Interview with: Simon Dorfman
Length: 3 minutes, 19 seconds
Notes: Here I am, sitting on my front porch chair-swing, interviewing myself. I talk about what inspired peopleofneworleans.com and why I’m doing it. Loud music, courtesy of my neighbor. Wind noise, courtesy of the wind. I was tempted to re-record this, but I stuck with my one-take, no editing philosophy.
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Great idea for a vlog! I’ve subscribed.
…on May 7th, 2006, at 1:49 amWow, Simon… that was great. I think what you’re doing is amazing and I have every confidence that it will catch on. I truly hope you find some work, perhaps you should set up a PayPal donations account so we can help you out a bit in the meantime…
Take care,
…on May 7th, 2006, at 2:14 amCasey
Thanks for the positive comments, David and Casey!
Casey, I don’t have a paypal donations link set up, but here’s an idea: buy some PeopleOfNewOreans.com schwag from the online store. You get cool stuff and help promote the site and I get a buck or two.
…on May 7th, 2006, at 6:39 amHey Simon, great introduction to the project. I will see you sometime this week and perhaps I can scrounge up some other folks to contribute.
…on May 7th, 2006, at 9:13 amGeez, this is a great concept. All I know about the place is some of the food, a little about the music and what the history books tell me about some of the more colorful politicians.
I have to tell you this can get addictive. There is such richness in every community. There are people that need to be talked to - they have chunks of history and vision that can disappear in an instant.
See it through and you will have inspiration flowing out of every pore.
Welcome to the vlog ocean…
…on May 7th, 2006, at 10:09 amGena
I’m looking forward to more. I was born in New Orleans and still have relatives there.
…on May 7th, 2006, at 11:51 amGreat idea and you’re in a good location to pursue it.
I gather things are very messed up down there insofar as governmental agencies are spending tons of money and not getting much for it.
I see they are considering revising guidelines to allow people to take their pets with them when evacuated because some people stayed (and died) because they didn’t want to abandon their pets.
Personal stories with emotional punch are always the best. Good luck!
…on May 7th, 2006, at 12:32 pmYou are extremely photogenic, take it from somebody that aint, but I do think, at some point, you need to take off that hat and put on your editors hat. Costume change, always fun.
…on May 7th, 2006, at 3:35 pmYay!!! I’m SO glad someone will be posting interviews from N.O. in a videoblog! I’m in NYC but my honey’s house is in the Bywater so we’re going back and forth a lot trying to get it ready to live in (I’ll be flying in this Tuesday for a few weeks!) I manage to capture a little video whenever I’m there, but interviewing is something I have yet to tackle. There’s this one little old lady in the Marigny that I’m after…she’s fascinating.
There are a whole lot of characters down there–and a zillion stories that need to be told.
Looking very forward to watching them!
…on May 7th, 2006, at 7:16 pmThanks for all the comments and well wishes! Gosh, blogging’s fun.
david wrote:
Yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot about the no-editing, one take only, philosophy. I wrote about it some on the FAQ page. You’re not the only one who thinks I’m crazy. My Dad’s first impression of this intro video was that I should re-shoot and/or edit the beginning. There are a lot of stumbling words there: “alright” “um” “so” “uh”. The choice to not edit, definitely causes some anxiety. I’m generally a perfectionist about stuff I make, so it’s even more so for me. At the same time, it’s quite a release, a weight off my shoulders. I can just make stuff and share it. It’s not going to be perfect. But it will be done, finished, out there. I’m hoping this self-imposed constraint will cause me to guide interviews towards interesting stuff sooner rather than later. On the other hand, patience is key. I am a good listener. Okay, I’m rambling now. I better stop.
…on May 8th, 2006, at 5:04 amCool idea. I’m in N.O. in a part of the city that flooded to 5-6 feet. Some folks are back on my street and trying hard to restore things. Maybe we can set something up to video what’s going on on my particular street. A little nervous about being on camera, but let’s talk.
