- Playing
- Ruth Ellis: We Just Were Happy
- From
- Dan Heidt
When I went to West Virginia to visit family this summer, I took along my flash recorder (as I always do), and put just about everything on tape. What you are hearing is a condensing of two days of tape into about 9 1/2 minutes.
Ruth Ellis is my brother-in-law Reuben's grandmother, Maw Maw, as she is known to her family. She and her husband Paul is approaching 70 years of marriage, and we all had the privilege of going to her house for dinner while we were in town. I took my recorder along, and started recording various things, the kids waiting for the ice cream truck, the wind blowing through the 50' magnolia tree in the front yard, the soft rain hitting the leaves of that tree, along with everything else around it, the coal train in the distance... The place was rich with sound.
It wasn't until I went inside that I realized where the story was. I went into their modestly furnished living room, and there was Maw Maw, sitting on the couch, sneakered feet propped up on the coffee table, surrounded by children, children-in-law, grand-children, and a host of small great-grandchildren, and she was telling stories. The young children were playing with each other, watching TV, bickering, and generally having a good time. The older two generations were gathered around Maw Maw like they were posing for a Norman Rockwell Painting. I sat in front of her on the coffee table, hit record, and listened.
You'll hear several voices speaking and interacting with Ruth in this piece. Obviously, the main subject is Ruth. You'll hear me, opposite mic, ask a few questions. Reuben is sitting to her right on the couch, and is asking questions as well.
One of the most significant voices you'll hear, though, is the Voice of the Family Collective. It may sound like just a lot of ambient noise, mainly from the great-grandchildren and the TV. It may be distracting at times, but understand that this is Maw Maw's life. She is literally surrounded by her family. The noise is part of her world, so I had to make it part of the piece. See if you can imagine yourself sitting in the room with everyone.
One last thing: One of the things we do when I go home to visit is play music. Reuben brought his banjo, and I brought my guitar, and while the kids played in the pool and roughed around, we sat on the porch and played. The music you'll hear in this piece is just that. Reuben and I filling space with hammerclaw and strumming. Not always a specifically named tune, but that's how that goes with that kind of music.
Enjoy.
dh
More from Dan Heidt
Ash Wednesday
(03:19)
From: Dan Heidt
Hopefully each of us want to improve upon ourselves, if only day to day. A moment of truth on a day of significance.
It's Just What We Did
(05:18)
From: Dan Heidt
Remember Summer as a kid? Remember how there were no iPhones, video games or computers? Just the world outside waiting to be explored. Recollections from Dan about going ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
When I went to West Virginia to visit family this summer, I took along my flash recorder (as I always do), and put just about everything on tape. What you are hearing is a condensing of two days of tape into about 9 1/2 minutes.
Ruth Ellis is my brother-in-law Reuben's grandmother, Maw Maw, as she is known to her family. She and her husband Paul is approaching 70 years of marriage, and we all had the privilege of going to her house for dinner while we were in town. I took my recorder along, and started recording various things, the kids waiting for the ice cream truck, the wind blowing through the 50' magnolia tree in the front yard, the soft rain hitting the leaves of that tree, along with everything else around it, the coal train in the distance... The place was rich with sound.
It wasn't until I went inside that I realized where the story was. I went into their modestly furnished living room, and there was Maw Maw, sitting on the couch, sneakered feet propped up on the coffee table, surrounded by children, children-in-law, grand-children, and a host of small great-grandchildren, and she was telling stories. The young children were playing with each other, watching TV, bickering, and generally having a good time. The older two generations were gathered around Maw Maw like they were posing for a Norman Rockwell Painting. I sat in front of her on the coffee table, hit record, and listened.
You'll hear several voices speaking and interacting with Ruth in this piece. Obviously, the main subject is Ruth. You'll hear me, opposite mic, ask a few questions. Reuben is sitting to her right on the couch, and is asking questions as well.
One of the most significant voices you'll hear, though, is the Voice of the Family Collective. It may sound like just a lot of ambient noise, mainly from the great-grandchildren and the TV. It may be distracting at times, but understand that this is Maw Maw's life. She is literally surrounded by her family. The noise is part of her world, so I had to make it part of the piece. See if you can imagine yourself sitting in the room with everyone.
One last thing: One of the things we do when I go home to visit is play music. Reuben brought his banjo, and I brought my guitar, and while the kids played in the pool and roughed around, we sat on the porch and played. The music you'll hear in this piece is just that. Reuben and I filling space with hammerclaw and strumming. Not always a specifically named tune, but that's how that goes with that kind of music.
Enjoy.
dh
