Cohesive Devices - Exercise

As a language student you might be surprised to see how much you can learn from a single interview like this one. Unlike the ready made ESL conversations, here you have the opportunity to experience natural English in context. So you get to learn a lot.

Try this exercise: choose a small part from the interview and practice the conversation with a friend.  Or you can do it by yourself. Speak the sentences out loud.  Thinking the words in your head alone won't help. Imitate the intonation and stress.  You may pay particular attention to the highlighted words and phrases.  There are many common simple expressions you can make use of in your own conversations. 

The Youtube link is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2F4iP2ocBo&t=1109s

0:00
-Hey, guys!

-I know. -Wow.

-We are so -- It's so great to see you.
You look fantastic. Thanks for coming back.

-Thank you so much. That was really nice, guys, by the way.
[ Cheers and applause ]

-There's such a buzz around the whole block in New York City, just the fact that you're here. We're so excited. 

-Really? Aww.

-Well, yeah. We've got to talk about "Midnights." Congrats on this, bud!

Thanks.
[ Cheers and applause ]

-I just want to break down a couple of things.
In just one day of sales, it became the top-selling album of the year, already.
Yeah, in just one day of sales. Of the whole year.
[ Cheers and applause ]
"Midnights" broke Spotify's record for most streams in a day.
Today the top 10 songs on Apple Music and Spotify are from "Midnights."
You can plug your ears because I'm going to just keep going.

-No, I like it too much. [ Laughter ]

-"Rolling Stone" called "Midnights" an instant classic in their five-star review.
"Rolling Stone"!
[ Cheers and applause ]
And right now, this album -- I know.
This album is on track to sell well over one million copies in its first week.
That is history, buddy. Congratulations. Unbelievable.
[ Cheers and applause ]

-I -- Yeah. -

How are you feeling?
Is it a lot? Is it exciting?
Are you freaking?

 -I'm beside myself,[1] really. Yeah, it's actually -- It's a concept record, but it's my first directly autobiographical album in a while. Because the last album that I put out was a re-record of my album "Red," so that has some space. You know, I wrote that stuff a decade ago. "Folklore" and "Evermore," I was -- It was like story time. It was like mythology. Like, I'm creating a character. They went and did this and felt this way. So, I'm feeling like -- I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the fans' love for the record. I'm also feeling, like, very soft and fragile.

[ Laughter ] So it's --
-It's everything. -The two can exist at once.
2:07
But the fact that the fans have done this -- like, the breaking of the records and the going out to the stores and getting it. It's like, you know, I'm 32. So, we're considered geriatric pop stars.
2:19
[ Laughter ] -No, I don't think so.
2:21
-They start trying to put us out to pasture at age 25. I'm just happy to be here.
2:25
-No, no, no.
2:26
[ Cheers and applause ] That's so funny.
Oh, you're just getting started, buddy. You're just getting started.
You said a lot of this album is made out of 13 stories, 13 sleepless nights throughout your life.

2:39
-Yeah. -Is it tough --
I mean, I don't know how you do it.
Do you just get up and go -- in the middle of your --
[ Laughter ] Or, you know, record something on your phone or you jot something down.
Or like, "This is something, I don't even know if it's good -- I'm blurting it out."
Or you do go like, "Oh, this has got a good hook"?
2:55
-I kind of do all of that.
I love writing songs, poems, stories, scripts.
I love writing those things because there's a part of it
that I don't quite understand how it comes to fruition.
There's something so mysterious about writing.
But I found that the more --
the more I write, the more I keep writing.
I don't know what's been going on.
But in the last six or seven years, I've just --
I've just been constantly making things.
And the more things I make, the happier I am.
3:25
-Yeah.
3:26
-So, I've just continued to do it.
I'm just happy you guys like that.
3:30
-No, we love it.
3:31
[ Cheers and applause ]
3:34
-So, yeah, some of them --
3:36
sometimes it feels completely involuntary.
Sometimes, like, your day is completely interrupted by a hook
or a lyric or just a thing on piano or you know.
Sometimes you don't know what the place for it is going to be,
but I just am always reaching for my phone
and recording things.
3:54
-And do you know, like, do you know "Mastermind"
was going to be the 13th track?
3:58
-Yeah, yeah. -Wow.
4:00
That's meta. That's meta right there.
That is so "Mastermind."
4:05
[ Laughter ]
4:06
-I think over the years, my fans and I,
we kind of have a really funny sort of --
like, they tease me a lot.
And I enjoy it.

