The Working Tapes Of Studs Terkel

Enlarge this image toggle caption The Studs Terkel Radio Archive/WFMT The Studs Terkel Radio Archive/WFMT

Note: This episode is adapted from The Working Tapes of Studs Terkel, a series by Radio Diaries.

In 1974, Studs Terkel published a book called "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do." The book drew from over 100 interviews in which ordinary Americans talked about their jobs.

Studs recorded the interviews for the book, and when the book was published, he stored the tapes. The tapes were left untouched until he died, and very few people have listened to them.

Today on the show, we join those few people. We track down some of the workers Studs interviewed 40 years ago and listen to old tapes with them. It's like entering a time capsule, to find out what has changed, and what hasn't.

Music: "The Rampart" and "Shot Down In A Wurl Wind."

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