| Author | Message | ||
     Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1274 Registered: 08-2006 |
Here's a raise of the glass to a Chicago legend and a national treasure. A little reminiscence: Four long years ago, I worked a big John Kerry fundraiser at the Civic Opera in Chicago. Basically, I was in charge of making sure the speakers at the event had what they needed and knew when they were to go onstage (understand, I had no business doing this - a friend was a volunteer for the Kerry campaign and they needed help). It was probably one of the most memorable days of my life. Over the course of 10 hours, I got to meet - and sometimes talk at length with - Harold Ramis (our MC, and who was one of the nicest blokes I've ever met) , the great Mort Sahl, our US Senator Dick Durbin and Jennifer Hudson (pre-Oscar and pre-my knowing who the hell she was) and her mother (see the news stories about that one - crap). But the highlight, for me, was the arrival of Studs Terkel. He had no one with him, natch, took a cab to the opera house, I think. I got him settled into his dressing room and he asked for a sandwich, which I fetched posthaste. I brought it to him and he said, "Hey, kid, I hate to eat alone. Sit down, will ya?" We sat and talked politics and current events for maybe 20-30 minutes. I completely abandoned my post, needless to say. At 92, he was sharp as a tack, inquisitive, funny and profane. His biggest concern was that were young people in the audience. I wrote down snippets afterwards: "There's kids out there, right? It's not just old folks? Without the kids, we lose this thing. I gotta know there's kids out there." Backstage, I had to lift him, by grabbing him under the armpits, over some cables on the floor (he was 92, after all, and it was dark backstage) and he said, "Thanks, kid. I hope you live long enough that someone gets to return the favor." I will always remember that evening, it was pleasure and an honor, and if you haven't read any of Studs' oral histories, I can't recommend any more timely reading in this election year. Thanks for the memory, Studs. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1804 Registered: 03-2005 |
Great story, Rob. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 364 Registered: 04-2005 |
Thanks for sharing that Rob. It's always good to discover that a legendary figure lives up to the legend. And also to remind that us at age 92 you can still be perfectly tuned in to the world around you. | ||
| Ewan Talisker McEwan Member Username: Ewan_mcewan Post Number: 468 Registered: 02-2008 |
Yeah nice, Rob. And kudos to your dead-lifting ability. Studs must have clocked in at a deuce! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 2407 Registered: 05-2005 |
What a great story Rob. I thought about starting a Studs RIP thread but I figured either you or ETM would have actually read his books and you would do a much better job. And you have. I've long meant to read his books but still haven't. What I know of him is through reading a couple of fascinating interviews with him, one was in the UK paper The Guardian I think and the other was in a US publication (maybe Slate). What Studs book should I start with if I was to get one? | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 2692 Registered: 05-2005 |
Nice one Rob. I heard a short overview of his life yesterday on Radio 4. I had never heard of him before, what a great man. I'm afraid we'll never hear/see the likes of him again. A real shame he never saw the Obama result. RIP. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1276 Registered: 08-2006 |
Padraig, "The Good War," which is about WWII, is the one he won the Pulitzer for, and it's very good. I love "Division Street," which is interviews with people who lived along that Chicago roadway in the 60s, but it might not have the same appeal to a non-Chicagoan. "Working," which is interviews with people about their jobs, is really great, too. It's funny, though - even though he's known as an author, he was really a brilliant interviewer, and to really understand his genius, you gotta hear him in a back-and-forth with a subject. There's a pretty sizable collection of his interviews here: http://www.studsterkel.org/ They've been playing clips of him all morning on the radio. If it wasn't for the election, it'd be all Studs all the time here in Chi-town. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1229 Registered: 09-2006 |
Thanks for the link Rob, and I can't add much to all of the above except for a hearty Hear Hear, So Say We All |