 -You do, yeah.
4:16
-And one of the things -- [ Cheers and applause ]
One of the things they like to make fun of me for
is the kind of cryptic needing to plan things out.
And, like, I think we've just stopped
pretending it's accidental at this point.
4:31
[ Laughter ] -Now it's fun.
4:33
Now it's part of -- 

-We've stopped.
4:34
-It's almost like you should just write like five albums
just for one album.
'Cause you're like, "No, this has to mean this,
and this has to --" The way you listed
just the names of the tracks was so exciting.
We were freaking out.

4:44
-Thank you for saying that was exciting.
I was hoping people were like --

-I loved it!
4:48
[ Cheers and applause ] It was so fun.
4:51
With the Bingo balls going around.
4:53
-Yeah, I posted videos on TikTok of me
with a vintage Bingo cage, like with the handle.
And I just announced track -- you know, one at a time.
5:03
-And people, including me, I go,
"Oh, I think that will be my favorite song."
[ Laughter ] Without even hearing the song.
5:09
-It's so cool to hear you say that because that was just me,
you know, I don't know, with my phone and a Bingo cage.
5:16
-On this one, you collaborate with some very fun people.
I saw Zoe Kravitz is listed. -Yeah.
5:22
-We love her. -Yes.
5:24
-Lana Del Rey. -Yes.
5:25
-Amazing. [ Cheers and applause ]
5:27
And then I saw on drums -- is it Dylan O'Brien?
5:32
-Dylan O'Brien.
5:33
[ Cheers and applause ] -I'm sorry.
5:35
So, how -- Is he a drummer even?
5:38
-He is. -Wow.
5:39
-And, you know, not a lot of people know that.
5:41
-I did not know that. -And now they do.
5:43
But I like -- I really --
5:45
I love to make things with my friends.
I love to work with my friends.
I think that the experience of making something
is just as important as how proud you are of it in the end.
And I think it really informs how proud I am of something
if I had a really joyful experience making something.
This is a pretty dark album, but I'd say I had more fun
making it than any album I've ever made.
6:07
-Isn't that interesting? -It's --
6:09
Because I don't think that art and suffering have to
6:11
be holding hands all the time. I think you can --
6:15
I think you can write songs about pain or grief
or suffering or loss
or hard things that you go through in life.
Shame, you know -- love to write about that one.
[ Laughter ] Self-loathing.
I could go on.
But I think, you know, with time
and with the more albums I put out,
making albums and making things and writing things feels
like a way to sort of suck the poison out of a snakebite.
6:38
-Yeah. -You're just like --
6:40
-Get it out. -You're putting it
6:41
in the music, you're putting it in a song.
And it could be the most harrowing song
you have ever heard, but we had a blast making it.
6:49
-Good. -And with "Snow on the Beach,"
which features the genius Lana Del Rey --
6:54
-Yes. [ Audience cheers ]
6:56
-Yeah, you should -- [ Cheers and applause ]
7:00
So, very lucky to have collaborated with her on that.
And Dylan was actually in the studio with me and Jack
because we were --
A lot of the time, we record at his place.
And Dylan was just hanging out, like, drinking wine with us
and listening to stuff.
And he was just trying out the drum kit there.
He wasn't -- He wasn't serious. [ Laughter ]
But we -- But we were -- -That's how it happens.
7:22
-As I said, we were drinking wine.
And so, we were just sort of like, "Oh, we haven't recorded
the drums for this one yet, see if you wanna --"
And he just played the drums on the song.
7:30
-Is that right? -Yeah.
7:31
Sometimes it's -- it just happens like that.
7:34
-But did you know him before the film "All Too Well"?
7:37
-So, no, I didn't.
I reached out to him to be in the short film
for "All Too Well"
because I had always really loved his work.
I also felt like he seemed like a very quick-witted person.
And I knew that -- -He's funny.
7:51
-I wanted the character to be charming.
I wanted -- I wanted that sort of charming, quick cleverness
and the charisma to be why we love the character
because there's a lot of complexity to that character
that makes us not love him as much.
So I wanted Dylan to bring something...
8:08
-His layers. His -- Yeah.
8:09
-...to the character to make us, you know, love him.
And I do think that was achieved in the short film.
Meanwhile, I mean, Dylan and I become really close friends.
Jack becomes really close friends with Dylan.
We all start hanging out all the time.
Like, it's the same with Sadie Sink, who was in it.
8:25
[ Cheers and applause ] I just --
8:27
I've been very lucky to work with
really nice, really talented people.
And that's not something I ever take for granted.
And a lot of the time, we end up really good friends.
8:37
-But is it because -- I mean, you've --
you've done the albums, you've done the re-recordings,
but, also, you haven't toured in like four years.
8:45
[ Cheers and applause ] -I know.
8:48
-We want you to. -I think I should do it.
8:51
[ Cheers and applause ]
8:58
[ Cheers and applause continues ]
9:05
-Are we talking sooner than later?
9:08
-Um...
9:10
You know, I should do it.
9:12
-Yeah. [ Cheers and applause ]
9:15
When it's time, you'll let us know.
9:18
-When it's time, we'll do it.
9:20
[ Laughter ] I miss it.
9:23
I really miss it.
I miss, you know, when you write songs
and you're proud of the songs,
and you have the fans reacting,
the most potent way that you can see them react
is when you're looking into their faces.
Do you know what I mean? I miss that a lot.
I really miss that connection.
9:41
-They're looking at you right now.
9:42
[ Cheers and applause ]
9:45
Yeah.
9:47
-So, it's like --
