Interview with: Steve
Length: 10 minutes
Summary: Steve talks about living in Champaign, Illinois. He compares his life there to life in New Orleans. Topics include: LEAP tests, fireflies, bats, snow and Steve’s soccer team named Respect.
Notes: Steve rocks! Despite all the ambient noise, I think front porches are my favorite place to do interviews. I’d love to interview more New Orleanians who have moved away since Katrina. If you would like to be interviewed from somewhere else, please contact me. Maybe I can do a big road trip full of interviews.
Warning: one swear word and a photo of a dead body appear in this video.
Interview with: Andy Levin
Length: 23 minutes, 10 seconds
Summary: Alan talks about his experience in New Orleans during Katrina and the ten days after. Some of the photos he shows in the interview are on his website AndyLevin.com. Some of his photos are on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art exhibit: Katrina Exposed.
Notes: I showed this video to my brother and he said it showed him the most about the immediate aftermath of Katrina so far. I didn’t get a chance to put it online right away because I’ve been on a trip the last week or so. When I mentioned the news coverage I saw while in Austin of black people being called looters and white people being called something else, this is the article I was referring to.
Interview with: Robert Wallace Thompson
Length: 15 minutes 39 seconds
Summary: Robert talks about Fair Grinds Coffeehouse and what inspired the community feel. He talks about two books that influenced him: The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community and Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Evacuating to Houston and trying to reconnect with the Fair Grinds community of displaced New Orleanians there by meeting at the Orange Show every Friday until Rita came. Slowly rebuilding and serving free coffee.
Notes: Check out the Fair Grinds Katrina story page for photos and words.
Interview with: Alex Walker
Length: 10 minutes 51 seconds
Summary: Alex Walker talks about returning to New Orleans from the San Francisco bay area and continuing to get to know the city. I tried to ask if our city, it it’s somewhat broken state, still has the charm to make Alex want to make this his permanent home. This city has charmed so many people into staying and I hope it still has that magic.
Notes: I’ve noticed that I know (and interview) a lot of transplants. That is, people who moved to this city from somewhere else. I intend to take Tim’s advice and interview more natives. I need help finding them, though. If you know any native New Orleanians who you think would be willing to be interviewed, please get in touch with me via the Contact Page. Thanks!
Interview with: Dave Cash
Length: 12 minutes 20 seconds
Summary: Dave Cash talks about the first day of hurricane season. Evacuation plans, Bart’s blog post about neighborhood plans, closeness to the Gentilly Ridge, brass band music in New Orleans.
Notes: Dave has been super-helpful with the whole PeopleOfNewOrleans.com project. He’s been giving me feedback and ideas about all kinds of stuff. It’s great to finally interview him. I really need to get a good wind screen to stop wind noise. One of these days I’ll get around to building a Zeppelin using these nice DIY plans.
