Anne Guerrero discusses religion ; part 3
BROADCAST: 1968 | DURATION: 00:09:28
Synopsis
Anne Guerrero discusses religion in the Roman Catholic Church and her children. Her children participate in this interview and sing "Henry the Eighth." Part 3 of 3.
Transcript
Tap within the transcript to jump to that part of the audio.
Studs Terkel How do you like that [laughter]? It's crazy, but it's working. Anne, a couple of more questions. You're religious. Let's assume that you are God. You're God. It's the first day. Recreate the world. What kind of world would you make?
Anne Guerrero Let's see. I think first of all, I'd eliminate all the hardship of nature, and I'd eliminate all the malice in the heart of man. And I'd do something to - the reason I think for all the badness in the world is supposed to be people have been given a mind to do bad or good on their own, to make a choice either to go to the devil or to be on the side of God. I think I'd eliminate that. I wouldn't want the people to have to make that choice. I I'd make them all good. Everybody'd be good. There'd be no evil in the world. Oh, I guess I'd I'd make, I'd make the paradise that everybody's really looking for and everybody wants. No more hardship, no more misunderstanding, no more bad faith between people. Just just happiness and love and kindness for everybody. That's all, that's all. What else could I make?
Studs Terkel How do you feel about the future?
Anne Guerrero I have a lot of faith and a lot of hope in the future and I guess it's because I've got the six kids and I feel that they're going to make my future a happier and a rosier one. Things are rough right now, but they won't always be rough. I got something here.
Studs Terkel Is there something you'd like to see them be?
Anne Guerrero I'd like them all just to be good people, whatever they want to be: garbage truck collector.
Richard Guerrero Uh uh, lawyer.
Anne Guerrero Lawyer? Lawyer, yes, business accountant, nurse over there in the other room. Whatever they, whatever they wanna be. Whatever they want to be let them be the best at what- whatever they're going to be and let them, most of all, be happy at what they're going to be and let them never suffer. Let them always be gay and happy and have faith. Let us be a close-knit family. Let us never get truly angry and mad at one another. I mean, if we do get mad and angry at one another, we're still mother and daughter, and sister and sister, and brother and sister. This is this is the future. This is what we have to look forward to.
Choo Choo [Unintelligible].
Studs Terkel You want to, what were you gonna say?
Anne Guerrero Oh, now this is my son, Choo
Studs Terkel Choo. How are you, Choo Choo?
Choo Choo Hello.
Studs Terkel What were you going to say?
Richard Guerrero Anything.
Choo Choo I wasn't gonna to say nothing.
Choo Choo No, I was just telling her how good her voice sounded over the tape recorder.
Richard Guerrero
Anne Guerrero
Choo Choo think I sound sort of brassy and hard. Yeah, hard. Real hard, yeah. I think you sound like my mother.
Anne Guerrero Oh, is that the way I sound? [laughter]
Choo Choo Yeah.
Studs Terkel Why you laughing? That's a, that's a very beautiful thing to say. What do you think? What do you think, how'd she sound?
Studs Terkel Sound okay. What do you think?
Female 1 She, I think she sound like she always sounds.
Tina Guerrero You mean like she talks and speak.
Studs Terkel What do you think?
Anne Guerrero Do I do I sound like that? Do I sound - it sounds to me like a young Ethel Merman or something [laughter].
Richard Guerrero Sounds like you pout, part of the time, part of it.
Richard Guerrero Yep.
Studs Terkel What do you think?
Kathy Guerrero At first she sounded harsh, [whistling in the background] and then she started sounding just like she usually does.
Studs Terkel Getting used to the voice on the tape. Well, let's talk a little. You want to sing a song?
Female 2 Okay.
Studs Terkel Why don't you gather around here, around here.
Richard Guerrero "Henry the Eighth".
Studs Terkel Let's let's name the quartet, the quintet, name by name.
Kylah Guerrero Kylah Guerrero.
Richard Guerrero Richard Guerrero.
Karen Guerrero Karen.
Studs Terkel There's Choo Choo.
Kathy Guerrero Kathy.
Studs Terkel Now, now it's the Guerrero family. We'll call this - what we call this, not the King Guerrero - this is the Kingston Quintet [laughter].
