Stephanie Swift and Beth Runkel Interview
Interview with Stephanie Swift and Beth Runkel
April 1, 2023 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL
Audio file Swift & Runkel.m4a Transcript
Beth Runkel: Are you gonna ask this question?
Anabella Yes, it's just.
Beth Runkel: OK, good.
Hunter: A little ;preamble, we have to start with.
Tyler: Alright and first, I'm just gonna say my name and everyone's name. I'm Tyler, part of the History Harvest class.
Hunter: I'm Hunter.
Anabella: And I'm Anabella and we are recording on April 1st at the Farm Aid History Harvest. Hunter And could each of you say and spell your names for the microphone?
Beth Runkel: Sure. I'm Beth Runkel. It's Beth. And the last name is RUNKEL.
Stephanie Swift: And I'm Stephanie Swift, Stephan i.e. Last name Swift SWIFT.
Hunter: All right wonderful. Great to meet y'all.
Stephanie & Beth: Thank you.
Hunter: OK. So start us off, OK. What made y'all want to go to Farm Aid?
Stephanie Swift: Beth's mom.
Beth Runkel: I didn't. I knew it was going to happen, but I was like $17.50, that's a lot of money.
Stephanie Swift: I don't want to spend that.
Beth Runkel: My mom convinced me that I should spend money on it. She said it. I think literally, I think, she said it was going to be historic or something along. Those lines. But she also told me that she had heard that Bruce Springsteen might be coming and she thought I wouldn't want to miss that. So I finally was like, OK, I'll spend the $17.50.
Stephanie Swift: I did not remember how I got inspired, but I know it was because of Bath and people that were living on on the first floor. 1 South LAR at U of I. And you have to know that when we came back to. School this concert started to happen.
Beth Runkel: Yeah, because it was. Like right after.
Stephanie Swift: So it's true. I had, I hate to say, but like in the olden days, of course we didn't have e-mail. We just had telephones. So like there was no planning for this. For us, I think we just showed up here at U of I and heard about this. concert and Anabella We're just like.
Stephanie Swift: We should go so you know. Looking back at age 19, I didn't know a lot of. These people. I mean I. Didn't know who Bonnie Raitt was. Because at that time she really hadn't hit her zenith yet. Loretta Lynn had her film came out, you know, The Coal Miner's Daughter In 1980 or 81, but I hadn't seen that. There was nothing to, you know, inspire a 19 year old to go see that. But in a few years later, I saw it on television. And I was like, wow, I was blown. Away. So I think a. Lot of the people that I saw didn't really soak in like how great they. Were until later. I was just telling her that we used to get excited. I was living in Springfield, IL at the time and we used to get excited. Because every summer The Beach Boys would play at the Illinois State Fair. And so there was this whole push in the 80s of like, beach culture. We were talking about this on the way over and it was. Like, really important to get tan and. Be tan and we'd wear these like Hawaiian shirts.
Beth Runkel: And we they we.
Stephanie Swift: Even have like beach theme parties, and there's one in here in the scrapbook where that so you can see like this is in January.
Beth Runkel: Here's one. It was always a thing.
Stephanie Swift: Was that they were going to Newman Hall. I think it was. They were having a beach party or a fraternity. Like so. Yeah. So it was weird. Weird 80s were weird, but yeah, so we didn't know a lot about Farm Aid, except for, I was telling her. I remember being at her house in the summer of 85 and they were airing Live Aid. And so really, if you're going to do. Research on this. You need to research Live Aid and you also need to familiarize yourself with MTV, because if it hadn't been for MTV, I don't think Live Aid would have been as successful. And I think because of MTV and because of Live Aid, that's what really like were like the grassroots that helped farm aid sort of come about. So again, I would really recommend trying to get in touch with John Mellencamp because he seemed like to be a really big, like mover and Shaker. He was from the area from southern Indiana. So he knew about the the kind of the farming life and how how difficult it was and it was eye opening to to learn about farmers and farming and how how cash strapped they were and how how hard that life is. And of course, then John Mellencamp, as I mentioned earlier, he came like a month and 1/2. After farm aid. And so he gave a concert, and then he also did the Scarecrow tour. I'm not sure which if this was the Scarecrow Tour, but. You know the lyrics, you know? Was it rain on the Scarecrow, blood on the plow? And you started to learn as a young adult that life is hard. You know, you just don't get stuff handed to you. And so I remember feeling actually emotional about it. And I didn't even really know a whole lot about it. So yeah. Our maid was. Fun we we stayed out the night before on this on the sidewalk.
