For awhile now I’ve been working on another blog but don’t quite have it ready yet, so I’m starting a new category on this one instead — musicilove. When you get to the end of the post, you’ll know why I posted this today instead of waiting until after FanstRAvaganza, but no peeking. :D
Each post of musicilove will hopefully have something you’ve never heard but wish you had, and sometimes I’ll have a veritable playlist, as I do with this post. If it gets out of hand, I’ll find another place for it quickly. For now the only impetus for posting will be things that strike my fancy, and of course my fancy is always ready to be struck.
I’m starting with music that always makes me smile, and it’s dominated by an instrument that I’ve wanted to dismiss but just can’t. Most important for me is I might not be here if not for this instrument. When Dad was wooing Mom, he would sing and play the ukulele, and she told me that it was this that made her succumb to his charms. I grew up with Dad playing all sorts of things on the uke, and I loved it when I was really little. Then I got too cool to listen and would roll my eyes, but eventually I came back to loving it, and really it was such a pleasure to hear Dad play it. He could play anything with strings, and we loved it when he “broke out” the uke. Most of the time he was a bass player (guitar and upright). When he and Mom were dating and newly married, she would go to his jobs with him, and the bass violin would ride down the middle of the car between them as that was the only way it would fit. Thank heaven for the uke. :D
I howled when I saw this video because this is one of the songs Dad sang to Mom:
Here’s another one he sang to her, and Mom always had a sweet smile on her face when he played it. Don’t those two look happy?
But the uke is not limited to just sweet love songs. I’m totally digging Pink Floyd on the uke:
So not everyone likes Pink Floyd. How about some Led Zeppelin?
Or maybe The Stones:
Okay, enough of the amateurs. Perhaps it’s clear by now that the uke is not reserved for luauas even though a drunk Don Ho singing Tiny Bubbles may sometimes come to mind. When I think of Hawaii and the ukulele, I prefer to think of IZ:
And a few more to whet the appetite of those who primarily think the ukulele is outdated.
The inevitable tie in to Richard Armitage, a sort of six degrees and actually, two degrees of separation now. And when I figured out who the principal performer is, the choice of song was perfect. For months I’ve been dying to post this, and today is the right day.
His name is Bret McKenzie. You can read about him here, and it will be interesting to hear your thoughts about this in regard to dear Richard. Oh, and whether I ever see ‘The Hobbit’ or anything by Peter Jackson, I’m falling in love with New Zealanders. Their humor and love of life is evident in almost everything I see.
And last but not least, this kid I found by cruising around on Ukulele Hunt:
Iz4blue is such a delight that I had to share this. You may have seen some of these videos, but she’s always bound to come up with one you haven’t seen, and she’ll always make you smile.
If you like, be sure to comment on Iz4blue’s blog.
"What will they come up with next?"Planning is not my thing: except when it comes to travel. I know when and how NOT to miss any opportunities when I have them. Like that time in Paris where I had every whole day planned out included metro stops and packed in as many tourist stops in a few days because precious time is not to be wasted. But even though I knew that I was going to make a list of my fave Spoof fan video's shortly after I started thi … Read More
Usually I hate housekeeping. I have not been kidding when I’ve said I get bored very easily. That’s why I was such a good fit for IT and new product placement. But it means I hate maintenance, and housekeeping is maintenance. When I first started the blog, I knew there would be maintenance, and so I’ve tried to make it fun, but this time around, I’m really enjoying it. Oh gosh, I cannot believe Richard Armitage has also made me enjoy this. If he could bottle that, he would be a trillionaire.
So what the heck am I talking about? Well, I thought I would group my FanstRAvaganza posts in one place and do a few other things while I was at it. Of course when I do something like that, it means I have to pull up the post, and I sometimes will read them again. Not always as I don’t have the time, but I’ve been listening to the recordings again. What a treat, and I’m certainly not limiting that to Richard Armitage. All of you who have sent me recordings have been such a pleasure to listen to, and there will be more for readers in the following days. I plan to wrap up sometime this weekend if not sooner, but the way things are going, it will probably be this weekend. LOL!
