Posts filed under 'DC Vocal Autopsy'
My initial analysis, unedited
Robert Kardashian to TMZ:
“..the NBA’s so rigged are you kidding it was going to go to seven like from the beginning of the year the Celtics and Lakers in seven it’s all about money so I ah it’s guaranteed you go to seven…”
Kardashian’s voice has a hint of smile in it from the top — this says he likes to be interviewed but is uncomfortable with anyone knowing that — he’s trying to be cool.
However, he has emotion and energy on the words “so rigged” and disappointment and resignation on the words “guaranteed you go to seven” — he believes his theory, though he doesn’t state any concrete evidence which would account for the rant-like rhythm (the repetition of the word “seven ” 3 times, run-on sentence structure).
He says Celtics and Lakers not Lakers and Celtics — Kardashian putting the Celtics first means he sees them as more powerful, as a threat, or perhaps his favorite team.
Jerry Seinfeld on WFAN New York re Lady Gaga at the Mets Game:
“…this woman’s a jerk I hate her…I say I can’t believe that they put her in my box…you give people the finger and you get upgraded…is that the world we’re living in now?…”
Harsh words for a woman — “jerk” and “hate” — humor comes from some kind of pain, complaint, distress —
Jerry’s uses humor, like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, as an advanced intellectual means of developing new perspectives and coping with extreme circumstances.
Jerry’s voice and language reflect that he thinks Gaga was extreme — it’s his unique perspective and delivery that make it funny.
He doesn’t really hate Gaga - but he sure enjoys saying it — he can’t relate to her, hence the: I can’t believe they put her in “my” box — which says: I, Jerry have nothing in common with this woman.
June 24th, 2010
My initial thoughts as I listened to the following 2 bites:
Shannon Price’s Insider interview on “did you marry Gary for fame?”
“Well first of all I didn’t know who Gary was, second of all I never even heard of Diff’rent Strokes so it wasn’t about the fame and it definitely wasn’t about me trying to get famous either so it was genuine love and I loved Gary for who he was not what he was.”
She hits the words “fame” and “famous” with a bottom-line tone in her voice — why this is important is she says seconds later, “I loved Gary for who he was” in the same consistent bottom-line tone. What’s interesting is she starts off answering the question with “I didn’t know who Gary was” in the context of him being famous. Her inconsistency in language aside with, “I didn’t know who Gary was,” I loved Gary for who he was — what she IS consistent with in her language is speaking of Gary in the past tense — usually the deceased’s significant other has trouble speaking of their loved one in the past tense immediately following a death.
Her voice/language indicates she’s comfortable with him being gone.
What’s glaring in this bite is the missing one-word answer the question “did she marry him for fame?’ And that word is “No” — also what’s missing is her being offended by the question .
ET interview on “taking Gary off life support”
“The doctors advised me you know that this is the best decision for him because he wasn’t going to hold out um it was the best for him go and not suffer he was already a vegetable basically like his you know every his involuntary functions were not working like his eyes his you know blood pressure his heart basically all those functions were gone.”
She starts whispering in a bed-side manner on “that this is the best decision..” in an almost recreation of how one doctor might have sounded telling her this. I bring this up because she starts off saying the “doctors advised me..” — doctorS plural, yet this bed-side whisper tone reflects one doctor’s voice in particular made an impression OR there was only one doctor advising her to begin with and her saying “the doctors advised me” — more than one doctor is not accurate or this is her way of telling herself, convincing herself and/or us that she made the right decision. No matter, her voice going into the bed-side whisper tone out of nowhere is a fascinating defense mechanism.
Unlike the Insider interview, in this ET one, she uses the present tense in: “that this IS (not WAS) the best decision…” this would indicate she’s still wrestling on some level with the decision.
June 10th, 2010
My notes — unedited — as I listened to the following 2 excerpts from Oprah’s interview with Sara Ferguson:
Oprah: had you ever attempted to do anything like this before?
Sarah: no i don’t think so…NO of course not no I no
Oprah: To sell your…
Sarah: NO
Oprah: …anything?
Sarah: No
Oprah: or to offer Access to yourself or any member of the royal family?
Sarah: No way No No…
Oprah: Did you ever attempt to do anything like that before?
A lot on No’s from Sarah here — but it’s the range of the No’s that’s interesting.