Beth Runkel: You're answering like every question.
Stephanie Swift: I remember just being on that sidewalk outside of the stadium. You know, and we I think we. Showed up at like 11:00 o'clock at night. And like, we kept looking at the watch and looking at our watch and like, we're getting closer and then they wouldn't open the doors and they wouldn't finally open those doors. And so we got in. It was just a big swarm and I was so mad because this guy that I was dating at the time. Like sauntered in about 1:30 in the afternoon or something, he's like, yeah, I just walked right in. Yeah, yeah. Shut up so. I I should shut up now. I just don't. Want to forget anything
Anabella: OK.
Stephanie Swift: It's like grandma's worried she's going to forget it. So OK.
Anabella No you're good you're answering questions we have. Can you describe what the crowd Was like when once you got there.
Beth Runkel: Well, one thing I do remember for sure was out in the parking lots wherever they parked, like there were a lot of big, what are they like RV's or something? There were just a lot of people you could tell to. Travel the distance to get. There, but there were a lot of students and a lot of people that. We're not, we're not students. And I don't know. I mean, they were probably farmers. I don't really know like. How would you describe the other people as?
Stephanie Swift: I didn't really pay attention. I just remember staying. We were like in a line that was like it felt like it was like 10 people across and like thousands of people ahead and behind.
Beth Runkel: Us and like waiting to.
Stephanie Swift: Get on the sidewalk?
Beth Runkel: So like listen.
Stephanie Swift: Yeah, just laying on the sidewalk like.
Beth Runkel: There. I mean I remember.
Stephanie Swift: Nowadays they have cushions.
Beth Runkel: You know what I do remember, Ellen? That's the only person I remember that I walked there with. I remember that because we had to. Wake her up. So we went to bed.
Hunter: Thank you.
Beth Runkel: And we're like, we're going to get up at like, 2 in. The morning and. Walk over here.
Stephanie Swift: OK. Yeah. Maybe I imagined a lot of my my first thought was two or 2:30 that we met, yeah.
Beth Runkel: Did too then. Yeah, it was like around that time. So we did walk over and waited in line outside. They didn't open the doors till like 9, but somebody near us in line had a guitar. And I remember he was playing music and we were singing along. To it, but. I don't know if he was. A student or not? I really don't know. I do think a lot of people just waited. We sort of thought if we got there. Really, you know, we'd be able to. Be like up front and then. Like you said, like I I know our friend Liz, who did not go in the middle of. The night with us. She showed up like at 9 in the. Morning just pushed. Her way up to the front. So, and honestly, I didn't want to be at the front when it came down to it cause you couldn't get out.
Stephanie Swift: Then, like there was no way to go to the bathroom or anything. So I had remembered they wouldn't let us down. I think they were only letting so many people. I think they were taking account. Because I do remember not being able to go down there, maybe I just didn't want. To get locked in.
Beth Runkel No, I was in both on seats on the stands and on.
Stephanie Swift: I don't know.
Beth Runkel: The floor on the ground.
Stephanie Swift: I remember they ran out of food, if they even had any food here, they ran out and it was like I was. Just saying to the people up front. They didn't have bottled water in those days, so like you had to wait in line for a drinking fountain. I just remember being really thirsty and really hungry.
Beth Runkel: It was hot and it also rained.
