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Articles by Suzanne Yeagley
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Spencer Cammarano, Guinness World Records Adjudicator
To help celebrate our twenty-fifth year of being on the information superhighway, we have reached out to some of our current and former columnists for check-ins and updates. Today’s columnist, Suzanne Yeagley, has written Interviews with People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs for our site since 2002. It’s one of our oldest running columns. Suzanne returns today for the first new installment in a few years. - - - - - - Q: What is your job title?
Brett Payne, Mystery Shopping at the Roller Rink
Q: When did you work as a mystery shopper? A: It was 2014 to 2017. At the time, we had a young daughter at home and we couldn’t pay for daycare, so essentially it was a good way for me to take her to the park, do a mystery shop for lunch, then a few more shops in the afternoon. Q: What does a mystery shopper do? Is it basically ratting out the employees?
Bryan Quinby, Singing “The Birthday Song” at Chuck E. Cheese
McSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY'S PATREON Help support our writers and keep our site ad-free. Become a McSweeney’s Internet Tendency patron today. December 2, 2020 Q: How old were you when you worked at Chuck E. Cheese? A: I was 17. It was 1995 or 96. I didn’t think they’d hire me because I was a seventeen-year-old bad kid that was into metal. But they hired me to work in the game room. Q: What was your job title? A: I started as a game room tech, but eventually I did everything there.
Nancy Matson, Semi-Pro Poker Player
- - - Q: You make money playing poker. How did it start? A: In a way, I was part of the wave that started in 2003. That’s considered the beginning of the modern poker boom, because someone named Chris Moneymaker, who was an amateur, won the World Series of Poker after starting from an online game that he paid like 86 bucks for.
Lily Yeagley, Contact Tracer
Q: You were a contact tracer this past summer. Tell me about it. A: Well, at the end of May I started at the county health department as an environmental health intern, which meant that I did restaurant inspections. The COVID cases in our town were not super bad yet, so it was just kind of chill when I started. Q: How old are you? A: I’m 19 years old. Q: Are all the restaurant inspectors in your town 19 years old? A: No, they’re all like 30-year-old women.
Will Quam: A Brick is More Than Just a Rectangle
McSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY'S PATREON Help support our writers and keep our site ad-free. Become a McSweeney’s Internet Tendency patron today. June 24, 2020 Photo by Squatch Media - - - Q: What is your job? A: I am a brick researcher and brick photographer. It’s sort of a subset of being an architecture photographer and enthusiast. I take pictures of brick buildings and brick walls and then educate the public about the history of the bricks and the building.
Shoshi Stern-Robbins, Unenthusiastic Mascot
McSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY'S PATREON Help support our writers and keep our site ad-free. Become a McSweeney’s Internet Tendency patron today. January 29, 2020 - - - Q: How did you become a mascot at Colgate University? A: The job was posted in the student job portal. I thought it would be funny and decided, why not? Q: When was this? A: In February of 2018. I was a junior. It was funny but stressful and not that much fun. I was qualified for work-study but having trouble finding a work-study job.
Ruth Nolan Is Friends With Her Ax
The BLM helicopter hotshot crew. Ruth Nolan is in the front row, on the left. - - - Q: How did you become a wildland firefighter? A: I grew up in a remote part of the Mojave Desert. I was a young adult, and there weren’t a lot of jobs. I was hitchhiking to a friend’s house when I saw a sign on a telephone pole for firefighters. I thought, “Wow, that sounds interesting.” It was totally a random thing. Q: When was this? A: I started in 1982. My last season was 1987.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Tiffany Hawk, Former Jump Seat Therapist
- - - Q: How does one become a flight attendant? A: The training varies by airline and it can change over time, but it’s usually somewhere in the neighborhood of six weeks. It can be longer or shorter depending on how many airplanes the airline has. At United, we had twelve different types of airplanes to learn. Q: What’s the training like?
