Here's the story.

...A documentary series about NJ.

Can we ask you a couple of questions about New Jersey?

No history, just, like, what Jersey is to you.

I guess some of my roots is in Jersey.

>> You're going to be blurry.

>> Come over in the light.

Let's get some light on your face.

All right.

So, what we're asking people to do is just finish the sentence, "Jersey is."

How do you look at the camera and say, "Jersey is?"

>> Jersey is crazy.

What else?

More?

>> When we first started Driving Jersey, this is what we did and how we did it.

We didn't want to be stuck behind a computer screen, endlessly researching potential subjects.

We were eager to get started, to discover the greatest unknown, the private lives and thoughts of regular people.

We wanted to meet them where they lived, wandered, and wondered, to listen to what they longed for, what they feared, what made them laugh or lose sleep.

So, we went out to street corners and boardwalks, parks and parking lots, and we listened.

We heard their truths, reveled in their unfiltered banter, and were moved by their pure, often profound expressions.

>> I've been here my whole life, like I said, just to see children that they're happy in life.

That's the most important thing.

You know, and um, To me, that's what else is there.

Look at all these people that have everything and they're so miserable.

Right?

>> I consider myself a faithful person.

I believe in God.

I believe in a purpose for being.

I have faith that we have power beyond our knowing.

I have faith that anything is possible.

>> I've lived a dream.

I lived in a rock and roll dream, and I commented to myself, "My goodness, it's real.

It is real."

>> Knowledge makes me happy.

Happiness is the 12th jewel.

If you can gain happiness, you can have anything you want.

Anything.

Food, clothing, shelter, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, you can have it all.

Happiness is the highest you can go.

What makes me happy?

Knowledge.

Knowledge makes me happy.

>> I have faith that there's something out there, how can I put it, that's smarter than us.

Something, someone, maybe, that's got it all figured out.

When I meet him or it or her, I mean, she sees it from my point of view, like the world, you know what I mean?

I hope, like, I hope there's no hatred in their heart as there are in, like, so many other people's.

>> No state, perhaps, has more of a gift for Gab than New Jersey.

So for this final episode of season 13 of "Here's the Story," we decided to get back out there, to tap once again into this rich vein of plain-spoken, democratic talk.

And we even invited some of our favorite subjects to join us for the conversation and to let them take a shot at asking the questions themselves.

This is Vox Pop NJ, the voice of the people and the people's places around the Garden State.

>> It's on.

Can you hear me?

>> Yes, I can.

>> All right.

>> Can you tell us your name and where you're from?

>> My name is Ben Forrest.

I'm from this very town that we're in right now, Red Bank, New Jersey.

>> My name is Victoria Alexis.

I am from Jersey City.

>> My name is Stanley Myers.

>> My name is Olive.

>> My name is David Green.

I'm from Manalapan, New Jersey.

>> My name is Tysha.

>> Okay, we are here at beautiful Seaside Heights Boardwalk.

And I'm here with?

>> Timmy.

>> Timmy what?

>> Palace.

>> Timmy Palace.

Very regal.

>> [laughs] Yeah.

>> My name is John Francis Cecchini.

>> My name is Brad.

I'm originally from Charlotte, but I live in Jersey City now.

>> We're here at the Carousel in Seaside Heights.

And I am with?

>> I'm Dr. Peter James Smith.

I'm an educational doctor.

I got my doctorate at St. Louis University.

And I'm from Seaside Heights for 54 years.

My birthday was yesterday.

>> How would you describe yourself?

>> I guess an average guy, working part-time.

>> How would you describe yourself?

>> Myself?

Quirky.

>> Ambitious.

Hard-working.

>> Fun, hopefully.

A little crazy.

But hopefully kind of down to earth.

>> Chaotic, effervescent.

My head isn't in the right place, but my heart sure is.

>> I like knocking on doors, you know, being a political activist.

>> Whatever is mainstream, I have like an urge to go against no matter what it is.

>> I would describe myself as not that different from anyone, but unique in itself.

>> I think that I'm a creative, sensitive person.

>> There is an idea of individuality that definitely exists, but we also must be mindful to not separate ourselves in thinking that we are so far different when 99% of our human bodies, our interests, our wants and desires are the same.

>> How I would describe myself?