“No I don’t think so” — authentic, really contemplates if she has ever attempted this before, vocal tone reflect that Sarah is speaking to herself here then she quickly snaps out of it, w/ an outburst of “NO of course not” as if hearing herself in an unrehearsed moment
When Oprah clarifies w/ “To sell your anything, Sarah has another outburst w/ “NO” at the words “To sell your” — “sell your” touches a nerve…The way she says the word NO here reflects that she Sarah hears Oprah as proposing something inappropriate. The rest of the No’s that follow, that Sarah responds with are not emotional and repetitive, using the word “No” to dismiss the bad, to make it go away — Interesting that this bite starts w/ the iffy “no I don’t think so” and ends with “No way, no”
Sarah: I suppose I’ve tried to be perfect for 25 years you know I started at or even longer I started to use food as my friend when I was 12 and then um tried to do everything right and little Sarah got lost on along the way
Sarah’s math is a little off here which highlights the rehearsed nature of her answer. Perfect for 25 years, started at 12 — 12 plus 25 is 37 — Sarah is 50 — something’s off — she’s not being clear with what she wants to say here. The vocal tone is a bit numb and her inflection lacks intention. She’s just talking…not a great interview technique — and I’ll tell you why she not being clear — when Oprah asks Sarah “Had you ever attempted ‘this’ before?” — Sarah, in order to be effective in an interview, would have to be clear and own what “this” actually is
Overall: using stock answers and being inconsistent she comes across less than trustworthy
June 3rd, 2010
Conan on “60 Minutes”
“…Ah I went through some stuff um and I got very ah depressed at times you know it was like a mmmarriage breaking up (snaps fingers) suddenly violently quickly and I was just trying to figure out what happened…”
My Analysis: Conan’s voice sounds tired, worn out, sleepy until he says the word “marriage” and then his voice wakes up. He lingers on the “m” of marriage like so: “mmmarriage” — this indicates the word “marriage” clearly resonates for him. His voice continues to be resonant on “breaking up,” he even snaps his fingers to illustrate this sudden “breaking up.” What’s noteworthy is the the order of the words “suddenly violently quickly.” Sandwiched between the words “suddenly” and “quickly” which both basically mean the same thing is the word “violently.” He deals with the violent nature of what he perceived happened to him by keeping it tucked away in suddenly/quickly. This is highlighted by his voice immediately going sleepy again on “trying to figure out what happened” and especially on the word “happened” there’s sadness. Conan still has not fully come to terms with the events.
David Letterman on “Regis and Kelley”
“…Well I- I don’t know if people know about this but I’ve had some trouble and ah y-y-y-you know w- when when something ah like this happens and ah and and mostly it was ah r -r-reckless behavior on my part and if you behave recklessly ah and it hurts y-your family well then of course it hurts you…”
My Analysis: Starting with humor is where Letterman’s comfortable, gets his laugh but then he’s far from comfortable here. Aside from speaking w/ many filler words like ahs and stutters — all these denoting a lack of confidence, Letterman uses the word “mostly” (mostly reckless behavior on my part) and “if” (if you behave recklessly) — shows a lack of ownership. Also he speaks in the 3rd person…this keeps him removed as opposed to speaking in first person: “I behaved recklessly and it hurt my family.” He stutters on r-r-reckless — which says he lacks a strong point of view on what being reckless means to him — and his language highlights this point: “if you behave recklessly and it hurts your family…it hurts you.” In coaching Letterman, I’d ask him to contemplate if his reckless behavior did not hurt his family then would he still regard it as reckless? His voice and language indicate he’s unresolved.
May 6th, 2010
Tito Ortiz’ April 26th Press Conference
“…my trainer talking man…it just means the world to me, that you know all my fans and all my family know that I thank them for their support. My parents have gone through an addiction and I see it in the mirror again. And I’m not going to let my family go through that…I hold everything dear to my heart that Jenna will be okay.”
My Analysis:
Tito’s voice quivers and is emotional but the emotion is NOT strangling the voice and it’s not keeping him from communicating. Tito’s voice here retains it’s resonance which reflects that Tito is happy. His inflection is full and connected on the words “trainer,” “world,” “fans,” “family,” and “parents,” - as opposed to his inflection on “Jenna will be okay” which is flat and disconnected. The latter denotes separation, denial and/or he’s moved on.
Joan Rivers on A&E
“Barry didn’t like Edgar, Edgar didn’t like Barry and they called me into an office on a Thursday afternoon and they said you can stay but your husband goes and I had to make the choice of staying and running the show and well your husband’s not allowed on the Fox lot or leave you with my husband and I said I will leave with my husband.”