…on May 8th, 2006, at 1:48 pm[…] Simon Dorfman has launched PeopleOfNewOrleans.com. Check out his self-interview for an idea of what the project is about. […]
…on May 9th, 2006, at 10:52 amDude, I like it. I am looking forward to seeing the various stories that the people of New Orleans have to tell.
One suggestion, maybe stay with the no-edit policy (does seem to make it more real), but make sure you have prepared a good set of questions or outline before starting the interview.
Then you have the option of letting the interview meander or you can fall back on these questions.
The additional structure would likely make the interviews easier to follow? No?
…on May 9th, 2006, at 10:20 pmReally nice idea.
If you evacuated to Austin for six months, you might have watched a program that airs every Sunday morning in most markets. It’s called Texas Country Reporter and it’s hosted by Bob Phillips.
TxCountryRptr has been on the air for years and years. Bob travels throughout Texas and does 6-7 segments on interesting people and places all over Texas.
My suggestion would be to duplicate his great informal format and concentrate on New Orleans people, places and things. I think that would be interesting to every one else in the country. And, it could alleviate some of the homesickness for those of us aren’t coming home anytime soon, if ever.
Good Luck.
Beveaux
…on May 12th, 2006, at 7:00 pmThe stuttering and halting talk are quite common in this post katrina city we live in,that’s one of the many things that people who aren’t living here don’t know.I think this is a wonderful idea…there are thousands of stories.As for myself I escaped from waist deep water that tuesday afternoon at the end of Banks St
…on May 14th, 2006, at 8:27 pmI’ve found that talking about it helps the soul.
So are we going to see an interview with the guy who can tell the difference between a 1/2 lb and 1 lb hamburger patty? ‘Cause that guy sounds pretty cool.
…on May 20th, 2006, at 1:19 pmSimon!!! This rocks. You rock.
I love you to the moon and back.
Sarah
…on May 24th, 2006, at 2:21 pmI love your site and await every new video as it arrives; I think preserving an oral history is a noble idea. I have seen many different perspectives on how Katrina has affected each and every New Orleanian although I do notice that most of folks you have interviewed are semi-recent to recent transplants to the area. Not to sound like some kind of “nativist” but are you/have you considered interviewing more people whose roots go way back? I found Joshua Barone’s story particularly heartbreaking, when all you ever knew stops being home…
Speaking as a 6th generation New Orleanian, I would be (along with many others, I’m sure!) interested to see how the disruption of these folks’ traditions, loss of family history/heirlooms has deeply affected them. Unfortunately, I don’t live anywhere near NO, ’cause I could go on and on.
Maybe you’ve already considered all of what I said… New Orleans is a complex place that means a lot of things to different people and I love how you are capturing that.
Thank you.
…on June 2nd, 2006, at 1:28 pmdon’t edit… it’s real…dbv
just found this today… i think it’s great and needs to be done… everyone can identify with somebody…
…on July 17th, 2006, at 8:34 amDude, I just stumbled across your site by accident. Seems like a long time since I bumped into you at Whole Foods on Magazine - which was closed when I went back in Dec/Jan. Let’s play settlers again some time
…on August 5th, 2006, at 11:51 amDear Simon,
…on August 23rd, 2006, at 1:27 amTHANK YOU for creating this site! I lived in N.O. for over 25 years, and I left years ago, but I miss it so much. After Katrina, I started a help org. It made me realize that not only do I love the city itself, but it is the PEOPLE of New Orleans that I miss. Thank you for updating us all on how things are progressing there and how the people are doing.
May The Spirit bless all the people of New Orleans.
This is such a great idea. I live 10 hours away from New Orleans, and any news I read of the storm is normally through major newspapers or seen on major networks such as CNN. It is so nice to see unbiased accounts of real life stories. New Orleans has been one of my favorites places in the US since my first visit in 2002. It is devasting the way that this city has been treated through the duration and the aftermath of this storm. Through these videos Simon, you are doing a great justice to the city and the people of New Orleans. Thank you.
…on September 17th, 2006, at 3:42 pm