I think I'm kind of boring, but a lot of people say I bring a lot of authentic energy to the space.

>> I am a joy.

I am a sparkly delight of effervescence.

But don't piss me off.

>> So I would describe myself as unique, but in reality just the same as everyone else.

>> Does that answer the question?

>> Yeah, that answers the question, absolutely.

>> What were your dreams as a child?

>> I wanted to be an automotive engineer.

I wanted to get married young.

I wanted to have a family.

I wanted to have at least one daughter.

I wanted to take care of my wife and family.

I wanted to retire early.

I wanted to have access to healthcare.

I wanted to have a reasonable house in the suburbs.

I wanted to die with dignity.

>> First I thought I wanted to work with dinosaurs.

Then I wanted to go to NASA.

And then I just wanted to build a world that people saw themselves in a better light.

>> My dreams were to, I wanted to be in the Army.

I wanted to be an astronaut.

>> A police officer.

To be a veterinarian.

To be a famous singer, like, pop star.

Or a mom.

>> To be a firefighter.

>> Oh yeah?

Why, did you know one?

>> No, I just thought it was cool.

>> A nurse, an astronaut, and a scientist.

Yeah.

>> So I've always wanted to be a writer, be an artist.

So that is something that has not changed since I've been really little.

>> When you were a kid, did you dream about being somebody or doing something?

>> I wanted to be an actor.

>> I genuinely thought that I would be a surgeon during the day, and change in the car after my shift, and then go perform.

Sing jazz and my rock and roll songs.

I genuinely thought that's how my life would go.

Yeah.

>> What were your dreams as a child?

>> To play the saxophone.

>> Do you play?

>> I don't play.

It didn't work out for me.

I came from a kind of poor family and never could get it together in the music class to get a saxophone.

But I think about it sometimes.

It was $8 in 1954 to get in the music class.

And I wanted to play the sax.

So today, all my jazz people are saxophone people.

Dexter Gordon, Coltrane, and Miles, all those people.

But that was it.

I wanted to be a teacher.

I wanted to be a performer.

And I wanted to be married and have children and have the white picket fence.

And as it turned out, I was not a teacher.

I'm a performer, you know, a little bit in my own office upstairs.

But I put the cart before the horse.

I didn't have the white picket fence, but I did have the children.

But you know what?

I had the kids without the hassle of a man.

>> When were the good old days?

>> The good old days for me?

I feel like I keep on talking about my childhood.

But, yeah, it was probably between age like 7 to 13 for me.

And I'm sure it would be probably for most people.

Your parents hopefully took good care of you.

You had great memories with your family and your friends.

You really had no legitimate responsibilities, hopefully, no legitimate worries.

And everything was just really about making memories, doing things that pleased you, and being with the people that you love the most.

>> The innocence of being young is just really frees you up.

In my life, I think about that.

I don't have any worries, nothing to worry about, nothing but to have fun and live in the moment.

That's big.

>> Every Sunday of the year, we had spaghetti.

Every Sunday in the winter, we went ice skating.

And every Sunday in the summer, we went sailing.

>> We didn't have a ton of money.

My dad was a chemist.

He loved his job.

Didn't make a lot of money as a chemist.

But we had a great household and just a loving family.

And to me, those are the good old days.

>> I think the good old days are all the time.

I mean, I think I always say that it's hard to know when it was the good old days until time has passed and you're reminiscing on those days.

So I think the good old days are constantly happening, but maybe we just don't stop to see and notice it in the moment.

>> So when were the good old days?

I know you're probably going to say the '50s, right?

The good old days for me or in general?

>> Okay.

For me, I kind of feel like these are my best time of my - right now.

I really do.

I went through a lot of stuff.

I've had good times along the way.

We've been friends for a long time.

But I don't know.

I kind of think that right now is my - I'm feeling the most comfortable with myself, doing my thing more.

>> When were the good old days?

>> Now.

The good old days are right now.

I feel like most people -- you know, it's the human condition.

But I feel like we have to will ourselves to kind of have that hindsight now.

You know, so much of life is like, oh, if I knew I was beautiful then or if I knew how much whatever, promise, talent, whatever.

But we're always looking back at those things.

So I'm trying to get ahead of it.

I'm trying to look with those eyes now.