I’m placing all of my FanstRAvaganza posts here so they will be much easier to find and hopefully enjoy.
Until next time, a picture:
Click to enlarge
I thought this one might get your attention, and you can click on it to enlarge. Ohcheemama!! See what I mean about Richard Armitage making housekeeping fun? :D And I received an alert this morning about RA being discussed on a student site. It was rather interesting to “hear” the college girls talking about him and the guys. *smirk* I couldn’t help but think of two college girls near and dear to me. One thinks he’s the hottest thing she has ever seen, and the other one is scared of him but thinks he is very handsome. They’ve never seen this picture. I’m not sure what they would think, but I know if I had a been a college student and happened to see that standing off in front of me, I would be in a daze. Truly. He is that good looking in this picture. Hell, I’m almost in a daze now.
Oh, I have to stop. This picture is probably worthy of another post. Um, yeah, I’ll have to talk about this one again later, and if this is your picture, please let me know. I’ve been saving this one for a long time (couple of years), but I would really like to use it (well, I guess I have). I just like to give proper credit. So let me know!
edit:
Photo courtesy of @kuchinggirl on Twitter, and what a photo it is!
Before I go any further with this post, I want to comment on the other FanstRAvaganza bloggers. They have some wonderful and just downright fun pieces. Hope you take a look!
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I had a debate with myself about this post, and I love it when I do that because no matter the decision, I win. So hang on. :D
Early on in my knowledge of Richard Armitage I read an interview with him where he mentioned auditioning for a part requiring an American accent:
[Richard’s] been to a Los Angeles audition for a role as a CIA agent in a television pilot. Armitage tells a story about his casting session that just about sums up this man’s pleasing blend of confidence and modesty. “I’d practised my American accent really hard so I could get the part just right. When I finished reading, the casting people said, ‘Wow! That was great… Now would you mind doing it again with an American accent?'”
These were the days of my fan odyssey when I still thought Richard almost walked on water. That pleasing blend of confidence and modesty is indeed powerful. Sigh. …………………………………………………………………………….. Oh, Pardon me. What was I saying? Oh yes, I was really having a hard time believing he couldn’t nail an American accent. “The god known as Richard Armitage” not being able to pull American?! It wasn’t happening. Of course I was curious to hear him do it and heard it all sorts of ways in my head. Fast forward almost three years, and I finally heard him one night on BBC Radio 3. It sounded nothing like I had imagined:
My first thought was Nooooooooo! where has my RA gone?! I think I said to someone at the time that I would be fine with him never doing an American accent! Thankfully, it’s been a while since I listened to that snippet, and I find it doesn’t have quite the jarring effect it did the first time around. Yes, I’ve always appreciated his attempt, but it was hard not to dissect it. In fact, there was quite a discussion here amongst several of us. I think most Americans liked it, but it seems we all had pointers about how he could do it differently. Certainly, for the reading of Dos Passos, a New York accent was necessary, but I’m adamant about how his first foray into American should have gone. LOL!
Dear Richard:
I guess you know that many American women are fairly smitten with men who speak in English accents. Oh, you thought that bit in “Love Actually” was a joke? I would love to say it is, but a significant number of us are really that entranced by the voices of English men. So I have to admit that I already had a bias against you speaking American although I really wanted to hear what it would sound like.
I prefer you English. No need to sink to our level with an American accent. No, really, I mean that. But if you’re so inclined, some of us have a request of you:
Oh, you would definitely be charmed by it all. The part I love most is how outrageous we’re allowed to be by comparison to other parts of the country. ;-)
So I was thinking maybe a reading of Harper Lee, Walker Percy, or Flanner O’Connor next time.
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans whose love of a Southern Gentleman is only surpassed by love of an Englishman. :D
P.S. The South really does have the best food (ducks).
