KZSM — Interviewing Wynona Judd
At KZSM.org, our dedicated program hosts strive to provide the best for our community. At 8 p.m. Friday, July 23, country music great Wynona Judd talked with host Carole Coburn of “Friday Night with Care.” The interview will be rebroadcast Friday July 30, if you missed it the first time around.
Judd came to the Hill Country to play a concert July 25 at The Haute Spot in Cedar Park. The popular event venue, which underwrites “Friday Night with Care,” arranged for the interview. Coburn will also interview Wade Bowen and Jason Boland when they play The Haute Spot.
After feeling a bit intimidated at the prospect of interviewing a celebrity, Coburn found an instant rapport with Judd. “It was very friendly and fun, like meeting a girlfriend for coffee.”
Coburn prepares extensively for her broadcasts, listening to her guests’ music and interviews. “I want to discover things about people that haven’t been said a million times,” she says. “I wanted [Judd] to talk about herself in a way that she hasn’t before.” In a Facebook post, one of Judd’s fans described how the song “Flies on Butter” transported her right back to “Memaw and Pepaw’s farm.” Reflecting on that memory, Coburn asked Judd “How does that make you feel, being woven into the life of strangers?” Also, “I asked her if after forty years her music is a passion or a chore. I asked her what grounds her.” And given Judd’s many achievements, Coburn asked if there is “anything left to do that she hasn’t done already.” To hear Judd’s answers, go to KZSM.org at 8 p.m. Friday.
Coburn introduces listeners to “people you want to know.” “I want to capture people with the familiar and then introduce somebody new.” For instance, in interviewing Mel Cervantes, the wrestler Thunder Rosa, she focused on “the woman and the legend” to connect with people unfamiliar with wrestling as well as with Thunder Rosa’s many fans.
Coburn’s guests come from all over the world, but her focus remains local. “The premise for my show is trying to get people to listen to home-grown Hill Country artists.”
She often features them and their music, and she keeps them in mind even when interviewing celebrities like Judd. “I always ask them for advice for the local artist or local musician. What can they learn from these people who’ve made it?”
