movements over and over again, often times for three or four hours a day.”
“Musicians have always had these repetitive strain issues. A recent study showed that about 80% of professional musicians play in pain.”