Apologies to my “Yankee” friends. I couldn’t resist. Seriously, I don’t care what accent he uses. Whomever he chooses to play and however he chooses to play it I’m sure will be lovely. I’m sure he will craft it well. If he can do Maori, I’m sure he can do American. But my control freak just had to get a plug in for something that would be like a dream to me — RA playing Southern Gentleman ala Atticus Finch. However, I stand by my food comment. LOL! And thanks to Angie for lending her talents again. She may have found a new profession. :D
No, this isn’t a FanstRAvaganza post but another interruption, because frankly, I can’t help myself.
I’ve talked about RA’s voice and his ear and the wonderful vibrations, and I even posted a little sample of what Thorin may sound like, but aren’t any of you really curious about what’s going on in New Zealand?!! Oh, I want to know! Where is he exactly? What is he doing? Which way did he go? Huh?
Perhaps there will soon be some more photos or at least some words. I know several are hanging on the tweets of Robert Kazinsky and the blog pieces and flickr from Ian McKellen, and maybe a few other things floating around or on the periphery of RA universe. Those have all certainly been treats. I’ve absolutely loved them, but dammit! I want some hard news about RA! LOL! I haven’t gotten any since the cricket match fundraiser and the picture with Vicki Treadell, the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.
I did recently read that ‘The Hobbit’ cast participated in a powhiri or Maori welcoming ceremony the day filming commenced. I knew a little bit about the ceremony since a close friend of mine spent a month in New Zealand a couple of years ago. Actually, I just knew it was a welcoming ceremony, and that’s about it. LOL! So I went in search of info but became a little confused as there was so much terminology to learn. Thankfully, I found a very clear write-up of the parts of the powhiri:
* Kawa – customs or protocols for greeting visitors. These introductory instructions are first given to the manuhiri, or visitors, such that they may be guided “safely through the spiritual and physical realms,” and so “they understand what is expected of them”10.
* Taki (or wero) – a challenge is presented, where warriors appear to determine the intentions of the visitors. If the visitors’ intentions are peaceful, the warriors present a rautapu, or some sort of symbolic peace offering, which the visitors “nod and acknowledge that [they have]… received it”11. Once this is done, the warriors guide the visitors into the sacred marae.
* Karanga – the vocal call of a female begins which will be a kind a purifying preparation or “clear a spiritual pathway between the hosts and visitors… acknowledging the spirits of all our ancestors who have passed on into the veil of the world, without end.”12. It is a type of call to the Maori and visitors’ ancestors.
* Karakia – a prayer or blessing is offered to the gods to “bring everyone together. Asking assistance of a superior being to give spiritual protection to all those who are participating in the powhiri”13. This is a type of demon or devil cleansing such that everyone may be “free from any destructive spiritual influences”14.
* Mihi – formal greetings and identification of who you are. It is a recitation of your ancestors, history, family line (genealogy), and your relationship to one another. These details were often only known by oral transmission and memory.15
* Waiata – a spiritual song is sung. “Traditional waiata of the ancestors were often aligned with spiritual
events, which could include supporting karakia or prayer to evoke supernatural forces”16.