I'm thinking something like, it's like this but with singing.
9:53
-Yeah, okay, good.
9:55
By the way, I saw you received a doctorate from NYU,
9:59
and you had a very great speech.
10:01
[ Cheers and applause ] You're a doctor.
10:04
Dr. Taylor Swift.
10:05
Sorry, I should have announced you earlier as doctor.
10:07
-No, it's fine. It's fine, it's fine.
10:09
I respond to many things. -I'm sorry.
10:10
I'm just getting used to it, yeah.
10:12
And you said -- You made a funny joke.
10:13
You're like, "I'm a doctor,
but I'm not the doctor you need in case of an emergency.
Do not call me.
But you call me if you need me to name breeds of cats."
10:23
-Yeah.
10:25
-"I could be a doctor at that."
And you said, "I could name like,"
I don't know, 50 breeds of cats or something like that.
10:31
-Yeah, that was me committing an act
of extreme hyperbole with the 50 --
I think I was like, "I can name 50 cats in five seconds."
I was trying to make a joke.
I don't think I can actually do that.
10:43
-Well, we were actually thinking, can you name --
10:45
see how many cats you can name in 30 seconds and just do it?
10:50
[ Cheers and applause ]
10:53
I mean, we have the time, right?
10:55
We have a clock. -You -- Uh...
10:57
-Yeah, let's -- Yeah, yeah. Let's do it.
10:59
-Let's see how many cat breeds you can name...
11:01
-Too late to back out. -...in 30 seconds.
11:03
Taylor Swift. -When?
11:04
When do we start -- No, don't start it now.
11:06
-No, no, don't start. Stop. Stop!
11:07
-You have to say go!
11:08
Sorry! I'm sorry. [ Laughter ]
11:11
This is really serious.
11:13
-Yeah, it really was. -Okay.
11:16
You have to say -- When you say go.
11:17
-When I say go. You already have your first one?
11:19
-Yeah. -Okay. [ Laughs ]
11:22
On your mark, get set, go.
11:25
-Scottish Fold. Ragdoll. Ragamuffin.
Maine Coon. British Shorthair.
Exotic Shorthair.
American Shorthair.
Devon Rex. Cornish Rex.
Sphynx cat.
Abyssinian. Persian.
Siberian.
Burmese.
Norwegian Forest cat.
Ocicat. Bengal.
Bombay cat. Russian Blue.
Is there a British Blue?
Munchkin cat.
A black cat. A calico cat.
A cat that knocks pens off of desks!
11:54
-Yes! [ Cheers and applause ]
11:55
Last time you were here,
we talked about your short film "All Too Well."
It was about to come out.
And then it went on to win three VMAs,
including Video of the Year.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Do you think you'll direct all of your videos
from here on forward?
12:12
-I really love doing it. -You're great at it.
12:14
-Thank you so much. -Yeah.
-Writing them and then directing them --
that's kind of the way that it works in my head.
If I write it, then I can shot-list it
and I can storyboard it and I know how to shoot it.
So it's -- They kind of go hand in hand.
12:27
-Yeah.
12:28
-If someone else wrote the concept or the treatment
or the manuscript or whatever,
12:32
I don't think I would love it as much.
But it's the thing that goes hand in hand,
the writing and directing.
12:38
-"Anti-Hero," the -- It's hilarious.
It's fantastic. -Thank you!
12:42
-I love it. It's so good. -Thank you.
12:45
[ Cheers and applause ]
12:47
-My favorite -- Besides some of the casting,
12:50
my favorite is when you're, like,
12:51
I feel like a giant's coming in and, like,
kind of ruining the party and coming in and not --
And you sneak in and you're a giant at this dinner party.
And they're all freaking out, screaming.
12:58
-Yeah.
13:00
-But then you eat -- -Too big to hang out.
13:01
-But then -- Yeah.
13:02
But then you eat some of the food with this tiny fork.
13:04
-Yeah. It was really -- It was such a blast,
because we had -- We shot that in two-sized rooms, right?
Like, one of the rooms had
our actors who were at the dinner party,
and it was a normal-sized room.
And they had to act with, like, a laser pen.
And I'd just be, like, "And a monster's coming in the room.
Follow the laser pen.
It's a scary monster." -And that's you, yeah.
-And then we had a teeny, tiny little room
with a teeny, tiny table.
We just had the most amazing --
We had the most amazing production design
and we had the most incredible crew.
And they just got me those tiny little forks.
-Yeah. -And tiny little wine bottle.
-A little, tiny wine bottle. -It was just incredible.
13:46
-It's so well-done, and you cast some great people
13:50
in here to play --
13:51
-Oh, yeah, I was really lucky with
the casting of my beautiful children.
-Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Early,
13:58
and, of course, Mike Birbiglia, right there,
who is one of the funniest human beings I know.
-Absolutely.
14:05
-And you were saying that I might have had
something to do with him getting cast?
14:08
-Well, so, I -- One of the prerequisites
of when I cast anyone for anything is like, "Are they fun?
And are they nice?
And are we gonna have a fun time on set?"
Obviously, like, talent -- that's number one,
like, "Do you fit the part?"
But then there's also this sort of caveat of like,
"Well, like, we're gonna be on set for a while.
Like, is this gonna be a blast or is this --
You know, does this person have, like,
this internal struggle with what they do
and they can't stand acting, but they're good at it?
Like, it's -- I meet a lot of people out and about,
and that's how I'll cast things.
So, you had a pizza party, and I went to it.
And I ended up in a corner talking to
Mike Birbiglia and his wife, Jen, who's a poet, all night.
They're the most wonderful people.
And I just remember thinking -- 'Cause I'd seen Mike in things
and I'd seen some of his --
You know, he does these amazing shows.
He just makes such thoughtful performances and comedy.

