Voices from the past - Anyone interested?

BillPorter

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In 1980 I attended a pool tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado (the Rocky Mountain 9-Ball Open) during which I interviewed players and cue makers regarding the care and selection of cue sticks. The interviews were the basis for an article published in Billiards Digest (September/October, 1980). Interviewees were asked about cleaning/smoothing shafts, shaping tips, etc. They also talked about their early experiences with pool, stumbling blocks to improvement at pool playing, and mental aspects of the game. These interviews produced about four hours of tapes with the following people: Mike Sigel, Buddy Hall, Ronnie Allen, Dee Hulse, Lou Butera, Gloria Walker, Paul Gerni, Warren (Monk) Costanzo, Paul Heubler, Bill Stroud, Bob Meucci, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, Richie Ambrose, Al (The Plumber) Winchenbaugh, Vicki Frechen, and Richie Florence. Fats was in attendance and was asked a few things about cues (he was using a 57” Rambo at the time) but, unbelievably, I failed to get any of his comments on tape. Some of this material is a little dry, but there are some “nuggets” in there that are really worth a listen, especially if you’re an old timer like me who enjoys a little “time travel” now and then. The sound quality on these old cassette tapes is pretty good, so I’m thinking of converting the tapes to digital files (.wav and/or MP3) and putting them on a CD.

Here’s my question….Would any of you have an interest in purchasing the CD if it were priced at $20? If I have even 4 or 5 potential buyers, I will definitely go ahead with the project. If no one is interested, I may not bother with it, at least for now. PM me or post a reply if interested.
 
I'd be interested. Sounds like a great piece of history. PM me if you do it.:)
 
Why not...$20 is only a couple of day's work:eek: ;)

Please PM me too...Would hope for a booklet or guide of some sort.
 
With Index

Count me in, I would pay $20 for this CD as long as it was properly indexed and I knew who was speaking and in what order.
 
I have an interest in the games history and would not mind spending $20 for a piece of it. PM me if you decide to go through with it.
 
DJKeys said:
Count me in, I would pay $20 for this CD as long as it was properly indexed and I knew who was speaking and in what order.
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DJ, I’m thinking of creating a separate MP3 file for each of the 16 people that were interviewed. That way you could just go right to the one you wanted to hear. The interviews would probably be sequenced as three groups: male pool players, female pool players (there were just two of these), and the three cue makers (Heubler, Meucci, and Stroud). I would include a page or two of printed material that lists the highlights of each interview. For example, in the Butera interview, the list would include; how he started playing pool, advice on learning to bank balls, what he considers the “best cue made,” working with Jim Rempe, the difficulty of making an exact center-ball hit, Keith M. as a “pool degenerate,” why he doesn’t really like pool anymore, how “Fats has done more for pool than any living human,” how “Mosconi is the worst thing that has happened to pool in 25 years,” comments about Joe Balsis, and implex vs. steel joints. The Butera interview lasted about 30 minutes and covers a lot of topics, whereas some of the shorter interviews are mainly about cues and cue maintenance. There is a total of about four hours of interviews. I should mention that my partner in doing these interviews was Mike Haines. He also photographed each interviewee. I’ll have to ask him if he still has the photos.

It looks like there is enough interest in this project to warrant going ahead with it. I’ve been comparing wave editing programs and have just about decided on WavePad (a free download, BTW) over Nero or Audacity. I am more than open to your suggestions about how to proceed with the project, so PM me or post a reply if you have some ideas. I’m looking forward to working on the tapes over next week or so and should have the CD finished by mid-April.
 
Hey Bill,

I'd love another CD/DVD from you. Would that cover the $20 I owe you?

PM/email me for shipping details

Tom
 
History of pool

$20 is a little steep, I'd take one for $15. Just kidding, count me in for $20.
PM me when you are ready for payment.
 
BillPorter said:
DJ, I’m thinking of creating a separate MP3 file for each of the 16 people that were interviewed. That way you could just go right to the one you wanted to hear. The interviews would probably be sequenced as three groups: male pool players, female pool players (there were just two of these), and the three cue makers (Heubler, Meucci, and Stroud). I would include a page or two of printed material that lists the highlights of each interview. For example, in the Butera interview, the list would include; how he started playing pool, advice on learning to bank balls, what he considers the “best cue made,” working with Jim Rempe, the difficulty of making an exact center-ball hit, Keith M. as a “pool degenerate,” why he doesn’t really like pool anymore, how “Fats has done more for pool than any living human,” how “Mosconi is the worst thing that has happened to pool in 25 years,” comments about Joe Balsis, and implex vs. steel joints. The Butera interview lasted about 30 minutes and covers a lot of topics, whereas some of the shorter interviews are mainly about cues and cue maintenance. There is a total of about four hours of interviews. I should mention that my partner in doing these interviews was Mike Haines. He also photographed each interviewee. I’ll have to ask him if he still has the photos.

It looks like there is enough interest in this project to warrant going ahead with it. I’ve been comparing wave editing programs and have just about decided on WavePad (a free download, BTW) over Nero or Audacity. I am more than open to your suggestions about how to proceed with the project, so PM me or post a reply if you have some ideas. I’m looking forward to working on the tapes over next week or so and should have the CD finished by mid-April.
Click to expand...

Any possibility in them being a standard audio cd? I guess that would require more than 1 disk.
Kelly
 
Answer to question about "standard audio CD"

Kelly_Guy said:
Any possibility in them being a standard audio cd? I guess that would require more than 1 disk.
Kelly
Click to expand...
Kelly, It would take 2 or 3 disks to hold the interviews if they were put on the disks as .wav files, whereas I can easily get everything on one CD by using MP3 files. Some current CD players will play such a CD with no problem and most DVD players will play them. I guess I could make a multi-CD set for you if you can't find a DVD player.:)
 
BillPorter said:
Kelly, It would take 2 or 3 disks to hold the interviews if they were put on the disks as .wav files, whereas I can easily get everything on one CD by using MP3 files. Some current CD players will play such a CD with no problem and most DVD players will play them. I guess I could make a multi-CD set for you if you can't find a DVD player.:)
Click to expand...

I have the old cd and dvd players that won't play mp3...you have to turn them with a crank...:eek:

I wasn't thinking clearly...mp3 would be the way to go.
Kelly
 
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