* Koha – the act of gifting, in a very honorable, dignified, way. Traditionally this was done by offering assistance in the gathering of food, or taonga, treasures. Today it is usually a monetary-type gift. 17
* Hongi – the unique and very sacred Maori physical embrace wherein the two sides become one. “The hongi is the traditional greeting of nose pressing. It is the exchange of the ha, or breath of life… This greeting makes the visitor at one with the tangata whenua [hosts]”18. “The most sacred part of the Maori is this portion here – the face and head. When you make contact with a fellow human, it’s the embracing, the light touching of the noses. Because you’re now dealing with the most sacred part of the person. It’s the essence of life to mankind. Where else does the breath of life enter man?”19. This is the portion of the ceremony in which the breath of life is exchanged and intermingled between host and visitor, and makes the visitors one with the Maori, ready to share in all responsibilities and duties. This tradition is said to have come “directly from the gods”20. “In Maori folklore, woman was created by the gods moulding her shape out of the earth. The god Tane (meaning male) embraced the figure and breathed into her nostrils. She then sneezed and came to life. Her name was Hineahuone (earth formed woman)”21. Sometimes this embrace in the ceremony also includes the hariru, which is a handshake between hosts and visitors, and even a kiss or hug. One website describes it thus:
Direction will be given for manuhiri to go forward to hariru/shake hands, hug or hongi with tangata whenua. Whether you hariru, hongi, hug or do all three is entirely up to you at the time. We trust people will feel culturally comfortable whatever their choice. The action of performing hongi is associated with the hariru. The two people shake hands, each using the right hand. At the same time the left hand maybe placed on or near the other person’s shoulder. The head is bent, the eyes closed, and sometimes foreheads touch as noses are pressed. Some choose to press once and some twice – both ways are of equal significance. Invariably, tangata whenua will indicate their kawa/ways by example. It is appropriate to say “tena koe”/”hello to you” or “kia ora”/”greetings” as part of the greeting. In this greeting our ancestors meet as we meet and together we share the breath of life. This physical contact between manuhiri and tangata whenua completes lifts the waewae tapu/sacredness of first time visitors, allowing us all to be one, as tangata whenua for the duration of this Gathering. The running of the marae, for the time of our stay, is now ours to share.22
* Hakari – ritual feasting and sharing of traditional foods in a banquet to finish the binding together. “At the conclusion of that you are finally part of the family. And it’s a very happy occasion. And you can feel it. There’s a warmth in the room amongst everyone”23………
* Poroporaoki (or Mihi-whakamutunga) – final speeches and farewell. It is the returning of the esteem and authority of the Maori hosts back to them. It is a time of reflection on becoming one or a part of the Maori people.
(emphasis mine)
As I was surfing around, it was hard not to realize the importance of the powhiri and in particular the hongi to the Maori:
Essentially it’s the moment the hosts and visitors become one, and I remember my friend telling me how powerful it was to observe.
The Hongi:
Of course eventually I was burning with curiosity to know how RA fit into all of this, and it was almost as if my thoughts were heard and someone took pity on me. I received a note from someone in a position to know something about what went on, or maybe they have only inflamed me some more? :D
To be the leader of the visitors is pretty intimidating – you have to maintain eye contact and yet be diplomatic. Plus to speak Maori in a public occasion is tough. But Richard was the one who replied for the whole cast and even spoke Maori in his reply. Very impressive.
Yes, I think I’ve definitely been inflamed. LOL! My mind is working overtime to imagine him speaking Maori and being honored to represent the cast! Is there any doubt that he did his homework on the powhiri? Yes, that’s what I thought; he definitely was prepared. This is what is so lovely about him — he actually has a wonderful brain and uses it. Thank you, Richard!
I hope some photos emerge to confirm what I’m saying and to help along the wonderful picture in my head. Whatever the case, this is fun to imagine.
Edit: And it turned out to be true! :D More on that here.
Continuing on with FanstRAvaganza. Hope you hang with me. There’s another surprise if you do. :D
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I assume almost everyone who reads my blog is a fan of Richard Armitage, the actor, but occasionally people who are serious about politics land here looking for some bit of information on the guy who supposedly outed Valerie Plame. I’m sure other RA bloggers have experienced something similar. One visitor in particular, whom I’ll call Tory, was looking for an article about the U.S. State Department official and clicked on the ‘Who the Hell is Richard Armitage?’ post. Her first instinct was to back out, but curiosity got the better of her, and she ended up listening to clips from ‘North and South’ but never made it past those as she was so anxious to load it up on YouTube to watch the whole thing. She is now a fan. LOL! Eventually she sent me a note to share what happened to her, and several weeks ago I asked her to record something for me. She declined as she really is in politics and doesn’t want to make her fascination known. But she gave me permission to share some of her words:
I was just curious enough to press play on the first clip, and then he uttered, “I will be home to dress…” That was the moment I became fascinated. I viewed the entire clip but kept going back to the conversation with his mother. I have never been mad about someone’s voice, but I’m in love with his voice. I’m in love with him! When I knew I was ‘in the bag’ as you say, was listening to the radio play, ‘Clarissa.’ I cannot stomach the book. I cannot stand Lovelace, and I think I despise Clarissa more. Despite this loathing, I willingly sat through a four hour adaptation in hopes of hearing Richard’s Lovelace.
