chrisdellavedova.com

OK, maybe not entirely an accurate title but I’m working on my catchy tabloid-esque headlines. My blogging hero Nichole tipped me off to the The Great Interview Experiment over at Citizen of the Month. The idea, as I interpret is, is to get to know more of my fellow bloggers in a slightly more intimate way than we usually do with the endless memes and kind of silly awards. I signed myself up and was tasked with interviewing Courtney who blogs on Malfeasance.

Courtney’s a native born Georgian (points for that) living and studying for a Ph.D. in Communication in Knoxville, Tennessee. Only one school I can think of in Knoxville and I’m afraid that Courtney takes on traitorous status if she’s joined the Hilbilly Army. Bearing this in mind, I felt it my obligation to abandon the soft as a baby’s bum Larry King-esque questions in favor of some probing John Humphry’s style interviewing.

1. Let’s start with the title of your blog. The OED defines malfeasance as “evildoing, illegal action; an unlawful act”. Are you an enemy of the State?
Well, Chris, I am no angel. There is definitely some malfeasance that goes on in my life. However, I’ve never been arrested or been in trouble with the law save for the occasional speeding ticket, so no evildoing here. The title of my blog was inspired by one of my favorite TV shows, The Office (American, although I love the British version too) in which Dwight catches Oscar playing hooky from work. Rather than report him, Dwight decides to use this as leverage to get a favor from Oscar later. Otherwise, he says, “it’s just malfeasance for malfeasance’s sake.” It’s a funny word.
2. Your boyfriend, Mickey, runs his own blog that you occasionally link to. Who’s the better blogger?
Ooohhh, you’ve just set the stage for some fightin’ at home tonight. Mickey is my boyfriend, and OF COURSE I am the better blogger. My blog was here first, and I like to think I inspired him to start his own. You may even say I am his muse.
3. There’s a sense of civic involvement that comes through in your blog. Do you have a horse in the 2008 Presidential election? Care to discuss why?
I am inherently wary of any politicians, but I really hope Barack Obama wins the presidency. He seems to be the least sleazy of all the candidates. I don’t really have a problem with Hillary Clinton, although I am seriously skeptical that a universal health care program could work in the United States, but I think she’s too polarizing. The current administration has divided this country so sharply, and I think we’re due for someone to pull us back together. That said, I actually don’t mind McCain either. He seems to act on his own judgment rather than being a party puppet, and I admire that. This is why I’m a registered independent – because I like to vote for the person, not the party.
4. As a Doctor of Philosophy to an aspiring Doctor of Philosophy - what on earth are you doing?
Hee! What, is it not all it’s cracked up to be? Come on, now. The way I see it, I’ll be able to immerse myself in the nerdery of journalism, get paid to be a know-it-all, and have like half the year off. I also like the idea of a schedule that rotates every semester, because I get bored easily and get really tired of seeing the same people every day at work. Plus, I’ll be able to condescendingly tell people I’m a doctor and watch them grovel at my feet. What? Oh, um, I mean I’ll be able to spend my time studying something that really interests me.
5. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Hmmm. Someone well-versed in subtlety, because I really don’t do anything that exciting. I like Natalie Portman, so we’ll go with her.
6. Here in Britain we have a popular radio show called “Desert Island Disks” in which guests are told to put themselves in the role of castaways on a desert island, and asked to choose the eight pieces of music they would take with them. Care to play?
Absolutely, and thanks for asking! I assume that since you call it Desert Island Disks, we’re talking about eight albums, not eight songs. So here we go: The Joshua Tree by U2, Abbey Road by The Beatles, The Bends by Radiohead, Shake Your Money Maker by The Black Crowes, A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay, Automatic for the People by REM, my mix CD of Pixies songs, and Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins.
7. Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?
No, Senator McCarthy, I am not and have not. I am quite socially liberal, though, and sometimes the Republicans I know try to liken my liberalism to Communism. For example, my die-hard conservative dad likes to call me a “Commie Pinko” every time we get into a heated political debate. It also extends to things he deems un-American. Don’t like grits? Commie Pinko. Prefer imported beer to domestic? Commie Pinko. Ad nauseum.
8. Who’s your favorite blogger? Why?
Well, I love all the blogs listed in my sidebar. At the risk of sounding sappy, my favorite really is Mickey (The Prettiest Denny’s Waitress). I would read his blog religiously even if he weren’t my boyfriend, because it’s hilarious and insightful and so well written.
9. As an expat, I’m curious about other folks’ feelings about living overseas. If you had the opportunity to live in a different country for a year, would you? If so, what would be your choice of nations?
Great question. I actually considered moving abroad during my break from grad school, but eventually money issues put the kibosh on that idea. I would absolutely do it if the opportunity presented itself, and there are so many places I could see myself living. England, Ireland, South Africa, Italy, Argentina, Hong Kong, Greece … but if I had to pick one place, I think I’d go with Australia. It would be great to spend a year in an entirely different part of the world, with all sorts of new terrain and cuisine and animals and people to explore. Plus, I could hop on over to New Zealand sometimes, which is a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
10. And the ultimate question: In five words or less, what is the meaning of life?
Five words, huh? This is tough. Okay, here goes: Make yourself and others happy.

Well, I’ll leave it to the erudite reader to make decisions regarding accusations of treason against the Peach State. Certainly, citing Coldplay is…. suspicious, but she redeems herself by bringing The Black Crowes’ debut to her island exile. They never matched that record, I wore “Shake Your Money Maker” out driving around South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in the early 90’s.

If you’d like to interview another blogger sign up for The Great Interview experiment here and look out for Turnbaby’s imminent interview of your humble narrator.

Here’s an acoustic version of the best track on “Shake Your Money Maker”:

“She never mentions the word addiction
In certain company…”

 

 The Black Crowes - "She Talks to Angels" (Acoustic non-album version) [6:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download