What a Mess

I’ve been kicking an idea around in my head for some time now.

I would like to interview people. Average people. Just to get a feel for what they do every day. A mechanic, construction worker, mailman, butcher, etc. I’d take pictures too. This idea began to gnaw away at my brain a lot more since listening to the MetaFilter podcast with ColdChef. I love stuff like that. People just talking about themselves, what they do. My favorite genres of book are biographies and memoirs. I love documentaries. I’ve even gone so far as to keep a little notepad document full of minibiographies that take place on MetaFilter and MetaChat; anything that reveals a little snippet of who that person is, or what that person has experienced. Here’s a good example.

I think there’s a difference between conducting an interview over the internet and actually approaching someone and asking if you can interview them, and spending time with that person throughout their day. That’s part of the reason I doubt I’ll ever do it. It’s odd. I can barely work up the nerve to make an appointment to get my hair cut, or get a prescription from my doctor. However, I could have sat for hours and interrogated the hell out of Justin if he had actually been allowed to reveal any information, and I’d have no trouble asking someone who’s telling me about themselves more questions. It’s the process of approaching the person and saying “Hey I want to interview you!” that freaks me the hell out.

I guess this is just one of those ideas that will stay in my head and I will regret not doing later in life.