Phew! He does that whisper in his voice to perfection.
For those who have not read nor are familiar with Clarissa, it’s considered to be one of the first novels. Some say it was the first, but I don’t think that’s quite the case. I could be wrong about that. Perhaps one of our resident teachers/librarians will weigh in. Despite its standing in classical literature, I also hate that book! Clarissa is so put upon and silly that it’s hard to really root for her, and this goes on for around 1000 pages. Sheer torture. But as Tory put it, “The best part of the play is hearing Richard Armitage sing!”
When I first heard he was musical and involved professionally in musical theater and before ‘Clarissa’ was produced in 2010, I had been wondering if he could sing, and love or hate Clarissa, it was so worth finally knowing he could. One of the real benefits is that I became a rabid Radio 4 listener. I’m so sorry I did not have the pleasure before. More on this here.
Whether RA could sing or not, from my first introduction to him in early 2008, I wondered what quality it was in his voice that so fascinated me. It took me over a year to pinpoint. Thankfully, in 2009 I decided to stop writing all of my journal entries and record some of them. This helped me capture the thoughts that eluded me when I finally had a pencil in hand. I also quickly obtained some voice to text software so I wouldn’t have to hear myself while transcribing. LOL! Here’s an entry from August of that year:
It’s a wonderful thing about voices…. I was just listening to Sylvester, and I don’t even like those kinds of books….they’re boring, syrupy and talk about Mary Sue?….they’re replete with it. But you know (chuckle), I just love listening to it because of the range Richard Armitage has….It’s finally dawned on me what I really love about his voice. It’s the same thing I love about [SO’s] voice and my son’s voice……there’s a melody in their voices, a song, a possibility. They always seem on the verge of breaking into a song or making a joke……or something. SO can’t sing and my son can’t sing, and I’m not sure if Richard Armitage can sing, but they all share that song in their voices. I don’t mean they sound sing songy but rather the modulation of their voices gives an expectation. And…it’s usually hopeful. I love that.
Yes, I was a bit harsh about Sylvester, but my friends, that’s how I felt. That aside, it’s the expectation in his voice that makes me come back over and over again to hear him. If it were just the deep timbre of his voice, I really could get that from Alan Rickman and so many others. But it’s something way beyond his vocal register, and it was so interesting to hear RA’s take on how he thinks of music and the voice and how he actually used music and in particular singing to help him craft his characters for the audio books! From his interview for The Convenient Marriage:
I always love hearing him talking about his preparation! I also have a soundtrack in my head. Almost everything in life is put to music; it’s a rare day when I don’t put everything to a rhythm. I wonder if this happens naturally with everyone. I really don’t know, but I do know that sometimes this is a curse for me. I wonder if that happens to RA.
If you’re enjoying this, don’t forget to enter the Heyer audio book giveaway. Details here.
Oh, and Tory hasn’t heard that interview clip, and I don’t think she’s seen the picture either. So I’m sure I’ll be hearing from her later. LOL!!
And she and I have come to realize that we not only agree about Clarissa and our fascination for RA but have quite a few things in common including some people we know. It’s been such a treat to get to know her, and she’s far from the only person with whom I’ve been developing friendships due to RA. So many of you I’ve had such pleasure coming to know! One in particular is always so pleasant and encouraging, and her joy is contagious. I wonder sometimes if she realizes what a delight she is. Iz4blue (aka Sinjoor):
Yeah, this is totally cool, and it really is all about the love. So well put.
Iz originally hails from Antwerp, Belgium; we’ve just had the privilege of her being part of the U.S. for the last several years.
