BOOK CLUB #39: Nadja Sayej – The Celebrity Interview Book

Nadja Sayej is an art and entertainment journalist for The Guardian, Vice or the New York Times for which she interviews art celebrities all year long. Originally from Canada, she’s been based in Berlin for a few years and the city has inspired her two survival guides : Getting Your Shit Together and Making It In Berlin, the Bible of any aspiring Berliner.

The Art of Conversation

The Celebrity Interview Book features her Top 21 interviews. Those pages are a real pleasure and a way to discover more intimately the artists and cultural players. Sayej individually adapts her rhythm and subtlety reveals the person behind her/his work. Recurring themes are the position of the artist, how to make it as an artist, and why is art so important. During her career, Sayej has had the pleasure of meeting and discussing with some of the leaders of the art world : Marina Abramovic, James Franco, Ai Wei Wei, but also David Hasselhoff. Now for the first time, she selected some of her favorite interviews to publish them without cuts.

Sayej asks essential questions, and has a way of turning the conversation from a promotional gig to the beginning of a deeper dialogue. It stays light and entertaining to read, but ultimately reveals the two participants. Dita Van Teese is on the grill and chats about coloring her pubic hair, Marina Abramovic about the sacrifice of the artist life, Olafur Eliasson talks about evaluation mistakes. Jean-Paul Gaultier’s interview lets his adorable personality shine through. You can learn about Mario Testino’s motto as a photographer (and it’s a really good advice for any visual artist).

The book is really fun to read, and we feel like going on an adventure with Nadja. It’ll officially be out on October 26th, but you can pre-order it right now. So go ahead and splurge yourself with a great moment.

Other interviewees include Patti Smith, Susan Sarandon, Isabella Rossellini, Jarvis Cocker, Yoko Ono, Swizz Beatz, Auma Obama, Richie Hawtin, Wyclef Jean, Christo, George Hamilton, Robert Crumb, Anton Corbijn.

Get a copy:

www.blurb.com/b/8199898-the-celebrity-interview-book

More on Nadja Sayej:

nadjasayej.com