I love the sound of the recorded voice, playing with pace and seeing what some music can do. But it’s the story that matters, right? Take this example.
How to Impress Your Friends
Mary Ann is in her 60’s and here she is still telling a story about something that happened when she was on a band trip with her ninth grade class. I love that. It makes me think that it’s an important story worth preserving. It’s a human story. Who hasn’t approached a cafeteria with trepidation, worried about where to sit, worried about what to say? Moreover, what I like about this story is in the story and not something I can explain any better than what’s already there. I’ve tried. I want to say something about the gentle kick in the butt you get from the universe whenever you stray from yourself. But that’s as far as I get.
Elsewhere, I’ve written more about what inspired me to start recording these simple stories. Mainly it bugged me that people like my friend Mary Ann would never be on the Tonight Show.
QuOTeD – The Question of the Day Podcast
After awhile I discovered an interview format that worked for me. I called it Question of the Day. I’d start with one question and just see how things unraveled. Later I started to put things together in an audio montage.
What is your very earliest childhood memory?
Sometimes people remember lots of details. Other times it’s just a vague image, such as “a blue dress”. What do you remember? What’s the first thing that comes to mind? You can answer the “Question of the Day” by calling 612-440-1264.
What have you learned from watching a YouTube video?
At WordCamp Minneapolis/St. Paul 2017, we asked attendees “What have you learned from watching a YouTube video?”