Ahead of an interview, no matter who it is, I feel first-date nerves—good nerves. When things are going well, I let the conversation meander and carry on too long. I am not in control. I even like transcribing (it’s true!) and the opportunity it provides to revisit, to pick up on whatever I might have missed in the moment. I savor whittling a transcript down into something consumable, into something that honestly mirrors the voice of its subject.
In embarking upon this series for The PDXX Collective, I’ve humbly borrowed my title from the late Studs Terkel, to whom we storytellers, we who value the preservation of all voices, owe such a great debt. Acknowledging that I’m no Studs Terkel, still I intend to use this space to introduce the voices of friends, acquaintances, and passing strangers—some you will have heard of; most, not.
I’ll begin with a friend. Jason Ellis, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a walking encyclopedia on heavy metal and horror, a metal singer, a radio host, a DIY music promoter, and a longtime volunteer at the Milwaukee Women’s Center (for whom he also organizes an annual fundraiser, DIY vs. Domestic Abuse). The conversation that follows is not new; in fact, it’s one of the first interviews I ever conducted. Having been assigned a short profile piece for a class a few years ago, my original subject fell through and I had nerves—bad nerves—until Jason agreed to fill in at the zero hour. The dude is smart, hilarious, a true brother—and once upon a time he tried his hand at professional wrestling.
Read the part where I finally let Jason talk, here.
