How do you conduct your interviews?

Being a fan of Werner Herzog, I admire the way he draws the true genuine side out of his subjects. But before I even knew who he was, I’ve always been attracted to what I like to call verbal voyeurism. Listening to people open up and tell their stories. Perhaps I have a good bullshit detector, and often I’ll avoid subjects who aren’t willing to be genuine on camera, and if they are, and when they do open up and talk, I do very little but listen. Perhaps I was meant to be a psychiatrist, but affording people the opportunity to talk, tell their story, and have someone listen, often is enough to get a good interview. None of that will happen without a level of trust established, and that is something I strive to do with every one of my subjects.
I really refined my interview skills during the year I travelled around North America and interviewed people about sexuality. Often in unique places like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival, a Lifestyle Swinger Convention in Miami, or Hedonism in Jamaica. Every interview was unique, but in the end after conducting hundreds of them, they almost felt the same. Yet, having people open up and share their most intimate thoughts with me taught me that most people who were willing to participate did it because they simply wanted someone to talk to, or confide in.