Vowell and Sedaris give voice to quirks
Monday, October 27th, 2008
The old quip “You have a face for radio” could be amended, without the implied insult, to say that someone has a voice for public radio. NPR stars like David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell have superb speaking voices, but they’re definitely idiosyncratic. The high-pitched humorist/broadcasters are like the equivalents of quirky Oscar-winning character actors compared to the stentorian tones of the usual newscasters and talk radio hosts.
Vowell most famously voiced the invisible teenager Violet in The Incredibles, but ironically, her quavering tones make her sound even younger as “herself.” Atlantans will be able to hear (and see) for themselves at The Carter Center tonight at Vowell’s lecture and book signing for The Wordy Shipmates. Vowell’s latest trek to the neglected corners of Americana visits the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their heritage in present-day American culture.
No less self-deprecating, Sedaris has more of a faintly-lisping purr that perfectly serves his famous Billie Holiday impression. For a more recent, substantial clip of Sedaris in action, Aubible.com provides exclusive to Creative Loafing readers this audio book file of the complete short story “Solution to Saturday’s Puzzle” from David Sedaris’ most recent bestselling humor essay collection, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. (For my thoughts on the book, click here.) Audible.com also offers a sample of the audio book of Vowell’s Wordy Shipmates, for those who want to get a Vowell fix without going through “This American Life.”