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Alissa Musto, Former Miss Massachusetts
- - - Q: How did you get involved in the Miss America organization? A: I was in college and I was working in a music store. A customer confused me with another girl in the area who competed in pageants. I laughed it off — it’s not really my personality, and it didn’t seem like something I would ever be involved in. But I did a little research and found out that Miss America is actually the largest scholarship provider for women in the world.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Niels Duinker, Record-Breaking Juggler
- - - Q: You have a Guinness World Record. A: Yes, I have the record for juggling the most juggling cups ever. I did 14. My friend Freddy Kenton is a famous juggler who is now 81 — this was his signature routine. He did it at the Moulin Rouge in Paris fifty years ago. He taught me how to do the routine and I used my mechanical engineering degree to design the juggling prop, which looks like a red Solo cup. I get more gratification out of that routine than juggling something like a chainsaw.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Jim Hamilton Promoted Jerry’s Jar of Combs
The Isaac Scott Blues Band, managed by Jim Hamilton (far left). 1975. - - - Q: Tell me about how you got involved in the music industry. A: My first job in the entertainment field was managing a man named Tom McFarland. He was a blues guitar player. I would go see him every Friday and Saturday night, and one night, on one of his breaks, he asked if I would manage his band, and I said yes. Q: How old were you? A: I was in my mid-20s. Maybe 26 or 27. I managed Tom for probably a couple of years.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Patti Swanson, Accidental Bob Ross Enthusiast
Q: I think some people might look down on your job. A: It’s easy to be snooty. Had I not gotten this job, I would never have known how much fun it is. Q: You’re a teacher at a place that does drinking and painting parties. A: Yeah. It’s sort of a fad concept, but it’s definitely had some staying power. In the early 2000s, it was this new idea, and studios were popping up all over the place. They are like BYOB places, so people bring wine, or anything else under the sun.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Krissy Laverty Photographed Babies in Baseball Mitts
- - - Q: Tell me about your job. A: I worked as a photographer at a hospital, and all day I took pictures of newborns. Q: How did you find the job? A: It was on craigslist. I’m an art teacher and the first year after I graduated, I taught preschool and subbed but there weren’t many openings. I decided to look for a part-time job and that’s how I found this. Q: I didn’t know this job existed. How does it work? A: The company has a contract with the hospital.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Sven Drove a Tiny Car, Ate a Big Sandwich
- - - Q: When did you drive a tiny car? A: It was 2008. I remember because I was too young to get my Chinese visa renewed right before the Olympics came to Beijing. I was only 23 and they wouldn’t renew visas for people younger than 25 years old. Q: You were teaching English in China at the time? A: Yeah, I was a high school teacher. They actually made me head of the department at 23. Q: It’s all been downhill from there I assume? A: Oh, just steep, steep downhill. Q: So what’s up with the tiny car?
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Buffy In Synchronicity At the Pawn Shop
- - - Q: Where did you work? A: It was a pawn shop, but it was also a vintage and antique and collectibles shop. I’d just moved to the big city and this shop was in my neighborhood. I was like, “Whoa, this place has a vibe.” Second-hand has been an interest of mine since high school. So I was aware of this store right away. It was so cool, so magical, and so seedy. Q: When did you work there? A: I was 25. I worked there till I was 27, for about two and a half years.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Catherine Carberry: The Sun is Yellow!