So these are the good old days.

>> What's a sound from your life that you wish you had recorded so you could listen to it whenever you needed it?

>> Ah, damn, that's a good one.

>> Think about something.

Maybe a voice.

I've got one.

>> So when I was younger, my uncle, he passed away.

And we were really close.

But I really don't -- like now, I couldn't really describe to you how his voice sounds.

So if I had a video I could play of him and me and stuff, his voice, I'd be fine.

>> Uncle what?

>> Michael.

>> Uncle Michael.

I have an uncle Michael.

>> Me, I'd probably say my mom's first words when I was born.

Maybe like just hearing that.

>> Ouch.

Something like ouch.

>> No, no.

>> Something like, oh!

>> Ah!

>> That's a really good question.

How PG does this have to be?

[laughs] >> Maybe a sound of just making love with someone that I love.

[laughs] >> This is going to be really cheesy, but the sound of my cats meow, all my past cats.

It'd be nice to hear that again.

>> On rainy days, in this three-family house that me and my family used to live in, there was like the gutter, when it used to rain really, really, really hard, the gutter used to overflow.

>> And that sound like stays in my mind, honestly and truly, and like whenever I run water or turn on like a faucet or anything like that, it always brings me back to that.

Hearing that rain and just like hearing all of the raindrops just like coming together to create that sound is just like, whoa, like calm down, guys.

So beautiful.

>> Sound of a shutter click on a camera is one of them.

I like the sound of falling water.

I like the sound of aircraft, jet aircraft.

I'm an aviation enthusiast, too.

I like that sound, too.

>> Oh, this is a good one.

So this is kind of weird and nebulous, but the sound of silence in the Arizona desert, I don't know how to describe it.

It's like, it's not necessarily an absence of sound.

It's like a weighted silence.

You can almost hear like the stars above your head.

I don't know how to describe it.

But particularly in Sedona where everyone's kind of like there's not a lot of light pollution, they're very big on like health on every level, they kind of get it.

So even the lighting at night is to a minimum and you can kind of, you can hear the universe.

I don't know.

It's like kind of a, yeah, it's, yeah, that.

I wish I was even able to record that.

>> Maybe one is the sound of my dad chiming a metal triangle before I would go to sleep.

And it would signal to me that I had to get into bed before the third chime.

And so maybe the sound of him chiming it and me running through the house, tearing through the house, trying to get into bed in time for the third chime.

Yeah >> I think my grandfather's voice.

He passed away three years ago and he was definitely a point person of confidence and love in my life that I definitely took for granted.

And I know hearing him would probably make me feel better about pretty much everything I have going on in my life right now.

>> I would like to say my grandmother's voice in general.

She's still here physically, but mentally and verbally, I wish she was still there.

Yeah.

>> My grandpa's laugh, you know, my grandpa's laugh for sure.

>> I think my dad's voice, like the encouragement from him, you know, it wasn't like we had cell phones where you could record that message and play it back any time you want back then.

So I think that might be it.

>> Was he very encouraging?

>> He was, he was, yeah.

>> That's nice.

Is your mom still with us?

>> My mom is still around, yep, yep, mom's still around.

>> Maybe you want to record her.

>> Yeah.

>> Now that you have this idea, you can say, "Mom."

So you have it.

>> Every birthday, she sings happy birthday to me, but not in the regular happy birthday, but I don't answer the phone when she calls so I can save it for that year.

>> So you do that.

>> So I do that, yeah, yeah.

So I know, like, I don't answer when I see my mom calling on my birthday.

>> That's sweet.

I love it.

>> My mother singing to me.

[laughs] >> When I was a child.

>> Any specific song?

>> Something that she sang that you connect to?

>> The first one that comes to me, I'm getting teary-eyed because she passed away, "This Little Light of Mine."

[laughs] >> It's such a simple song, but it's just, like, so precious, you know, and so powerful.

Yeah.

Yeah.

>> It connects you.

Song, music, voice, memories, emotions, sadness, all of it is beautiful.

>> She gave that to you, so even though she's gone, she's still here.

>> Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we still have a connection.

There's even, it's a different connection, but it's, see, the sun is coming out.

It's just, it's stronger, and it's more beautiful, more profound, and, you know, and that's one of the things that I want to teach people, is that even if you know someone that has crossed over, they're never gone.