-He has a new one coming out on Broadway.
15:02
-Yeah, he has one that I can't wait to see.
15:04
-Yeah.
15:05
-And, so, I was talking to them and I was just thinking --
I'd written the "Anti-Hero" video.
And I was like, "He's perfect.
I want him to play my son Preston."
My future son. -Yeah, future son Preston.
-My country-club-going son, Preston.
15:18
-And they get in a big argument over the will
and what you left them.
15:21
-Yeah, it was great.
Like, I also met Mary Elizabeth Ellis at a party.
And, so, that's -- It's a great way to...

-Cast. -...to cast stuff.
15:31
-Just go to parties.
15:32
-You don't -- You know, nobody has to audition.
15:35
Just come up and say hi at a party.
15:36
-We had amazing pizza that night.
15:39
And then --

 -It was great. It was a blast.
I mean, there's some good pictures from that night, too.
-Well, you had this camera. You had a really cool camera.
15:46
I don't know -- it was, like,
15:47
something from the '80s or something.
15:48
-Push the button, it goes flash.
15:49
-Yeah, and it's real film. -Then you remember it.
15:51
-And, so, there's a nice photo that I really appreciate you --
15:53
I don't know how this happened.
15:55
But at one point, we ended up doing a cheerleader pyramid.
15:57
-That's -- Yeah. That's because --
15:59
-That's me there.
16:01
-Yeah. That's because wine, as well.
16:03
-Yeah, wine. Wine was involved, yeah.
16:05
-That's -- -And there's Mike.
16:06
And there's Jack.
16:07
And then I thought it'd be funny --
16:10
'Cause we were having fun.
16:11
And there was other people on this side, too.
16:13
And I was taking your camera
16:15
and I just I kept taking photos of other things.
16:16
-Yeah, yeah.
16:18
Which everybody loves that guy. You know what I mean?
16:20
'Cause then you go and you get the candid shots.
16:22
And then I develop the pictures. I'm like, "That's so great.
16:25
I didn't know that happened."
16:26
-Yeah. And then you're in some of the photos,
16:27
'cause it usually -- If it's your camera,
16:28
you're taking all the pictures.
16:29
-Yeah, it's a good guy to be. -Yeah.
16:31
And then I took probably the worst photo
I've ever seen of myself ever.
16:37
-Let's see it.
16:39
-I'm gonna show it because -- but I'm upset to really show it.
I'm not -- know if I'm ready for this.
But Jack keeps sending this to me
because he thinks it's the funniest thing.
16:47
It's so bad. [ Drumroll ]
16:48
Honestly, this is, like, therapeutic for me.
Alright, here it is, a selfie that I took of myself.
16:54
[ Cheers and applause ]
16:56
[ Sad tuba plays, cymbal crash ]
16:59
-Wow. [ Laughs ]
17:01
-What -- It's so gross.
17:03
-It's so beautiful.
17:05
-It looks like I have tape on my nose.
17:07
-I just never thought I'd see inside of your brain.
It's so special to get to see all the way up the nostril,
into the nasal cavities.
17:17
-It's the worst thing I've ever seen.
And I go, "I have to just -- I have to lay it all out there."
Like, I'm taking lessons from you from "Midnights."
I'm laying it all out there. 