By the way, she really does know how to ferret out some of the best videos and fan fiction, and there are so many that it’s good to have a guide. She has worked with Eva over at Wattpad to create an Armitage Fan Club, and it’s a great place to find fan fiction. The best thing about it is how easily it can be accessed from a phone, and for those of us on the go (whether we want to be or not), it’s a boon. Iz has also started a blog where she can bring all of the other good vibrations to our attention easily. With the publication of Sexy Back 3, maybe a top ten of RA montage videos? :D
Interrupting my FanstRAvaganza posts for a public service announcement. :D
I’ve said it before: watching Heather’s Sexy Back videos is a rite of passage as a Richard Armitage fan. Some of us have been waiting three years for her next Sexy Back video, and now….
Did we just get another one of RA’s voices? I think we did. I’ll be making another FanstRAvaganza post about his voice work later today, but it will focus on voice work only. Yesterday, we got another wonderful example of it in his screen work. He plays a German! Okay, yeah, I already knew that, but I hadn’t heard him speak with a German accent until yesterday. It’s these kinds of things that really show me how much I’m in the bag for Richard Armitage. The clip of him in the Captain America trailer is what? about two seconds long? And yet I’ve watched it, oh, maybe 50 or 60 times. Of course I have to say 50 or 60 times because anything less sounds like a lie, and anything more might scare you. LOL! But however many times I’ve played it (I really don’t know), I’ve done it all sorts of ways — slowed down, frame by frame, tiny view, huge view, and now I really do sound like a nut. Glad my kids don’t read this blog. LOL! Next time I make a tuition payment and have to chew on them about goofing off, it wouldn’t hold much weight. No, seriously, they’re good kids. One of them carries a 3.9 and the other a 3.85, so I have nothing to complain about, but I’m not going to take any chances. That’s why they have no idea what this blog is called, and if you don’t think that’s been a feat, phew, think again. I’m a techie, and the apples don’t fall far from the tree. If they wanted to find this, they could. I’m just glad they’re so busy they don’t care enough to do it!
Did you see how smoothly I worked in bragging about my kids? I had to say something about them. I am proud of what they’ve done, and I can’t help but talk about it sometimes even more than RA. ;-)
Okay, back to the topic at hand. Man, I cannot wait to hear more of his German accent. I wonder if he will actually speak German. I LOVE the German accent by the way, which is a very good thing since SO’s family are very, very German. His grandmother even spoke with a distinct German accent. Her last name was Schmidt, and her maiden name was Hinman. I dare not tell you SO’s last name. I will say this, it means on patrol, on guard, or watchman. LOL! Oh, sorry. I’m having trouble staying on topic. :D
I wasn’t going to post the new Captain America trailer, but I’ve actually had people ask me about it. I figured most of the people who read my blog are die hard fans who know where to find all the news about RA, but I guess there are some who come here first. Wow. I’m bowled over. So here it is:
Heinz Krüger is on about 1:41. On a slightly related note, I love Tommy Lee Jones. I’ve loved him since “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
Before I forget, here is an audio clip of just RA’s part in the trailer:
And speaking of news, is there a possibility that RA could be in this at all?
RSC 50th birthday celebrations see Robin Hood ride into Warwickshire
By Marion McMullen, Entertainment Reporter
Mar 24 2011
IT’S bow and arrows at the ready as Robin Hood rides into Warwickshire as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Family show the Heart Of Robin Hood follows the recent big screen version of the Sherwood Forest outlaw starring Russell Crowe and the BBC1’s TV series featuring Coventry-trained actor Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne.
The new production, written by RSC associate director
David Farr, will be the Christmas special at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford and the first large-scale family show to be staged in the recently-opened theatre.
The swashbuckling show tells the tale of the notorious Robin Hood and his outlaws.
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What was I saying about the salesman on the side of the bed? Oh man, I really haven’t meant to tease any of you; just had a bit of an emergency, and now things are back to normal, which means they are only somewhat chaotic instead of out and out insane. LOL!
I tried to write a really thoughtful piece about Richard Armitage’s voice, and I hated it. It’s tough being entirely serious when I sit down to write for this blog, and frankly, I’m glad!