>> When you walk into an ice cream shop for the first time, do you know what smell, I don't know if anybody knows what smell you mean, but it's that cold, clean smell.

It's just very refreshing to me, and, like, it makes me feel, it reminds me of being a kid, so it's a very, like, comforting smell to me, too.

>> That's so cool.

Nostalgia.

I love it, guys.

>> Probably, probably, like, let's say, like, my preschool, like, my preschool, it, like, brings back a lot of memories.

>> You remember the smell?

You remember the smell?

How would you describe that smell?

>> It was like, it's one that you can never forget.

It's like your childhood, like, you just miss, you just want to be in that spot again, but then once you get older, like, life's, like, bites you in the ass a little bit.

When you're a kid, you got nothing to worry about.

>> So there was a smell when you were in preschool that you remember.

Would you say it was, like, books or Cheerios or, like, whatever, toys?

>> It was just, it was just like, just like the air.

It was like the air was a lot happier back in the day, like, but now.

>> You liked your preschool.

>> Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Do you remember your teacher's name?

>> Nah, I'm going to keep it a buck, I don't.

>> I just, I happen to remember my preschool teacher's name was Miss Love.

So it was an easy name to remember.

>> She was nice.

>> I probably would have fell in love with my teacher.

>> My great-grandmother, because she smelled like mothballs and jasmine.

And that combination just, like, is just so refreshing and, like, just wakes you up.

You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

>> Jasmine.

Jasmine.

>> Probably jasmine.

Jasmine is probably my favorite smell.

It's intoxicating.

I have, I burn a lot of essential oils in my house, and when, jasmine just mellows me right out.

>> If you could record a smell from your life, to be able to smell it again whenever you wanted to, what would it be and why?

>> My mom's perfume, when she would leave for work in the morning, and I was little and I didn't have work, like, she would come in to give me a hug, and I just knew the day was going to be awesome.

Like, it's a Saturday morning, no school, house to myself, like, very vague in the morning light, this whiff of my mom's going to work scent.

I don't know what it is, so I should ask her.

Maybe must from the body shop.

>> You could.

>> Yeah, I could technically bottle it.

Yeah.

>> I think it would be Christmas time, growing up.

I don't know, just the smell of, like, the old family decorations, the Christmas tree, my mom's Yankee Candles that she absolutely obsessed over, like, the foods that her and my dad would make.

Definitely a myriad of scents, but I think it would be very comforting if I had the opportunity to smell it again.

>> All right.

If you could record a smell from your life to be able to smell it again whenever you wanted, what would it be and why?

>> Oh, that's a good question.

This is really silly, but, like, when I was a small kid, we had a hat the bunny book, and there was a page where it said smell the flowers, and it just had this, like, this gentle aroma that my sister and I love.

My mom hated, but, like, it is the smell of childhood to me that are, like, I don't know, cooking onions, like, my grandma's, that's what my grandma's house smells like, so.

>> I love it.

>> Lilacs.

>> That was quick.

>> I love lilacs.

Oh, that was, like, that reminds me of my mother, absolutely.

I love the smell of lilacs.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Springtime.

They just smell so good.

I mean, come on, who does not like the smell of lilacs?

[laughs] >> Every spring, the house that we grew up in, there weren't any lilacs on our property, but there were lilacs growing in the woods just across the road, and she would always go across the road, and she would snip them and bring them in the house, and so every year, you know, that was just a thing.

So, it just, it smelled like spring.

>> What's wrong with people these days?

So, I feel like it's a combination... >> This is going to sound really rude.

I don't mean it against either of you, but kind of, like, if a lot of people are a little too nosy, like, one of the issues with social media is how we have put, like, so much of our lives on blast that, you know, you could find, like, we want to know everything about everybody all the time, and I feel like we need to maybe step back a little bit and just let people live their lives and be a little less in the way about it, you know?

Like, why interrupt somebody when they're just hurting nobody, just living life, you know?

>> What's right with people?

>> What's right with - I like to think that people are generally compassionate.

Like, if you...

Most people, if they see someone trip and fall, they're going to want to try to help, at least, you know, we all want to do the right thing, and even people who, you know, self-identify as terrible people, they also do a lot of times.