Q: Tell me about the job you used to have. A: The Spanish Ministry of Education has a program for North Americans, where you get paid 700 euros per month to speak English in public schools for ostensibly twelve hours a week. The first year, I taught in an elementary school that also had a nursery, and I was assigned to come in during all the art classes. Most of my time was spent in the nursery with three-year-olds. Q: How did you teach kids who were that young? A: I would sing a song about colors.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Holly Webster Can Give You Grief from Any Era
Holly Webster Can Give You Grief from Any Era Q: What is your job? A: I manage a commercial archive of historical footage. Q: How did you find this job? A: I had been working at my dad’s pub for a couple of years, which I loved but eventually came to the point where I thought I should get a steadier job and put my film degree to use. I remember hearing about the job of picture researcher, and I then discovered the intriguing world of picture and footage libraries.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Jake Vick Makes Inflatable History
Q: What is your job? A: I work for a manufacturer who makes custom-made airbags and inflatables. Q: Is there a lot of demand for custom airbags? A: More than I’d originally thought there’d be! All around the country, people set up fairs for schools, churches, counties, and they all want inflatable things that you can jump into. Q: Do you remember when you first started? A: Yes. They asked me to head up the custom department. We make replicas of almost anything.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Meron Langsner, Choreographing Fights
Q: What is your job? A: I’m one of not very many people in Boston who do theatrical fight choreography. Q: Does that job have an official title? A: Some people call themselves “Violence Designers.” I like that name but I can’t say it with a straight face. I say “Fight Director.” I usually don’t care what I’m called as long as the check clears. Q: So you choreograph fights? A: The two things I do most are fighting and writing—I’m also a playwright.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Charlotte Sumtimes, the Mom Who Bails You Out of Jail
Charlotte Sumtimes, the Mom Who Bails You Out of Jail Q: How did you come to produce drag shows? A: I had worked in radio, public relations, voiceovers… I was married to a man and after we had kids, I stayed home with them. I was 41, had a beautiful family, but I felt something was missing. I had no idea that a much-needed night on the town would change my life. I went to a burlesque show and out came this beautiful plus-size woman. The crowd went crazy for her.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Adam Stevens, Bathroom Boy
Q: What was your job title? A: The title was house cleaner. I was living in San Francisco in the ’90s. The job before this, I was working at a gym, driving the member shuttle, and I thought I was a good driver but they didn’t. Q: Why didn’t they? A: I broke a couple mirrors on the van. And I tend to speed. Q: Gee, I wonder why they thought maybe you weren’t the best driver. A: I don’t know. Anyway, I lost that job and I saw an ad in the weekly for a house cleaner.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Pam Severns, the Vomiting Puppeteer
Q: How did you become a puppeteer? A: I’m 34 now; puppetry didn’t become a thing for me until my late 20s. I was doing comedy writing, and I realized it would be more fun with puppets. I was also illustrating at the time, creating characters, and I wanted them to come to life. Animation seemedâ€? tedious. Q: What was the first thing you did with puppets? A: I made a short film with a puppet in it. It was pretty bad. The puppet was a raptor — his name was Gary.
Rachel Zader: Model Citizen
Q: Tell me about your job. A: I’m actually between jobs right now, but usually I’m a probation officer and investigator. I’m also a professional model. Q: A model? A: Yes. I started freelancing at 17. Since then I’ve done hundreds of photo shoots. Q: What kind of things have you modeled for? A: I’m all over the place. I’ve primarily shot fashion and beauty work for designers or shot commercials for large companies.
Michael Blake, Former Pheasant Beater
Q: What exactly is pheasant beating? A: Actually it’s a little bit grim. Pheasant shooting is an English hobby of the elite, and has been for some time. Some enterprising chaps in Tasmania (Australia) decided that our shitty weather and steep hills would combine to make a fine pheasant shooting location. Pheasants are one of—if not the—fastest flying gamebirds in the world, so apparently there’s skill required to blast them from the sky with a shotgun. Anyway.
Abby Markson’s Hands Were Grimy
Q: You worked at “a clothing exchange� in LA. A: I was 24 years old. I was there for two, maybe two and a half years. Q: Do you remember interviewing for the job? A: Yes. They brought over a bunch of clothes and they said something like, “Out of these items, what would you choose for, say, a luau party.� It was a double interview. Q: Meaning two people were interviewing you?
Gabriel Harley, Record Producer
Q: Tell me about your job. A: I have a recording studio in a small Indiana town. As a musician and songwriter, I was tired of spending money for studio time, so I opened my own studio. When I started out I thought, like every 20 year old, that everything I wrote and sang was brilliant and being able to record myself seemed like a great idea. I still work on my own stuff, but I also get to work with a huge variety of musicians and music. Q: Do you get to see bands argue?
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: The Axe Sizzles - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Q: Tell me about your job. A: Three summers ago, I worked at an ad agency. It was small — there were five employees. One of my childhood friends worked there and got me the job. Q: What did you do there? A: They needed someone to help make pillow packs for one of their clients and they were going to pay me $18 an hour. I wasn’t working at the time so I was like, “OK, glad I got that college degree!â€?
