modern folklore

2006-05-31T19:13:00.000-04:00

drunk in wisconsin (dai)

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2006-05-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

i still have the shirt (sarah)

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2006-05-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

yellow springs and nazis (noosie)

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2006-05-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

14 and sick pt. two (matt)

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2006-05-26T23:28:00.000-04:00

14 and sick pt. one (matt)

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2006-05-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

hope (marthe)

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2006-05-23T21:03:00.000-04:00

clapton (jason)

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2006-05-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

conundrum (aaron)

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2006-05-21T16:32:00.000-04:00

milk, pt. two (racist joe)

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2006-05-21T15:18:00.000-04:00

milk, pt. one (racist joe)

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2006-05-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

All in 45 minutes (rich)

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2006-05-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

Is not a metaphor (evan, pt. 2)

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Rocky Scarfone

2006-05-13T16:56:00.000-04:00

More research.
This time on the "Rocky Scarfone," that Evan told about in his story.
Aparently the guy really did write an acclaimed book, even President Clinton and Pat Robertson gave him praise! Quite a variety of input. Scarfone either ran or was part of a Youth Christian website, and is involved in a publishing company called "M.A.G.I.C." books.

Here's an excerpt from his biography, courtesy of www.youthofamerica.com:

It was after this experience that I would discover the truth about my father and his death; the awesome truth of my family's history and the fact that I seemed doomed to a life of crime and death--as had four generations of manly ancestors before me! I would leave NYC and travel the width and length of this country searching; seeking; experiencing.

From then on it was a constant battle between survival and my desperate desire to be someone, to make it, to discover family and love. But I could never totally recover from those years of abuse and suffering, not until I found Jesus Christ at 40 years of age!

Also, the website he's associated with has a storytelling division! What're the odds?

I wonder what would happen if I submitted my blog?

2006-05-13T15:22:00.000-04:00

Singular Mobster (evan, pt. 1)

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2006-05-12T13:47:00.000-04:00

The Fifth Bucket (jason)

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2006-05-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

Grey Poupon (mike)

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2006-05-09T21:01:00.000-04:00

NY (mike)

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So far.

2006-05-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

So far, I've had four people tell me five stories.

All of them very different, but each meandering, interrupted by me, and linear.
As I'd expected, a lot of the elements of telling a story to your FRIENDS are very different from telling a VIDEOCAMERA, or at least with one pointed at you. You're not as natural because you're being filmed, looseness and silliness are sometimes lost, and everyone asks,

"So should I tell my story now?"

I don't ever recall anyone ever saying that to me when about to launch into a tale at a bar or social gathering. Even with much smaller videocameras, it's difficult to capture these stories as observationally as possible, because these storytellers are given a prompt, a time, and a specific space to inhabit while telling their story. And I can't very well sneak around town and constantly videotape things, hoping that a chunk will be a golden tale of urban debauchery.

What to do, what to do.

2006-05-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

Naw, dude (kevin)

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mark twain

2006-05-04T15:13:00.000-04:00

2006-05-03T20:02:00.000-04:00

ruminations

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manifesto

2006-04-27T12:58:00.000-04:00

What does it mean to tell a good story?

Delivery. Content. Meaning. Humor. Relevance.

All of these are important elements in the art of storytelling.
But which carries the most weight? Does one become a good storyteller through practice and hardwork, like playing an instrument, or it it simply ingrained in your personality? And do we base our judgment on these stories simply on their entertainment value or other factors?

I don't know.

I intend to find out. I've never been good at telling stories. I always feel like people lose interest quickly, even if what I have to say is interesting. Jealousy strikes me when those around me regail us with these magnetic tales of things that have happened in their lives and of those close to them. Am I just not understanding how those different elements of storytelling work together, or do I just not have stories worth telling? And what makes a story thus so?

Thirty by thirty.
Thirty stories by thirty people.
At least.

That's what I'll do. The difficulty will just be to catch them in the act in their natural habitat, make them ignore this machine recording and scrutinizing everything they do.

Personal anecdotes. Urban legends. Family folklore. Campfire tales. Entertainment.