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Have a clerkship interview in a few hours, an would appreciate any advice I can get.

Can someone explain, broadly, the politics of appellate courts? (e.g., what's involved in en banc decisions, how to judges interact with other judges on panels, etc.)

En banc cases are those that the court as a whole generally finds to be very important. They're often (I think almost only?) granted after a controversial/important opinion by a panel. I think a majority needs to grand for rehearing en banc. One panel cannot overrule another panel's decision, hence the need for en banc decisions.

I don't know what you're asking about the "politics." Because every judge is a human, the way he or she interacts with his or hear colleagues will vary.

I also think these are perfectly good questions to ask in an interview, rather than bathing you're expected to know already.