“…all night long our parents became other people.”
A pair of older adults recall their first Halloween as children and the magical night their parents created. “Siblings Remember Their Circus Performing Parents And Their First ‘Magical’ Halloween” starts with with a rural, southern intro song and a narrator detailing the early days of their life and how their family roamed in a trailer. The narrator mentions a few key items that would be discussed in the storytellers’ tale, and then segues into the discussion of their first Halloween. When the two begin their story they are left with no background sound because the siblings’ discussion carries joy and laughter that needs no accompaniment. The story finishes off with a joyful and uplifting outro song that carries the ending discussion into a happy finish.
“That Christmas, I don’t even remember what gift I got.”
“William Lynn Weaver” details his holiday experience during his freshman year of college, and how he can’t remember the presents he received but it was the best Christmas he had ever had. Story Corps introduces both the purpose of Story Corps, explains the setting of the story, and then gives William Weaver the stage. Weaver has a powerful story about forgiveness, well wishes, and giving to those in need. The story is wholesome and sweet, and the silent background turns into a soft jazz that closes out the heartwarming Christmas story.
Both of these stories consisted of strong storytellers that brought a lot of emotion and engagement to the mic. The interview quality is clear and understandable. Music was used in a way to engage and disengage from the experience, as well as provide a similar experience to the stories’ emotional tone.