The other day I was invited to take part in a radio show called Beau fixe on RTL Belgique. So I made my way to Brussels for what promised to be a surreal experience. By now I'm reasonably used to dealing with the broadcast media: some of you may even remember my short-lived guest slot on Direct 8. I still get nervous, though.
Radio is even worse than television because the disconnection with reality is absolute. At least on TV you can talk to people in a reasonably normal way. For the radio show I was sealed in a soundproof box with a pair of padded headphones over my ears. Through them I heard a ghostly second hand version of my own voice, the voice of the presenter and the voices of the other guests. Not to mention songs and jingles.
All this was distracting, but it still didn't stop me from being fascinated by the performance of the presenter, Luc Gilson. Radio and TV people are characterised by their ability to become an exaggerated version of themselves in the blink of an eye. The cameras roll, the red light winks, and they're off – speaking smoothly, sonorously, self-confidently, until it's time to rest. And then they recede, ever so slightly, back to normality.
I think that's why celebrities often look disappointingly small when we meet them in person. It's because they are. Their larger persona is on standby, waiting to be inflated when required.
