The Times Quotidian

The Interview Project, Directed by Austin Lynch and Jason S., Produced by Sabrina Sutherland
by Nancy Cantwell

The Interview Project could very well be the perfect web experience. Austin Lynch, Jason S. and crew cross the United States from west to east and back again interviewing people as they stray by. Strays could be the operative word here, because unlike say a Studs Turkel interview, who aims to put forth a true cross section of society or lets say a Deborah Solomon interview who carefully spotlights each subject, Interview Projects picks up on who ever is walking, biking or just sitting around and poses up their version of a Proust Questionnaire. Interview leaves behind the high rises, takes to the back roads and is very comfortable with what they find.

This is one of the best examples I have ever seen of the form fitting the content. Everything about the navigation of the site brings you back and back again to the subjects at hand. Every dot on the map is a pop-up person. The All Episodes page is a great wall of personae and as your cursor glides across they all have their say. Each interview is a masterfully crafted portrait, but the true delight is to be found in the sound editing. The camera becomes a still shot and yet the voice continues to complete the thought. Or as the camera soaks up some local scenery it is impeccably matched with the sounds of weather passing through. One gets the sense that as Interview Project passes through so we all do in one form or another.

This is a David Lynch Presents project and he can be stylistically found everywhere. He introduces each interview setting the ordinary/extraordinary tone for what is to follow. His preamble in the About section is worth the price of admission. He’s his own finely tuned weirdo at this point and what’s not to like? Actually under the category of huh?, in the first couple of introductions it looks lie he has a note pinned to his chest and there is always some smoke or coffee steam?

[View with PicLens]

The project launched on June 1, 2009. Each episode is posted every three days, there are a total of 121. A few faves of mine are Rey, June 25th, Kee, June 7th, Jim Carter, June 28th, Lynn, July 12th and Traci, July 1st. There is lots of God, lots of alcoholism, lots of abusive fathers and lots of unemployment. None of these come as a big surprise, but it is good to hear and see the survivors tell it themselves and Interview Project lends a sympathetic ear, as should we all.

Special cudos to all the great music for Interview Project provided by Dean Hurley, Stoll Vaughan, Eugene Wasserman and Oto Gillen.