Via Kevin Drum, this story in the WaPO in which you can hear and vote (I will tell you who I voted for in the comments section so I don’t sway your vote)on the finalists to be the voice of the DC Metro train.
Why do I tell you this?
Because right now, my sister is the voice of the tram at SEA-TAC Airport. If you have ever been on one of those trams, you have been instructed to do something by my sister.
John Cole
I voted for Randi Miller. She was the best.
demimondian
Is your sister the English speaker, the Thai speaker, the Japanese speaker, the Mandarin speaker, or the Vietnamese speaker? Or all of them?
ppGaz
This is one of the oddest threads I’ve ever seen.
demimondian
So is the recording on the trams at Seatac…
John Cole
English.
The Other Steve
Frankly I prefer the British system.
Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap
They don’t need to be told to get away from the doors, because if you don’t you’ll get a kindly reminder of “Get the fuck out of my way, wanker.”
Mr.Ortiz
I’ll be flying into Sea-Tac next week! I’ll, uh, say hi to your robot sister thing…
my cat
Not to insult your sister but I have no memory of a voice speaking English. Japanese, yes.. Well next time I fly somewhere from Seattle (this spring, actually) I’ll be sure to listen for your sister’s voice.
Steve
My favorite, from the NJ Transit train: “Watch your step, this is Newark.”
SeesThroughIt
How does one get into such a line of work?
Emma Zahn
Jon Garcia sounds the most like H.A.L. so I voted for him. I was surprised to see he’s in the lead.
…
Otto Man
Am I the only one who kept waiting for the “Airplane” routine to break out?
Rex
I too was waiting for the Airplane exchange. So much so that I was having trouble remembering what the Seatac tram actually said.
I live in Seattle and fly out of it regularly. I’ll be mindful of your sister’s voice next time. I do have to echo that other comment though…I don’t remember the English voice as well as the Japanese one.
rilkefan
Howell or Wittington, rather the latter.
The link Drum makes to commentary on the speakers is mandatory.
Gary Farber
“If you have ever been on one of those trams, you have been instructed to do something by my sister.”
Ever? Last time I was on one was in 1986. Had she done it then?
tbrosz
Now, THAT’S a straight line.
stickler
In Berlin, the U-Bahn announcements used to be simple and to the point: “Zurueck bleiben!” (Stand Back!). Better yet, it was still announced by living men and women in the command kiosks at each station. These tended to be chain-smoking 40-something men and women with a real chip on their shoulders — and eagle eyes, so they’d yell at you for coming anywhere close to the Yellow Line of Death. “Halt! Zurueck bleiben! Zuuurrrueck BLEIBEN!!!”
While I was there (1997), the transit authorities ordered the station attendants to add a “please” to the “stand back,”: “Zurueck bleiben, bitte,” with the inevitable result that the transit union walked out on strike. A union representative pointed out that the phrase wasn’t a request, it was an order. This was Berlin, after all, not Milan or Los Angeles.
The strike failed, but the “Zurueck bleiben, bitte,” always seemed pretty bitter after the strike failed.
Recorded voices are so boring by comparison.
Far North
Damn, I go through SeaTac about 20 times a year and I didn’t know that was your sister.
I’m headed back north tomorrow through SeaTac and then through Anchorage – that is if an Augustine volcano eruption doesn’t shut down Anchorage like it did a couple days ago.
So John, if the Anchorage Airport gets shut down and I get stuck in Seattle overnight, can I have your sisters number……..I say that with tougue firmly planted in cheek. I’m just kidding. Damn, this is a weird thread.
Louise
Miller and Whittington seem to be the same person, using different inflection. I voted for Rabel, but I wish I could have voted for the L&O guy.
Jay
So just what is the career arc that ends with you as voice of the airport tram?
ats
The voice should be that of Jack Abramoff. The message should be:
“Beware the Ides of March.”
Krista
John, if she ever gets bored of that, she should look into doing audio books. I hear there’s really good money in it.
DougJ
I know this has nothing to do with this thread, but I found this on TP Memo and felt that it was a perfect thread started for Balloon Juice, so maybe it could be made into a post.
From the blog of Kevin T. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis.
LITBMueller
My vote: John Howell because he sounds closest to Barry White. ;)
Most annoying: Angela Stevens – to emphatic!!!!
Here would have been my suggestions for Metro:
– Fran Drescher (“Next stop, McPherson Square….OOOoooohhhh….The WHITE House!!! Heheheheheheh!”)
– Howard Stern (“The doors are closing. Nice ass, honey! Hey, nowww…..”)
– Stephen Hawking (for obvious reasons)
– Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter (“Crikey! The doors are closing!! Get outta the way, mate!!!!”)
– Michael Moore – (“Next stop, Foggy Bottom….you know, where the spooks helped plot 9/11…”)
– Sean Hannity – (“Woodley Park, National Zoo, Adams Morgan…get out, you liberals!”)
Mary
I liked Howell for his parody potential alone, but I spent a few minutes deciding among alto women who didn’t get all chirpy and uptalky in my face.
John, my finalists were Carol, Randi, and Linda. I liked Randi but her final sentence just had an odd cadence. I fianlly gave the edge to Carol, who is currently third at 14.5%, but Linda is leading at 19% and Jon is a very close second. Randi is fourth at 11%. And it looks as if all those chirpy chicks are in the basement. They may be perfectly nice people, but if I were to hear their voices repeatedly on my daily commute, I’d drive an icepick through each eardrum.
Mary
So much for the poll — a winner’s been selected by the transit commission. Randi is The Voice and Linda is her designated backup.
John Cole
Am I good or wha? My pick was clearly the best.
Guess it was all my years in radio that gave me the edge.
Mary
I’m voting for wha, John. I don’t know what it means, but I’m voting for it.