StoryCorps Declares Friday a National Day of Listening

To mark the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, StoryCorps is declaring Friday a National Day of Listening. StoryCorps is a national social history project created by the award-winning radio producer Dave Isay. Over the past seven years, more than 30,000 interviews have been recorded, making StoryCorps one of the largest oral history projects in U.S. history. We play one of StoryCorps' most famous interviewees, the late, great oral historian, Studs Terkel.

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AMY GOODMAN: To mark the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, StoryCorps is declaring Friday a national day of listening. StoryCorps is a national social history project created by the award winning radio producer Dave Isay. People enter a recording booth on streets all over America and tell their stories to one another. Over the past seven years, more than 30,000 interviews have been recorded, making StoryCorps one of the largest oral history projects in U.S. history. Here's a taste of one of the most famous interviewees. The oral historian, radio broadcaster and Pulitzer prize-winning author, this is the animated voice of Studs Terkel.

STUDS TERKEL: What has happened to the human voice? Vox humana! Hollering, shouting, quiet talking, buzz! I was leaving the airport- this is in Atlanta. You know, you leave the gate, you take a train. That took you to the concourse of your choice. I get into this train. Dead silence. A few people are seated or standing. Up above, you hear a voice that once was a human voice, but no longer. Now it talks like a machine. "Concourse 1, Fort Worth, Dallas, Lubbock"-that kind of voice. Just then the doors were about to close- automatic doors- when a young couple rush in and push open the doors and get in. Without missing a beat, the voice of of says, "Because of late entry, we are delayed 30 seconds." The people looked at that couple as if the couple had just committed mass murder. And the couple is shrinking like this, you know? Now, I'm known for my talking- I'm gabby- so I say, "George Orwell, your time has come and gone!" I expected a laugh. Dead silence. And now they look at me. And I'm with the couple- the three of us are at the head of Calvary on Good Friday- and then I say, "My God, where is the human voice?" Just then a little baby- the baby's maybe a year old- and I say, "Sir or Madam- to the baby- what is your opinion of the human species?" What does the baby do? The baby starts giggling! I say, "Thank God! The sound of a human voice."

AMY GOODMAN: That was the late, great Studs Terkel. Directed and produced by Mike and Tim Rush, and if you want to see the animation, you can go to democracynow.org. On Friday, StoryCorps is holding its National Day of Listing, when they ask people to take a day out of their week to record a conversation with a loved one. Their website is nationaldayoflistening.org.