Today, to celebrate the launch of Jay-Z’s not-very-personal lifestyle site Life and Times, Gwyneth Paltrow interviewed the rapper for her newsletter Goop–and Jay-Z returned the favor, interviewing Ms. Paltrow for his site. (No one told the two, apparently, that Interview magazine exists, and has for years, for just this purpose.) Together, the paired interviews represent the height of self-indulgence and celebrity hauteur–unless they provide some unexpected insight into the creative process. Which is it? To test your celebrities-talking-about-themselves tolerance, we’ve mixed up some questions Gwyneth asked Jay, some Jay asked Gwyneth, and some from François Truffaut’s 1967 book-length interview of Alfred Hitchcock. Bet you can’t tell the interviewers apart!
1. “The public at large is discovering your ability to sing. When did you first discover you had that talent?”
2. “I love seeing everything through your filter, how do you decide what you are going to cover? How personal is this?”
3. “In other words, what intrigues you is the paradox between the inner fire and the cool surface.”
4. “I’ve read that you were rather average as a student and that your only strong point was geography.”
5. “In one word answers, name someone or something in food, music, art and design, style, and sports that inspires you today and your favorite spot to be leisurely.” (Hint: Interview subject refused to submit even one one-word answer.)
6. “I appreciate your viewpoint, but I doubt whether the majority of the public shares your tastes in this matter. I think the male audience prefers a highly carnal woman.”
7. “Biggie or PAC?”
8. “You are the coolest man on Earth, how the f did you get like that?”
9. “Wasn’t it your ambition, at the time, to become an engineer?”
10. “And finally, would you ever make a solo album?”
And the interviewer is:
1. Jay-Z
3. François Truffaut
4. François Truffaut
5. Gwyneth Paltrow
6. François Truffaut
7. Jay-Z
8. Gwyneth Paltrow
9. François Truffaut
10. Jay-Z
ddaddario@observer.com :: @DPD_
