Self interviews

Here are two wonderful and funny examples of people interviewing their older selves.
First, Jerimiah McDonald as a 32 year-old is interviewed by his 12 year-old self, a twenty year gap between interviewer and interviewee.  This was actually published three years ago and went viral on YouTube (a future-dense phenomenon that 12 year old would have no knowledge of) and the 32 year old McDonald made a fascinating ‘making of‘ video to complement the conversation.

In the same genre, we have a self-interview over an astonishing 38 year period.  Peter Emshwiller is crowd-funding to be able to restore the old footage of himself, and professionally shoot his modern responses.

Both projects are unexpectedly poignant and revealing self-portraits.  In both cases we can see the ‘trickery’, such as it is, on the part of the younger self, asking open ended questions and delivering ambiguous responses.  But its the honesty on the part of the older person that is revealing.  How can they obfuscate or avoid the difficult questions when the person asking them is their younger self?
Its noteworthy that in both cases, the film-makers clearly knew what they wanted to do from a young age, something which allowed them to be so prescient.  And its also surely crucial that both men are science fiction fans.  This long term project is a form of time travel.