NPR is doing a really interesting series called Vocal Impressions. They suggest a variety of different well-known people and then ask people write in and describe their voices.

The first round produced very vivid descriptions that really nailed the essence of their subject. Morgan Freeman’s voice was described “hash browns grilled in olive oil.” Marilyn Monroe was “the slow folding and unfolding of a pink cashmere sweater.” And Truman Capote’s famous voice is described as “the little boy who didn’t get the pony he wanted.”

The next round asks listeners to describe the voice of Jack Nicholson, Norah Jones, and Hillary Clinton. Here’s what I came up with. Remember, there are no wrong answers here.

Jack Nicholson: The sound of a grocery cart full of heavy items being pulled across a bumpy sidewalk.

Norah Jones: The sensation of waking up from a great dream, where you don’t yet know if it was real or not.

Hillary Clinton: The initial bark of a loudspeaker in an elementary school classroom before morning announcements.

Try it yourself. They’ve got all the voices posted on their site.

— Lisa

Posted Monday, January 15th, 2007 at 4:35 pm. Subscribe to comments via RSS 2.0.
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