Vocal Impressions: Hearing Voices, Round Four
Read the Descriptions
Click here to read listeners' descriptions of the voices of Mick Jagger, Eleanor Roosevelt, Barry White and Luciano Pavarotti.
Commentator Brian McConnachie has been asking listeners to describe in poetic language their impressions of famous voices.
In his last challenge, he asked listeners to describe the voices of Sean Connery, Bob Dylan, Odetta and Mae West.
McConnachie also offers up four new voices: Mick Jagger, Eleanor Roosevelt, Barry White and Luciano Pavarotti.
Updated May 28, 2007
This batch of voices drew our largest response yet.
Last month, the voices you were invited to describe included rock 'n' roll legend Sir Mick Jagger, formidable first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, crooner extraordinaire Barry White and the great opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Below are the best of the descriptions you sent in.
Vocal Impressions: Hearing Voices, Round Three
Read the Descriptions
Click here to read listeners' descriptions of the voices of Sean Connery, Bob Dylan, Odetta and Mae West.
In March, commentator Brian McConnachie asked listeners to describe the distinctive voices of four well-known personalities: Sean Connery, Bob Dylan, Odetta and Mae West. The results of that challenge are in this story.
Now, McConnachie is issuing a fifth challenge in his "Vocal Impressions" series. How would you describe the voices of singers Mick Jagger, Barry White and Luciano Pavarotti, and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt?
Listeners' Responses
Updated April 30, 2007
To all of you who submitted a response, I want to congratulate you on your creativity and your images. They are always a delight to read.
Last month, the voices you were invited to describe included folk jazz singer Odetta, movie star and actor, Sean Connery, the once scandalous writer and performer Mae West and musical pioneer Bob Dylan.
Sean Connery
"He sounds like the man who knows the outcome of the race before it's been run." — Greg Quagliara
"A fascinating letter written on a chalkboard" —-Andy Hohorst
"The sensation of dipping your hand into a big, black bag of marbles." —- Heather Carol
"The voice of God's more athletic brother who is home from college for the weekend." —- Kevin McGuire
"A well loved English saddle." Miles Lynch
"Wearing you boyfriend's dinner jacket on a cold night." — Mara Gutoff
"A Rolls Royce Merlin engine idling" —- Mark Cucinic
"A lion's roar followed by a kitten's purr." - Heather Coan
Mae West
Mae West's voice brought to mind lavender, pillows and pigeons.
"The last spit curl of the 20s." —- Carl Kuschhaupt
"Sounds like 6 gallons of boiled lavender water stirred with a feather." — Hyden Walch
"It's the air escaping a floatation devise." Mark Cucinic
"A pigeon from New Jersey that learned to talk." - Leslie Ott
"Overstuffed pillows covered in scratchy satin you can't wait to bury yourself in." Melody Whitaker
Odetta
Odetta brought forth images of bells, sorrow and spilled scotch.
"She sounds like a $50-a-pour glass of scotch spilled before you get to taste a drop."
—Chris Wilkes
"Mother Earth moaning another rain forest downed." —Heather Coan
"A splendid sorrow." Leslie Skebinski
"A call and response in the church of the wild bear." Hynden Walch
"Being inside a sonorous bell while it's swinging and ringing." — Susan Shwartz
"A steam train bringing Truth from far away." —Shannon Murphy
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's sound raised visions of inhaling water through the nose and rolling dice, among other things.
"Dice rolling on a busy market street." — Aimee Rickman
"Sounds like when you get highly chlorinated pool water up your nose." — Jill Hancock
"Jimmy Cagney of the rock world." — William Bender
"A washing machine gone off balance." — Sidney Rubin
"Trying to read an algebraic formula after three shots of tequila." Patrick Wallace
"A fire in the street no one wants to put out" — Ken Peters
"A voice full of desire and lips that only kiss themselves" — Susan Smythe.
"A great date with the wrong guy" — Dana Nelson
"A saxophone being played while it's melting" — Jay Maille
"The first bad thing you did that felt good" — Mary Jane Brown
"A box of chocolate with a spider in it" — Julianne Hurst Williams
"Your annoying younger brother's annoying best friend the day after you had a surprisingly sexual dream about him" — Leslie Gurowitz
"The American Queen Mum reminding us to play fair, be kind to others and lend a helping hand" — LeAnn Shotton
"A cross between Katharine Hepburn and Miss Piggy" — Bill Deresiewicz
"An upright broom standing in the corner ready to clean the house" — Martha Klobucar
"Julia Childs before she got into the cooking sherry" — Stephanie Miller
"A swimming pool in late October" — Jessica Carlson
"Sounds as though she is trying to speak during an unpleasant personal medical exam" — Kathryn Moore
"A roller-coaster ride in a hot tub through the tunnel of love" — Jim Green
"If syrupy, thick erotica owned a vehicle, his voice would be the car alarm" — George Harris
"Satin sheets caressing a velvet leisure suit on a waterbed" — Angus Vail
"A waterfall of melted butter" — Brent Lamb
"Sun-warmed cat fur" — Victoria Lecuyer
"Deep need on a Saturday night" — Schubert Moore
"What you'd expect to hear when you put your ear up to an empty bottle of Viagra" — John Crotty
"To hear Pavarotti is to wittingly empty the breath from your own chest that he may better present its intentions" — Ardith Wagley
"Humanity taking a victory lap" — Bradley Niblock
"All the magnificent architecture that has yet to be built" — Olivia Linda
"The universe vibrating inside your body" — Lea Mai
"The voice of every castrati crying out for heirs" — Charlene Rauch
"What seagulls must think they sound like" — Dick Hershberger
"The sound of your heart when you suffer a tremendous personal loss and you're asked, 'How do you feel?'" — Michael McCarthy
"A newborn baby's first taste of air" — Jessica Carlson
"The upwelling of joy for no particular reason except that you're 17, it's spring and the universe is beautiful beyond bearing" — Judith Anderson
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