Everyday history saved on tape

"We're all getting filled up with images generated by the media, and I'm very concerned that we are forgetting, we're just erasing a lot of history all the time," Rabinowitz adds. "We are in danger of losing a sense of who we are, and [are] adopting a kind of identity that really is rooted in stories that are generated by other people. It's a kind of 'Disney memory' people have, instead of their own memory.

"The stories of ordinary people are more important and more interesting than the stories of celebrities," he says. "Certainly to the families themselves."

You don't have to be a professional historian or researcher to record wonderful oral histories of your friends and family. But a few tips may make the experience more enjoyable and yield better results.

If you're interviewing someone you know well, for example, some special care is needed.

At first you may get very short answers or evasions such as "Why are you asking me that question? You know the answer" or "Just like I told you last time," says Mary Marshall Clark, director of the Oral-History Research Office at Columbia University.

In this situation, create a little formality by thinking of yourself as an "interested stranger," she suggests. Imagine you're recording for a grandchild two generations down the line who won't know the specifics of today's world. So don't be afraid to ask about the ordinary: Fifty years from now the price of a subway token or a ham sandwich will actually be interesting.

Be sure to ask people how they felt about events, says David Isay, who makes documentaries for public radio and is founder of StoryCorps, a new nationwide oral history project. That will get them away from "the rehearsed narrative of their lives."

Other suggestions from Dr. Clark, Mr. Isay, and other oral historians include:

• Decide on your equipment and medium: An audio interview (on a tape recorder) may be less intimidating for the subject than speaking into a video camera. Highly recommended equipment includes headphones that allow you to hear how the interview is sounding and a separate microphone (clipped on or hand-held) that can be put near the mouth of the speaker.

• Try to learn about the person beforehand. Read about the times and places in which he or she lived.

• Bring along old family photos or letters to jog memories.

• A chronological approach makes for an easy format: Just begin at the beginning.

• Allow silences and take breaks if you're doing an extended session. Remember that the result may not be a tidy summing up of the person's life. Real lives are complex and "often there's no good end to a story," Clark says .

• Try to keep remarks tied to events the person witnessed firsthand rather than events he or she might have heard about secondhand.

• "Don't stay away from the tough stuff," Isay urges. He once interviewed his Uncle Sandy and asked him about the death of his wife. Afterward, his uncle was glad he'd spoken about it. "He said, 'It's good to be able to cry and talk about this stuff.' Telling the truth always feels good."

What questions to ask? The list is endless: Did you have a nickname growing up and why did you get it? How much money did you make on your first job? What were your grandparents like? How did you know that your spouse was "the one" to marry?

But remember that it's crucial to follow up with your own spontaneous questions, including "why?" Let the interview grow "organically," Isay says. "And you always follow the good stuff.... When I'm doing an interview and something interesting happens, it's almost like you can see the sparks coming out of people's mouths."

If you listen closely, listen with respect, and treat your subjects with dignity, he adds, "amazing things will happen."

Page: 1 | 2 | 3