I had never heard of Studs Terkel before I read his obituary in the Economist. My introduction to him was therefore a backwards one. Not only did I learn of his life through his death, I also fell in love with the words of this radio man via the page. I hung that obituary on my wall, right above the shelf that holds my radio, without even really knowing who he was.
Democracy Now devoted a full hour to that life about a week ago, digging up footage of Studs Terkel in his library and an incredible recorded interview Studs did with Martin Luther King. Studs also talks about his fall down the stairs in his 80′s, calling it Fosse-like–”it was jazzy,” he says. What a joy.