Stephanie Swift: A little. Oh my God. It was so humid.
Beth Runkel: And it was. Then the sun would come back. Out and it was humid and yeah.
Stephanie Swift: It was cold. Rainy and rainy and then.
Beth Runkel: And then it was hot.
Stephanie Swift: It got hot and sweaty. It was really miserable. It sort of was.
Beth Runkel: And I mean, I was there till. At least I think I left around midnight that night. So wow, I missed.
Stephanie Swift: See, I'm blanked out. I I remember being there for Don Henley, and I thought we left after Don Henley and came back like, because at that point then I had met up with Tim, who was the guy I was. Dating at that time. So because I seem to remember seeing John Mellencamp, I think he was at night.
Beth Runkel: He was
Stephanie Swift: Was it was a long. Ordeal because we stayed out. The night before, and it was probably two 2:30 in the morning and. Then so we were. There all day and then all night it was and no food. It was like you start. To break down after all. It was packed just like that photo there shows. It was packed. It was like wall to wall people. Was that a photo of?
Hunter: Yeah, we have like a rotating set of pictures.
Beth Runkel: Oh yeah. So like, those are all the people who are probably up front like, because you were smushed in, it wasn't smushed everywhere, but Oh my God.
Stephanie Swift: Yeah, I can't remember if we wore raincoats, but at one point it seemed like I got a garbage bag and I was sitting there like in. A garbage bag. And I just remember it was drizzling, drizzling and we just kept looking and waiting for it to stop. And just hour after hour it was just spitting and then it would get heavy and then it would stop. It was like it at one point. It got pretty heavy, but then luckily, yeah, I vaguely remember that G blimp. Like, what is the purpose of that? Look at, that's terrible. I'm like, Oh my gosh, all that trash. So yeah. Oh, yeah. I remember standing. Probably right here. And Don Henley was up here, and that was the first time I had really been to an intensive outdoor concert. And he was playing Sunset Grill. And I remember the drum downbeat was beating in my stomach and my stomach was empty. But I think it was successful. You know, we never really found out like how much money they raised or, but it seemed like it was success because they talked about it for a little while. And then, like I said, the next thing you know, John Mellencamp was coming here for a A. Serious concert of his own. Well and.
Beth Runkel: They started doing them every year.
Stephanie Swift: After that, yeah, they.
Beth Runkel: Started doing every year, not always here. I think it came back here a couple of times but they were around the Midwest and around the country, so yeah.
Stephanie Swift: Well, what else do you want to know about the concert? What are we going over your questions? Hunter So you have actually been answering a lot of. these questions
Anabella: Were you towards like the middle front of the crowd or? Did you move around too?
Beth Runkel: I moved around a lot. I've never pushed my way up to the front, but I do have two friends who both say they were up to the front and so I've been every once while see pictures or movies from it and I like look to see if I recognize them. There's one of them that I think I can see, but I don't. I don't know if the ones. But I did. I did not go up there. If I was up there, I would have made my way out. You could never get back in. Like they were just trapped. I didn't do it, but I did go up in the stands and I was down on the ground. I do know that.
Stephanie Swift: I was up in the stands for like the first part of the concert and then by Don Henley. I had finally made it. Down to the field.
Beth Runkel: By the time were you there when Neil Young played, it was because it was dark.
Stephanie Swift: I think so, yeah.
Beth Runkel: And I know I was down there then and everyone had their lighters out that I remember.
Stephanie Swift: Oh yeah.
Beth Runkel: It was very visually pretty.
Stephanie Swift: I truly don't remember a whole whole lot of detail, but yeah.
Prof Gilbert: Sorry to interrupt, just get a little. Backed up.
Stephanie Swift: Oh, so you want us? To hurry up. Just memories, no problem.
Beth Runkel: That's cool that you're.
Prof Gilbert: Let the record show that Professor Gilbert interrupted.
Stephanie Swift: Yeah, you're interrupting grandma here. This is what old people feel like.
