In this introduction interview, Kim Hill talks with Emile Donovan about the collection and good interviewing.

A good interview is equal parts art and science. It begins with good preparation. Good preparation leads to good questions, which elicit good responses, which are met by good follow-ups. This is the scientific element. The art is in the colour. The timing; the fearlessness; the humour, the musicality, the silence.

For more than 30 years, Kim Hill has set the gold standard. She is, by popular acclaim, one of the finest interviewers New Zealand has ever produced.

In this collection, we delve into the archives to bring you a selection of her best interviews - from superstar musicians to gardening nuns, with a few writers, politicians, humourists, a straight male escort, and a space-poop entrepreneur thrown in the mix too.

These interviews are incisive and insightful; sometimes uproarious, sometimes heartbreaking, always striving to provide for us a moment of discovery and delight.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Tom Freston