tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11646250.post852470676021561651..comments2023-11-05T02:34:38.816-08:00Comments on The Ape Man: What Studs Terkel Meant to MeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829102073305209917noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11646250.post-40290300609227491582008-11-03T13:09:00.000-08:002008-11-03T13:09:00.000-08:00I know exactly what you mean- I always felt an af...I know exactly what you mean- I always felt an affinity to Studs too, though I've haven't read as much of his work as I should have. Maybe it's because I live in Chicago, and Studs always seemed such a perfect personification of this city we both love, in all of it's beautiful roughness and simple,hardscrabble glory. <BR/><BR/>You should check out <A HREF="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96432130" REL="nofollow">this interview</A> on NPR with longtime Studs friend Scott Simon. I especially love the line at the end: "Everybody's got their story, just let 'em sing, Pallie, let 'em sing!"CHANTEUSEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686325933389903709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11646250.post-61818189296886423572008-11-03T05:20:00.000-08:002008-11-03T05:20:00.000-08:00Seeing his obituary took me back to my college day...Seeing his obituary took me back to my college days. There was a broadway musical produced out of some of his writings. It was called "Working". My roomate had a unique connection to music and broadway musicals and introduced me to the album made from the broadway production. I played it alot over the years, but it fell out of my normal "rotation" with the advent of CD's and the loss of much of my vinyl collection. But there is a line from one of the songs (written by James Taylor actually) that goes;<BR/><BR/>I HAVE BEEN A FOOL TO LET THIS MANUFACTURE USE MY BODY FOR A TOOL.<BR/><BR/>I worked in a factory during college. It was union work, 12 hour days on second shift. Good pay for a college student. A great way to make fast money over a summer. I worked with people who were doing anything but. They called me "college boy" and it wasn't a compliment. There was a woman I'll never forget who had been working there 23 years. I was 20 at the time. During breaks she had a "thousand mile stare". She worked the assembly line on one of the fastest and most difficult lines we had. It was mindless work, for 12 hours a day. That song, and that line were written about her. Studs gave voice to people who had long ago lost theirs. There are worst ways to spend a life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com