-That's a gorgeous photo.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Because that's what the night really was.
17:31
Okay? -Oh, my gosh.
17:32
-Pyramid, everybody's posing. -This I love.
17:35
-This was the mode I was in that night.
This is the goal I'm trying -- -Whew!
17:42
And you can't delete film.
You know what I'm saying?
That is the most embarrassing -- I'm sweating.
17:47
Can you feel the heat coming off of me?
It's so bad.
17:52
You've announced that a new video
is coming out at midnight tonight.
17:55
-Yes, yes! [ Cheers and applause ]
17:58
-It's around midnight.
It's around midnight right now.
Can you say what song this video is for?
18:04
-It's for a song called "Bejeweled."
18:06
[ Cheers and applause ]
18:09
Oh, good. -Love it.
18:11
-They approve. -Yes.
18:12
-Okay, so, basically, the first video, "Anti-Hero,"
I was like, "This is gonna be the first single."
And I knew that.
But I was like, "I want to make a video
that is just for the fans who like certain things,
like glitter and Easter eggs and lots of little cameos."
And, so, basically,
I was thinking about "Midnights," the concept
and I was like, "Where do we hear about midnights a lot?"
We hear about it a lot
when we talk about the Cinderella fairy tale.
And so I was like,
"What if we did a little twist on a Cinderella story?
And I could cast my friends."
You know, like, my best friends, the Haim sisters --
what if they played the step-sisters?
18:52
[ Cheers and applause ]
18:55
And I was like, "What if we really shoot for the stars
with the other casting, with, like --
You know, what if it was, like,
Oscar winner Laura Dern playing my step-mother?"
19:07
-How'd you get in touch with Laura Dern?
19:09
-It was like, "Oscar winner Laura Dern..."
19:11
-Yes. -"...hello.
Um, I've written a script.
It's a one-scene script in which you are going to call me
a "tired, tacky wench."
-And she was like, "I'm in." -And she was like, "I'm down."
19:25
She's the coolest. She's so funny.
19:27
She's another one. I'm like, "Friend."
19:30
-Yes. -"You are my friend now."
19:33
-How do you direct Laura Dern, Oscar winner Laura Dern?
19:36
-Oh, I mean, you know, directing Oscar winner Laura Dern
is easier than anything I've ever done in my life.

-Yeah, just she just goes, "I know how to do it, yeah."
19:44
-Well, yeah, I mean, she's just the greatest.
And she's -- I mean, I don't --
I don't even believe I'm saying things like this.
And then -- And so, then, we have one of
my favorite performers, who I think
has been so influential in pop music.
And I've nicknamed this character
not the Fairy Godmother, but the Fairy Goddess,
and that is played by Dita Von Teese,
who is, I think, one of the most iconic performers.
20:09
And it's so exciting to get to see her
20:11
do what she does in this.
20:13
-Yes. -Jack Antonoff is in it.
The genius, legendary make-up artist
and creator Pat McGrath is in it.

20:23
-Oh, yeah.
20:25
-So, I'm really, really, really excited.
20:26
-And this one, you were saying, but I will let you say again.
This has maybe the most Easter eggs.
20:32
-A psychotic amount.
20:34
It is like -- We have a PDF file
for the Easter eggs in this video.
20:41
-Yes!
20:43
-Because there are so many that we could not keep track.
20:46
-Oh, I love it. 

********************

[1] In a state of extreme agitation or excitement