I Wanna Be Your Bob Edwards
If, like Seattlest, you spend your morning commute catching up on world events through Morning Edition, you’ve probably heard excerpts from the StoryCorps project. Your fellow Americans have been busy interviewing each other, and NPR is airing a few of the results.
Time was, you had to head to New York City’s Grand Central Station to book time in a StoryCorps interview booth. Now, however, two mobile StoryCorps recording stations are traveling across the country, collecting stories from people from coast to coast. One of them is about to hit Seattle, giving you your chance to step up to the mic.
According to KUOW’s StoryCorps information page:
The StoryCorps booth will be available for 40 minute sessions from September 9th - 26th near the Fountain at Seattle Center. There are a limited number of sessions available.
The cool news: for a (suggested) $10 donation, you get:
1) 40 minutes to interview someone (or be interviewed by them)
2) a copy of your interview on CD, and
3) the option to archive your interview in the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center and make it available to your local public radio station
The bad news: apparently, hordes of Seattleites want to pester their loved ones with a microphone, so you need to enter a lottery for available slots. You have until September 1 – that would be this Thursday, for those of you who, like us, can’t believe August is almost over.
Don’t know what to ask? The ‘70s-colored StoryCorps site has information on how to record an interview, as well as excerpts from other people’s interviews. There’s even a handy interactive question generator to rescue your tongue from the proverbial cat.
If you don’t win this lottery, of course, you can still record your own interview. StoryCorps offers some basic do it yourself information. More serious Ira Glass-wannabes can check out audio-info goldmine Transom.org, or even take a recording class at Jack Straw here in Seattle.
Your DIY project won’t be archived at the Smithsonian, it may not be recorded with broadcast-quality equipment, and it may not be sponsored in part by Saturn, but it’ll be a unique family heirloom nonetheless.
