Voices: The IndianaRacing.net Mobile Racing StoryBooth?

I spend an inordinate amount of time dreaming up ways to somehow capture the sights and sounds of Indiana racing, and the Indianapolis 500 in particular. One of the things I’ve dreamed of doing is recording stories from all of the people that make the experience what it is—everyone from fans, to drivers, race team members, officials, staff, vendors, policemen, sponsors—you name it, everyone has a story to tell.

There are some people who feel that the stories of people who are not directly connected with the competitive aspect of racing are relatively worthless. While it’s true that the testimony of an average race fan might not offer any shocking revelations that challenge the auto racing history books or produce some new piece of racing trivia, it still has tremendous value to someone trying to understand the culture of the times and all of the collective thoughts and emotions that come with it. And let’s face it, a major event like the Indianapolis 500 is not a major event simply because there are 33 cars circling a track, it’s a major event because of the 300,000 people who choose to be involved each year in some way, shape or form.

At any rate, the recording and posting of stories, comments, and related material was the original intent behind the “Voices” category here at IndianaRacing.net, though it has obviously been slow to get going.

A much broader oral history project that has NOT been slow to get going is StoryCorps. Here is an explanation of the project from their web site:

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.

By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans.

Some of the recordings made by StoryCorps are really incredible, filled with power and emotion. I think there are at least three reasons for that. First, people are interviewed by someone close to them, such as a family member or friend. Second, they are enclosed in a small, intimate space that is quiet and distraction-free. Third, they use professional recording equipment that when combined with the quiet space and the personal connection to the interviewer, allows the emotion of the story to come through loud and clear. If you’ve never listened to some of the stories produced by StoryCorps, you really owe it to yourself to do so.

One of the ways they create that small, intimate space is through the use of a “Mobile StoryBooth”, which is essentially a sound-proofed Airstream travel trailer. The interior of the trailer contains the standard cabinets and seating area up front, while the rear section serves as the sound-proof recording booth, separated from the front by two heavy doors. Inside the booth there is room for the interviewer and interviewee as well as a facilitator, and the recording equipment is housed in one of the cabinets.

One of the StoryCorps Mobile StoryBooths was located at the Indiana Historical Society for several weeks last summer, and I made it a point to go take a few photos.

The StoryCorps Mobile StoryBooth

StoryBooth rear view

StoryBooth sound-proof recording booth

StoryBooth facilitator station

Cabinets housing recording equipment

Doors leading to rear of StoryBooth

So, back to my daydreaming… how cool would it be to have a mobile recording booth that could be taken to race tracks around the state to record the stories of people either involved in or fans of racing? Winchester, Salem, Terre Haute, Anderson, Indianapolis, Jungle Park, and many more—we are truly blessed to have so many to choose from! StoryCorps also has the ability to build temporary StoryBooths at institutions… perhaps at an institution like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum (and we happen to be entering a very significant period for IMS with its 100th anniversary approaching)?

Think about it. Every day we are losing more and more of our ability to learn about the past from first-hand sources. And every day we are losing opportunities to preserve for future generations the stories of today with the detail and nuance that only first-hand accounts can provide. Imagine if we could record these stories and then those recordings could be archived and published on the web for people all over the world to enjoy at any time. How great would that be?

Anyone got a spare Airstream? And the resources to pay my salary for a few years? Call me!