Vocal fry on podcasts. Anyone immediately put off by a voice?

[auberginefortea]

I listen to quite a few podcasts, mainly from the UK and US. Is anyone else immediately put off by certain voices? I really struggle with the kind of vocal fry I sometime hear. It seems that it's often US journalists, and it's a real shame as the topic can sound quite interesting ... but the voice, oh my god.

Giles Brandreth is an annoying narrator on audiobooks. He reads quickly and seems to take a small breath about every three words which is infuriating and makes him exhausting to listen to. It's shame as he has quite a nice voice otherwise.

Can I just mention men doing women's voices in audiobooks? Makes me think they hear all women as simpering and vacuous. It really puts me off as when it is a male and female actor voicing different chapters from their own character's perspectives it seems like a totally different character. It happens in non- fiction too, 'The Gift of Fear' springs to mind. American books seem to be worse than British spoken ones too.

Yes another one for Grace Dent. I like her otherwise, I don’t know why she had to put on such a stupid voice.

Glad to have found the Mishal Hussain fan club. Love her, and love it even more when she's co-presenting Today with Martha Kearney (like this morning!).

I disliked vocal fry on radio for a good while, but thanks to this thread I've realised I have an acquaintance that does it! Made even worse by his general fake and bullying behaviour. Somehow, irl I find it more difficult to figure out that's what people are doing with their voice.

I've been known to lower my voice to address a bunch of rowdy people to take instructions It does carry further than my normal voice...

I caught a bit of Josie Long's programme on R4 yesterday. That was very whispery, like she was trying to be intimate but it just came across as a bit weird.

I don't listen to her. I'm not sure what it is about her voice but I switch off. Seems a bit like a rather smug acquaintance trying to make you her new best friend,

@hadwebutworldenoughandtime - Stephen King was awful for this on the audio book for Needful Things, the women all sounded so bloody wet

I'll listen to anything Peter White is in but he was interviewing somebody recently whose story was quite long. All the way through that person speaking I could hear him making small noises, you know the sort of mini grunt interviewers make when they want the interviewee to shut up and let them ask another question? It was very distracting.

Giles Brandreth is annoying full stop! 😃

I heard that one. The person did go on a bit. PW seemed a bit agitated.

GB seems to be turning up here, there and everywhere as the late Queen and DoE's best mate.

Hmm, that sounds worrying familiar.

@HippyCritical , he seems an amiable chap and maybe he was friends with them. He doesn't really bother me. I don't watch tv other than on catch up occasionally.

He used to be an MP but only for one term and doesn't seem like your average Tory MP. Quite a lot of similar politicians and former politicians seem quite decent.

I've seen Josie Long perform a fair bit at a comedy night she ran, and she used microphone sound effects as part of the comedy. (Stewart Lee does it too.) I quite like it when it's part of a show, but I don't think it works as well in Short Cuts, because she's not telling her own stories.

Not fussed about Gyles Brandreth as a voice/personality, BUT excellent knitwear!

I'd be very disappointed and surprised if either of them started using vocal fry

As the new Queen’s spokesperson and best mate you mean? Him and Jeremy Clarkson. Such delightful amiable chaps. 🤥

@beigerage omg Karina Longworth is the worst!! It's such a shame as the subject matter is right up my alley but her over enunciation and purposefully strange emphasis when speaking completely ruins it for me. After many episodes persevering there was one strange pronunciation too many that had me screaming for Alexa to stop and I never listened again. I wish I could remember what it was but I think I blotted it out. The horror!!

I'm surprised Elaine hasn't turned up yet at the mention of Jon Ronson. I always thought he was from Manchester as well but, I think, he's from Wales. I've seen him live and did speak like his podcast voice.

Surprised to hear that about GB, I love him on Something Rhymes with Purple with Susie Dent. I usually listen to podcasts at 1.25x the speed but not that one, neither of them sound as good going faster (barely ever noticeable to me on any other pod).

His autobiography is good too.

I have the solution to this - you speed him up to 1.5X and he sounds much more normal! It's such a well researched and interesting podcast but I was despairing at his dreary delivery.

It's a win win as it also takes less time to listen to!

I have resolved to never listen to Matthew Syed on the radio ever again.
I now listen to him at 1.5x on Sounds!