Studs Terkel What song do you wanna sing?
Guerrero Children "Henry the Eighth."
Studs Terkel All right, let's hear, let's hear "Henry the Eighth."
Anne Guerrero Oh no, come on, come on, kids. Just give them a little background help.
Studs Terkel All right, all right, let's do it.
Female Speaker Now?
Studs Terkel Yeah, I'll give 'em a hand.
Guerrero Children [Singing] "I'm Henry the Eighth I am. Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry. Henry! She wouldn't stop [sic] a Willy or a Sam. Or a Sam. I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry. Henry the Eighth I am. Second verse same as the first. I'm Henry the Eight I am. Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry. Henry! She wouldn't stop [sic] a Willy or a Sam. Or a Sam. I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry. Henry the Eight I am."
Studs Terkel Oh, bravo [laughter].
Anne Guerrero Don't get carried away.
Richard Guerrero We were gonna sing the rest
Studs Terkel of it. This is great. Wanna hear it? [pause in recording] All right, go ahead.
Richard Guerrero Me?
Studs Terkel What were you going to say?
Richard Guerrero I didn't know.
Studs Terkel I'll hold it. I'll hold it up, it's easier. What were you going to say? You're interested in painting, huh?
Richard Guerrero Yeah.
Studs Terkel What did you like in the Art Institute?
Richard Guerrero Some pictures.
Studs Terkel Is there one picture you like the best?
Richard Guerrero No, there are two of them.
Studs Terkel Which one? Which ones were they?
Richard Guerrero There's a big one. There's a big black painting like. There's little funny surface with holes in it, like, with things coming out pretty high. And then there are pictures of faces and dolls, bodies in there. The other picture was a real big picture and it was made out of rope and tar-like. There were fences, little pieces of fences [like on it too?], [scream? screen?] or something.
Studs Terkel You like that. It it had a sort of an impression, huh? That picture.
Richard Guerrero Yes.
Studs Terkel You thinking of being a, you'd like to do some paintings someday? You yourself?
Tina Guerrero Maybe.
Studs Terkel Great. What would you like to be?
Tina Guerrero I like to be a nurse.
Studs Terkel Why?
Tina Guerrero Just in case like if one of my children got hurt, then I would know what to do. How to fix them up and that instead of taking them to the hospital.
Studs Terkel That's a good enough reason. What would you like to be?
Kylah Guerrero I'd like to be a secretary.
Anne Guerrero That's what she always says.
Kylah Guerrero 'Cause you get one of those things.
Karen Guerrero You mean like shorthand writing?
Richard Guerrero No.
Kylah Guerrero The thing that you talk through when somebody.
Kylah Guerrero Yeah, the radio.
Studs Terkel Dictaphone, they call that.
Richard Guerrero I'd like to be a great lawyer.
Studs Terkel A great lawyer, you would? Why?
Richard Guerrero Oh yeah! Just to make money. Open the mail, get some more money.
Studs Terkel Yeah. Chooch, what did you have in mind? Your own, what would you like to be?
Choo Choo Me? I'd just like to be successful, I guess.
Richard Guerrero He'd like to be an [alley?] picker.
Karen Guerrero Oh, I'd like to be a business executive.
Karen Guerrero Yes.
Studs Terkel Why?
Karen Guerrero I don't know. You make a lot.
Studs Terkel Yeah. What about you? You haven't spoken at all. Don't you want to say anything?
Studs Terkel No comment. Say there, whadya say? Whadya say just then?
Studs Terkel You sound like a politician.
Richard Guerrero She's scared.
Tina Guerrero My brother would like to be a lawyer because Karen said that every day that they make about 3,000 dollars.
Richard Guerrero Open the mail and out comes a million or so.
Kylah Guerrero I'd like to be his secretary. You get money too.
Studs Terkel Oh, a secretary.
Unknown I don't care if he was my lawyer.
Kylah Guerrero Some, someday I would like to get a painting [sense?].
Richard Guerrero I'd like to be a lawyer because--
Kylah Guerrero I love the painting Cupid because Cupid shot someone and they fall in love.
Richard Guerrero I'd like to be a lawyer because when there's a big case, you get more money.