My Analysis:
The emotion strangles her voice which makes it hard for Joan to say the words “you can stay” and especially on the word “stay,” her tone reflects unresolved pain as opposed to the word “goes” on “your husband goes,” there’s virtually no pain. On “I had to make the choice” there’s the pain again and then no pain, Joan actually slurring the words “your husband’s not allowed on the Fox lot,” which says she’s over it, not important. What’s noteworthy here is, as she’s recounting the story, instead of saying the powers that be told her “you leave with your husband,” Joan says here “leave you with my husband.” Reflects Joan saw and/or still sees herself as independent from others.
Pamela Anderson on the phone w/ KEARTH 101’s Gary Bryan
Gary Bryan: When he (Larry King) said the word underwear, did you hear him smacking his lips?
Pam Anderson: NO…
Gary Bryan: He did I’m telling you
Pam Anderson: I prefer panties to underwear anyway that’s such a terrible word underwear, that’s not sexy.
My Analysis:
Pamela’s voice on “No” was explosive, not controlled which here denotes real surprise. But a second later her voice doesn’t stay in the surprise, Pamela’s voice drops in tone which says she was uncomfortable. This is highlighted on “I prefer panties to underwear” where she goes to a safe place in rehearsed sound bite fashion. Also. because this was a phone interview, it was easier for Pamela to escape.
April 29th, 2010
My voice analysis of Oprah at luncheon at Waldorf this week (see text below):
Oprah’s voice is in her throat, strained, tired, not as guarded….the plural on the word daddy is interesting — there’s been only one biological father reported to have written Oprah and asked her to submit her DNA — Oprah saying daddy with a plural embellishes the truth, removes it and her from a reality — a coping mechanism — also the use of the word “daddies” vs. “fathers” — daddies is playful, not as serious…she also adopts a character voice as she does a new daddy voice on “Hello daughter” but the language is credible Hello vs Hey, daughter vs. child or girl…also what’s interesting is as Oprah is having fun with her new daddy voice her pronunciation of the word “roof” is telling — very Scooby Doo — in order to say it like that you’ve got to be aggressive.
“Last week was a rough week for Gayle [King] when a so-called biography came out. Every day, she’s getting herself more and more worked up about all of my new daddies that are now showing up. New daddies saying, ‘Hello daughter, call me, I need a new roof…”
Analysis of Larry King interviewing Pamela Anderson (see transcript below):
Larry smacks his lips, with the words underwear and nipple — great example of the human voice reflecting one’s life condition. larry is hungry. What’s noteworthy here is Larry smacks his lips always after, not before, but after he says the word “underwear” which indicates a reaction to an image he’s had, like an afterthought — but with “nipple” he smacks his lips before which means he’s in the present….there’s anticipation.
KING: That you say “Dancing with the Stars” producers had to talk to you about wearing underwear while you dance. (smacks his lips)
ANDERSON: No, just — they followed me around with little nipple covers.
KING: (Smacks his lips) Nipple covers.
ANDERSON: That’s it, yes. Yes. There’s nothing else.
KING: But you wear underwear, right? (smack his lips)
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes, of course.
KING: Did you offer not to wear underwear? (smacks his lips)
Text of George Lopez with Chris Rock and my analysis:
George Lopez: …Conan coming to TBS
Rock: Conan’s coming
George: Yes
Rock: And where you going?
George: I’m going, I’m staying I’m going to midnight…I get to go to work an hour later, that’s a Latino dream come true, an hour later
Interesting when Chris asks George “and where you going?” George starts to answer with “I’m going” but corrects himself with “I’m staying” and he puts more energy behind the word “staying” as opposed to “going” — his voice reflects, beyond the bit he’s rehearsed with Chris, that staying is important…also George gets his laugh on “I get to go to work an hour later, that’s a Latino dream come true,” but then he repeats the words “an hour later” — got the laugh, no need to repeat the words — reflects insecurity and more to the point, highlights that the concept of “an hour later” is working his nerve.
April 21st, 2010
Kate Gosselin spoke to a reporter (transcript below) on the prospect of dating in the 3rd person while referring to herself as a “girl” not a woman. Speaking in the 3rd person here is symptomatic of having achieved big success suddenly with her TV show, becoming a tabloid queen, her press appearances and now DWTS. Kate using the 3rd person helps her adjust to the role that’s been assigned to her and the one she’s created for herself. Kate referring to herself as “she” is her way of enlarging herself to fit the role(s). Kate calling herself a “girl” and her general edgy vocal tone are signs that she doesn’t feel she’s arrived, hasn’t carved out a life for herself. She also uses the word “tows” which is doubly significant because of the way she pronounced the word “kids” - you can hear her lifting the children as she stretched out the word — this all says this is someone that feels overwhelmed. However, she enjoy aspects of her life. “Tows around the paparazzi” implies entourage vs. something not friendly.
