Studs Terkel caught my attention in 2008, when NPR replayed some of his recordings on the occasion of his death. He was a radio man, and specially known for his stumble into oral history by talking to common Americans. I myself have been formulating plans for an oral history project of my own, so I requested some of Terkel's recordings from the library.
As an aside, I'm going to start linking to things through WorldCat (a worldwide online catalogue that links thousands of libraries together). I'm poor, so I rarely buy things from Amazon, and patronizing your local library is a fantastic thing to do.
Voices of Our Time came in and WOW. This is a landmark collection (6 discs) of Terkel's favorite interviews with notable people, spanning four decades. It begins in the 1950s, and I've only listened so far as the 1960s. The people to whom Terkel talks are fascinating in every sense of the word. These guests are well spoken, thoughtful, and very enjoyable to listen to. It's a breath of fresh air for someone to actually say something when he or she talks. Our days are filled with words and speech, but so little is communicated.
These interviews give me the idea that people talked with more purpose 60 years ago. This is probably overly nostalgic - "people just don't talk like they used to" and all that with a sad shake of the head. There's got to be some truth to that, though. With facebook, twitter, and (ahem) blogs, everyone feels the need to have their voice heard. We just don't think about what we say or how we say it before it comes out. I think this is something that's been lost, and I want to find out how to regain it, in myself and in the world around me.
As an aside, I'm going to start linking to things through WorldCat (a worldwide online catalogue that links thousands of libraries together). I'm poor, so I rarely buy things from Amazon, and patronizing your local library is a fantastic thing to do.
Voices of Our Time came in and WOW. This is a landmark collection (6 discs) of Terkel's favorite interviews with notable people, spanning four decades. It begins in the 1950s, and I've only listened so far as the 1960s. The people to whom Terkel talks are fascinating in every sense of the word. These guests are well spoken, thoughtful, and very enjoyable to listen to. It's a breath of fresh air for someone to actually say something when he or she talks. Our days are filled with words and speech, but so little is communicated.
These interviews give me the idea that people talked with more purpose 60 years ago. This is probably overly nostalgic - "people just don't talk like they used to" and all that with a sad shake of the head. There's got to be some truth to that, though. With facebook, twitter, and (ahem) blogs, everyone feels the need to have their voice heard. We just don't think about what we say or how we say it before it comes out. I think this is something that's been lost, and I want to find out how to regain it, in myself and in the world around me.
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