Canada: The stories behind the stories

By WILLA MCLEAN, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

Last Updated: 31st October 2009, 4:08am

ONE ON ONE FAVOURITE CONVERSATIONS AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM

By Peter Mansbridge

Random House, $35

One on One is a wonderful journey through the key events and key players of the past 10 years, guided by award-winning CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge.

In September 1999 he launched Mansbridge: One on One, a half-hour interview program for CBC Newsworld. His first guest was Conrad Black. Of the many interviews conducted since, Mansbridge has selected his favourites, with introductions to each, and end notes to put them in context. The last interview in the book, U.S. President Barack Obama, was conducted in February 2009.

Mansbridge writes with self-deprecating, wry humour. His recollection of his encounter with a prickly Lady Margaret Thatcher is hilarious. It was a train wreck! When it staggered to its conclusion with her commenting on a "silly question" and accusing Mansbridge of not reading the whole book, Lady Thatcher then asked if he would like her to sign his copy of her book. "What could I say? I was actually thinking of something else she could do with the book, he confesses.

Mansbridge first joined the CBC Northern Service after a local producer heard him announcing Transair flights at the airport in Churchill, Man., and thought he had a great voice.

His broadcast training was a one-hour training course and a quick tour through the station's selection of 45s and LPs. It was a real Hollywood discovery story -- Canadian style. Mansbridge says when he tells this story to journalism students, they are not amused, but he maintains it was all being in the right place at the right time.

Mansbridge learned the "art of the interview" by spending hours on short-wave radio listening to other broadcasters in North America and paying close attention to what he calls the best interviewers in the business, Barbara Frum, Peter Gzowski and Pamela Wallin.

Mansbridge has developed his own interviewing style for One on One.

On the National, it's usually somewhat confrontational, but conversational on One on One. "One of the ways I force myself to listen is to do most interviews without notes." This book would be an invaluable resource for the journalism student.

This extraordinary selection includes conversations with leaders, thinkers, politicians, musicians, astronauts and sports figures.

Mansbridge has talked to every living Canadian prime minister, to U.S. President Bill Clinton and to philanthropist Bill Gates.

An especially poignant interview that seemed to touch Mansbridge viscerally was one with Dr. Devra Davis about her book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer. Mansbridge speaks of the loss of his mother to cancer with moving vulnerability when describing her packing for the hospital for the last time.

Another compelling interview was with Canadian businessman, Brian Clark who was in the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11. Clark had to decide whether to go up or down.

Mansbridge also gives behind- the-scenes insights into anchoring 44 hours of coverage on the 9/11 disaster.

Another favourite was the interview with actor Colm Feore. In the introduction to this piece, Mansbridge tells of a wonderful dinner in Rome with Feore while the newsman was on his honeymoon with actor Cynthia Dale.

Willa McLean is a freelance writer who lives in Kitchener

Source:  LFPress

http://www.lfpress.com/entertainment/books/2009/10/31/11588376-sun.html

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