Treasure on tape.
Between 1969 and 1972, Village Voice columnist and radio personality Howard Smith recorded interviews with some of the era’s most iconic creative figures, at some of the most pivotal moments of their careers.
He interviewed Mick Jagger just weeks before Altamont, Andy Warhol after he was shot, Dennis Hopper following the premiere of Easy Rider at Cannes Film Festival, and recorded Janis Joplin’s final interview. These original audio reels, numbering in the hundreds, have been stashed away in his apartment since they days they originally aired — until now.
After months dedicated to sifting through and digitizing these audio files — a process described as “forensic… an enormous audio jigsaw puzzle” — they’ve been dated and pieced together chronologically for public consumption. The Smith Tapes box set will compile 18 of the collection’s most notable conversations, preserving the cultural legacy of a singular generation for decades to come.
We’re archiving the whole project for 24 hours as our Project of the Day.