“…the girl (girl, not woman) with eight kiiiids (whines, labor, lifting)…who (3rd person) had this reality show everybody knows who she (3rd person) is…and she (3rd person) tows (labor, also implies she sees the paparazzi as part of her) around the paparazzi…”
Tiger to himself after a regrettable shot this week: “Tiger Woods, you ssssssssuck…”
Tiger referring to himself in the third person creates distance between “I” and “he.” So if you have an exaggerated view of how great you are, you could be using this distance to make yourself even bigger. Tiger here is pumping himself up, self-coaching OR this could be his father’s voice manifesting itself. Taking into consideration Tiger’s Nike commercial running right now and his multiple affairs being made public, the latter is interesting.
I’d not refer to this as an “outburst” as reported by the media. There’s restraint in Tiger’s voice when he says “Tiger Woods” and the elongated s on “sssssssssssuck” highlights restraint, not wanting to let himself go.
Michelle “Bombshell” McGee on Australian TV apologizes to Sandra Bullock with: “…I’d say Sandra you know I’m sorry I’m sorry for your embarrassment I’m sorry all this is public….I feel bad for Sandra you know I know what she’s going through she must be hurt devastated upset embarrassed…”
McGee’s voice is the stunning opposite of her physical appearance and “Bombshell” persona. Her soft-spoken inflection here denotes a gentility, sincerity and also a shyness. She speaks to Sandra directly, speaks in the first person which says “I, Michelle, am taking responsibility.” She uses the word “sorry” 3 times — this is a good apology because besides actually saying “I’m sorry,” McGee uses the word “feel” which goes to something deeper. But then her voice becomes a bit detached and she loses whom she was just speaking to (Sandra) on “I know what she’s going through” and it is as clear as day. McGee is now speaking about herself with the words ‘hurt,” “devastated,” “upset” and “embarrassed.” Also her slight speech impediment (lisp), which is endearing but probably not to her, might account for her compensating with all the tattoos. She uses a form of the word “embarrass” twice which is how someone with a lisp might feel. The irony is that she speaks real quickly which says she trying to hide yet she’s on TV. And that is her struggle — the inner shy girl with a lisp vs. the outer shell or should I say Bombshell? McGee having a lisp is interesting because Sandra recently spoke publicly about having a lisp herself as a 12 year old.
April 15th, 2010
Our Voices are ourselves, the mirror of one’s life condition.
Take Buzz Aldrin on DWTS this week. Like the 80 year old man himself, his voice was vibrant, resonant with his inflection possessing variety and his language expressive. “I gave up my moon boots for dancing shoes so I could motivate a lot of rocket hero’s community… inspire them about what we did in the past and now I’m looking forward to the future.”
Tiger Woods’ voice and speech on ESPN in his first interview since the November 27, 09 incident were less guarded than his recent February 19th press conference which is a reflection of the treatment and personal inventory he has taken. The 20th of 21 questions was on why he got married. Woods answered without hesitation with “Why? Because I loved her. I loved Elin with everything I have.” The passion in which he said the first “loved” was evident as was the speed and clarity in which spoke. However, the mixing of past and present tense here — loved vs. have — is what’s noteworthy. When telling a story from the past, many people tend to tell it in the present tense. “I was at the Dodger game and the vendor comes up to me and he says…” — speaking of the past in the present tense brings the teller, the hero of the story, closer to the facts and the feeling he or she is trying to convey. Here Tiger is present to love. He doesn’t have to think about it — it’s there in his voice, no manipulation.
Rod Blagojevich’s vocal inflection and cadence on the street during last Sunday’s Celebrity Apprentice didn’t change one iota whether talking to camera, responding to a male on the street that hurled a “you’re a disgrace” at him, or greeting yet another passerby. Blogojevich’s voice was robotic while his language and lack of energy behind his words showed a tightness and a weakness. “No none of that’s true. It’s all baloney…no no no…” – the use of many “no’s” indicates that he wants the bad to just go away and shows a lack of ownership and verbal skills to defend himself. Or does he think he’s indefensible? Also the use of the word “baloney” and the pronunciation of it are interesting. The “b” was hit soft. Yet in another scene, while talking on the phone to someone he knew, he let it rip, bleeps and all.
March 25th, 2010
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