Studs Terkel

In class, we read and discussed the Haymarket affair in Chicago and the long running controversy over it's memorial. One figure who stood out for me in this narrative was Pulitzer prize winning author, political activist, historian, and radio broadcaster Studs Terkel. As a radio fanatic, I knew that Studs is considered a legend in the broadcasting world, but it wasn't until I looked deeper that I realized how important a figure he really is in American culture.

The quote in the above picture captures one of Terkel's missions in life: to preserve and continue the tradition of oral history in America. Oral history is often marginalized as a source by the academic, historical establishment. I know from my own academic training, oral histories can be difficult to access at times and professors are quick to question the legitimacy of such histories. Studs, on the other hand, saw great value in oral histories. In his view, they provide a (literal) voice and perspective to groups usually absent from other forms of history - the marginalized, the oppressed, and the common folk. He wrote a number of famous books about the oral history of significant periods in American history, specifically WWII and the Great Depression. But perhaps his most effective work in preserving and promoting oral history was through his radio show, The Studs Terkel Program, an hour long daily talk show that ran from 1952 to 1997 on 98.7 WFMT Chicago. Above is a recording of his 1968 interview with photographer Diane Arbus about the Great Depression, art, and oral history among other things. He interview EVERYONE on this show. It is quite stunning to look at the list of guests he had. He spoke to such figures as Martin Luther King Jr, Simone De Beauvoir, Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, and Bob Dylan. I've spoken before about the access all people have to radio - it is entirely free if you are near the ubiquitous equipment. Therefore, Terkel was discussing civil rights, gay rights, high art, history, and psychology - everything really - and anyone could hear it. He exposed generations to the great movers and shakers in America in a very accessible and unpretentious way. For this reason, I argue that Studs Terkel was an activist using the medium of radio to change the world. There is a great online archive of his show set up by the Chicago History Museum that you can visit here: http://studsterkel.org/ I'll leave you with another example of this man's great work. This is an interview from 1963 with participants on a train ride to Washington D.C. for a civil rights march, titled "This Train": http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/43/243/2B-F3-153-63-terkel-a0a1i9-a.mp3