Kim Shubert: The Axe Sizzles
Q: Tell me about your job. A: Three summers ago, I worked at an ad agency. It was small — there were five employees. One of my childhood friends worked there and got me the job. Q: What did you do there? A: They needed pillow packs for one of their clients and they were going to pay me $18 an hour, and I wasn’t working so I was like, “OK.â€? Their client was a company that makes sweeteners — the little sugar packs. There were like five different colors.
Marielle Henault, Professional Mermaid
Q: You own a mermaid school. A: We teach people to swim with a mermaid tail. It’s a fitness activity. Q: How did you start this? A: I was modeling and a friend asked me to do an underwater session in a mermaid tail. It was fun, people liked it, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve always been a good swimmer. I’ve worked with synchronized swimmersâ€? And I created this discipline — I guess out of my mind. I started to put things together myself, and it took off. Q: How long have you been doing it?
Kevin Colbert Sold Meat from a Pickup Truck.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: You sold meat out of the back of a pickup truck. How did it start? A: I have a younger brother—he’s three years younger—and he stumbled into it and was making good money.
Jen Belt Didn’t Know Pigs Were Currency.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: You worked in a law office. A: It was 1994, I think. I was in college, and I saw an ad in the paper for help in a small office. When I say small—it was small. It was one attorney and me.
Justin Hager, Phone Psychic.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: How did you become a phone psychic? A: I answered an ad on Craigslist for that very thing. They got back to me and there is actually a process.
Elizabeth Griffin, Rolling Logs.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: How did you learn to teach logrolling? A: I saw this New York Times article about a woman who taught logrolling and I cut it out and put it by my bedside. I thought about it for a good two months.
Cassi Schaffer, Fraternity Chef.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: What is your job? A: I am the private chef to a fraternity at a fancy university. Q: How did you get the job? A: I was sous chef in a busy restaurant.
Rachel Rang the Bell that Makes Dreams Come True .
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Rachel Rang the Bell that Makes Dreams Come True. Q: You sold wedding dresses. A: I worked at one of the more well-known, affordable chains that are common in my part of the country. It’s a huge warehouse.
Matthew Moody Has Only Been Hit Twice by Golf Balls.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Matthew Moody Has Only Been Hit Twice by Golf Balls. Q: What is your job? A: I am currently a golf caddie. I’ve been doing it for four years. Q: How often do you work? A: Seven days a week.
Jessyca Malina Films Runaway Wolves.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: Is your job title “helicopter news reporter?” A: I’ve had this question with my boss many times and he said he has no clue.
William Toms Versus Jennifer the Robot.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: You worked in the candy section of a warehouse. How did it start? A: I started off working on the line. It was a family-owned company that supplied gas stations all over the Midwest.
Erica Jameson Is Not Crazy Nor in a Cult.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Erica Jameson Is Not Crazy Nor in a Cult. Q: How did you become a camp director?
No Keys in the Ignition.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Justine Coldwater: No Keys in the Ignition. Q: What is your job? A: My title is bookmobile driver. Q: What led you to this job?
No Keys in the Ignition.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Justin Coldwater: No Keys in the Ignition. Q: What is your job? A: My title is bookmobile driver. Q: What led you to this job?
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Wendy Merron, Hypnotist.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: What is your job? A: I’m a certified hypnotist. You can see the sign outside of my office—it reads .
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: Michela Dai Zovi: Working With Schizophrenics.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: What was your job? A: My title was “mental health worker.” It was like a foot soldier type of thing. I chose the job because I had just graduated with a B.A. in psychology, so I guess it seemed like the next step.
Rachel Wheels Them Out.
Interviews With People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs We’re always looking for people with interesting or unusual jobs. If you fall into one of these categories, or know someone who does, please e-mail us at unusualjobs@mcsweeneys.net . See all articles from this column Q: How did you become a pathologist’s assistant? A: I wanted to go to art school but I felt like I needed to be practical, so I changed my major to biology. I thought I’d land in maybe a laboratory.
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