Beth Runkel: That's really great. There's a lot of people that's really.
Stephanie Swift: Awesome people. Our memories are most important. So yeah. So yeah, there was really these rolls of toilet paper around for the concert, and I finally kept one. On that says, let's wipe out farm foreclosure. I don't know who printed those.
Beth Runkel: We'll be able to show that somewhere else, though. Right, yeah.
Anabella: They’ll get pictures for those
Stephanie Swift: Yeah, but I carried that role with me in my keepsakes for a long time, and then, after moving, you know, from apartment to apt, I was like, why am I carrying this thing so? I just too bad you know.
Beth Runkel: That now I know had you known. All right. Is there another question we haven't? I don't have one anymore.
Stephanie Swift: I know. I think I had one, but I think I got it second hand.
Beth Runkel: Oh, I did.
Stephanie Swift: Everything sold out
Beth Runkel: I did. I actually should tell you I.
Stephanie Swift: Everything just sold out.
Beth Runkel: I did buy a T- Shirt from some guy who was. Selling them out of a. Brown Bag did the money did not officially. Go to Farm Aid
Stephanie Swift: It was exciting to be to go.
Beth Runkel: But it was cheaper. Than the ones that officially were funding Farm Aid.
Stephanie Swift: At that time, we didn't know we were part of history. We knew it was the first one, and it was just weird and amazing, right?
Beth Runkel: But you also didn't know there'd be another one. It was just the one, you know.
Stephanie Swift: It was weird. And amazing that it came to Champaign like it was in where we go to college because I didn't think of Champaign as anything else. But where I go to college, I think I wasn't thinking. About anything like along the lines of. Being historical or what have you so.
Hunter: Yeah, I do have one more question. Since we're running out of time being a student in central Illinois, did the farm crisis really loom over the region?
Beth Runkel: Not to me. I grew up in Chicago suburbs and my family was in Chicago. I didn't think about this area at all. It was just where I. Went to college you might have.
Stephanie Swift: I I was.
Beth Runkel: A different answer.
Stephanie Swift: Born in Carbondale, so I was kind of in the lap of another campus. So I grew up in the campus life. My mom worked for SIU Carbondale, so I wasn't really aware of of farm challenges. And and people you know, losing money and that kind of thing. But then I we moved to Springfield, IL and I got to be a little more aware of, Gee, there's farms around here and, you know they they mean something and they're important. So really the the whole farm crisis was enlightening. To us, I think as young people because. Having seen Live Aid. We our eyes are really opened about people literally starving to death, and I remember we both got choked up at that. I mean, people were literally children were were dying of hunger. And so that kind of sparked this whole, like, energy. Of people getting together and going wow, we can really do something about this and not have to wait for politics to evolve. So really like I said earlier, Live Aid sparked this whole thing and it was Live Aid I think was successful, not just because it was coming out of the UK where that's like a big music hub in the UK. Because of MTV and MTV was really new then, I mean, MTV technically started in 81, but I didn't see my first video until 83 and it was the Talking Heads and it was fantastic. So MTV was like, it's hard to explain it to y'all young folks. But we obviously didn't have the Internet, so the only sort of cultural. Motivators we had were magazines, movies and television, but television had to cover so many fields. So seeing Michael Jackson Moonwalk on television was. A big deal. And so when MTV came along it. Was like oh. My gosh, there's this whole youth culture out. And we're part of it. And it was just really exciting because you felt like people were giving you a voice. You didn't realize? You need. And so and it was just odd that Live Aid just sparked up out of this. And then here came farm aid and it it was really neat.
This set of recordings is of a range of participants in the Farm Aid concert of 1985, and is to be used only for historical research and educational purposes. Interviews were conducted with the express written consent of all participants. This collection was compiled by the Champaign County History Museum and the Spring 2023 History Harvest class at the University of Illinois. These recordings are presented with transcripts of their contents.