They want to do what they think is right, and they hate to see injustice done, so I do admire that about people.

Like, sometimes it's misguided, but I like to think a lot of times it is genuine.

Like, we all want what's best for everybody else.

I like to think, like to think.

>> Hopefully, right?

>> Yeah.

>> What's wrong with people these days?

Oh, we're just human.

That's the problem.

We're human.

>> Well, I think the biggest problem is that good information is hard to find, and it's scarce, and, you know, we are forgetting our lessons, our critical thinking lessons.

You know, we're all guilty, probably, of listening to too many talking heads and not verifying and not checking and not saying, oh, well, how much money is that we're really talking about?

Is that really just a minute amount of money, or is that really a big issue?

You know, and not doing our homework and not looking at information objectively and asking the bigger questions and just, you know, it's just easy to be lazy.

It's easy just to listen to some guy or some woman saying blah, blah, blah, blah, and it's, oh, well, that's got to be the way it is, when actually we really need to be critical thinkers and not assume, even from people that we necessarily like and respect, that we shouldn't check our facts and do our homework.

>> What's wrong with people these days and what's right with people these days?

>> Well, I will tell you, there's a lot of good in people.

There's a lot of good in people.

I've noticed that.

What's wrong?

The greed.

There's so much greed out there.

I mean, it's unbelievable.

I mean, I'm not the most generous person, either.

>> What's wrong with people these days and what's right with them?

Oh, man.

>> How much time do we have?

>> Where do we start?

I don't know.

What's wrong with people these days?

>> What's wrong with people?

>> Phones.

I think everyone's just in their phone all the time.

I have mine in my hand right now.

I shouldn't say.

But I feel like that's the most part.

And that's just everybody.

Sort of what we've grown to think is normal.

What's right with people, I think people are caring a lot less what other people think.

So I think that's probably just doing their thing, more so than ever, I think.

>> I don't think they're doing anything right or wrong.

People live their lives the way they're supposed to, and if they want to live their lives happily and they want to live their lives in contentment, they should just do that instead of complaining all the time, because that's what I don't like.

>> You know, like despite everything that's going on in the world politically, I still believe that most people are still inherently good, you know, even though people are still struggling in different capacities.

We all want what's best for ourselves.

I think generally we all want what's best for our neighbors, and we're all just trying to figure it out.

>> What's wrong with people these days?

>> Me.

[laughs] How would I know?

It's usually when I'm in proximity to somebody, you know.

But yeah, I think people just need to be kinder to themselves.

>> Nothing.

They just don't remember where they came from, and that we all came from the same place, and that nothing is really inherently wrong with you.

It's probably just a learned behavior, and it just needs a healing place.

I don't think me calling them wrong would really be the healing place.

>> I also don't really believe in wrong and right.

You know, morally there's some obvious stuff that's wrong, but everybody's doing the best that they can, I believe.

>> And I was just going to ask you, what's right with them?

>> What's right with them?

Their style, that they're out here for a pride parade, that we're all just here to have a good time.

We're out to eat, we're in Asbury.

So that's the right.

>> They don't know who they are.

If people knew who they really were, that they were connected to infinite potential.

They get the essence of you is infinite potential, and everything that you see is going to disappear.

But what's coming through you will never disappear.

The connection between all life, everything is connected.

Everything.

The bees, the rats, everything is connected.

So when you understand that, and you understand that you are infinite potential, all possibilities reside in you.

You are God.

>> Often when someone famous dies, there is some mention of their last words, their so-called famous last words.

What would you like yours to be?

>> I told you I was sick.

>> Don't listen to them.

>> I call all of you friend.

>> I don't know why cowabunga came to mind.

[laughs] >> I mean, I was in a car accident recently.

>> What did you say?

My last words have been, oh, [ bleep ].

>> Live your life to the fullest, and just get out there and do stuff.

>> For me, it's mama, I made it.

Mama, I did it.

>> Keep on looking for the adventure the world offers.

>> I liked it.

My last words to go to my kids, and it would be, I'm so proud of you.

>> Often when someone famous dies, there's some mention of their last words, their so-called famous last words.

What would you like yours to be?

>> Cheers, darling.

[ Music ] >> Hey Steven!

Put a coat on!