So my first real encounter with The Voice was the moment John Thornton had a proper introduction to Margaret. To say I had a visceral reaction would be putting it mildly. Didn’t we all have a visceral reaction? :D I think every cell in my body vibrated. It was almost as if someone poked a stick in my back to make me sit up and take better notice, and it didn’t matter that I typically didn’t like period drama. It didn’t matter that he had not been my ideal. All of my attention was now focused on the guy who had yelled, “Stephens!” several minutes earlier.
Deb (aka November Bride) nails some of my fascination with his voice:
But as much as I loved hearing John Thornton say even the mundane, I still didn’t think Richard Armitage had a phenomenal voice. Yeah, can you believe that? It’s true. I assumed he was phenomenal for this role — larger than life and effecting a brogue and brusqueness that evoked a response from me which probably wouldn’t occur again. It wasn’t until I watched Vicar of Dibley where RA was the congenial Harry, who looked and sounded nothing like John Thornton and certainly didn’t evoke any strong emotion from me when he opened his cottage door, that I began to think I had never seen an actor of his like before. It came when he made his first move (albeit a subtle one) on Geraldine:
That about took my head off. The intimacy in the lowering of his voice and slowing of his speech had me giddy like I was 15 again and some boy I was crushing on smiled at me. Here’s the thoughtful description I gave it earlier, but had second thoughts about publishing: it was like lying on the beach with the sun beaming down and the water washing up on me, and I always want to lie in it, but it’s just cold enough to make me shiver and want to stand up and maybe run away, and I’m never quite sure what to do with myself. The only thing I was sure of was standing there with Harry and Geraldine and convinced Harry was immediately smitten and trying to put Geraldine under his spell, and I was falling under it too. Phew. I think I might have had a bead or two of sweat after that scene. The look on Dawn French’s face says it all. I would give her kudos for acting, but I’ve wondered if she really was.
I wanted so badly to describe his voice after the Dibley experience, but I wasn’t sure how to do it justice, and the perfect description eluded me since I’m not a chocolate lover. Oh, I like it fine, but I’ve never craved it and usually don’t think much about it. I truly can take it or leave it, so it wasn’t until later that I began to associate those beautiful sounds coming out of his mouth with chocolate. Dove Chocolate commercials might have something to do with that. Um, yeah, that’s how I imagine chocolate might sound.
Not too long after I watched Vicar, I discovered the CBeebies stories on YouTube. This was my first exposure to Richard’s voice work, and I thought they were adorable. I put them on my iPod and grinned at the thought of friends and family discovering them there. I also remember Mulubinba talking about using these stories as part of her work as a therapist. I found this infinitely fascinating and have often wondered about the result since I can totally believe that voice could have therapeutic effects. Jonia discusses some very interesting research about the possibilities, and I think she might be right, but I love to hear her voice as well. Enjoy:
And now I can pronounce her name correctly. Don’t ask me how I pronounced it before. LOL! Jonia, you have a beautiful name, beautiful voice, and your English is very good! I’m impressed since I surely can’t speak Polish.
As for Mulubinba, I haven’t had a chance to read her FanstRAvaganza posts, but I look forward to anything she wishes to write about:
Of course RA’s voice is not the first I’ve loved, but its profound effect has puzzled me. Countless times I’ve watched the scenes that move me, and I’m not sure I can quite describe why his voice resonates so deeply. With North and South, the scenes which affected me the most were the ones in which he didn’t speak or barely spoke. I was attuned to his body language and especially his facial expressions, which Musa is making a study of this week:
His facial expressions are a pleasure to study, but with the Vicar of Dibley scene, the emphasis was not on his facial expressions. I find it telling that he’s in profile so that his expressions and especially his eyes could not be the energy behind that scene. It was certainly his wonderful voice.
I will catch you tomorrow when I have a little surprise for you, but in the meantime, I would love to hear about your first encounter with The Voice.
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The first day of FanstRAvaganza is here! But I have to take timeout to give you a little insight into the struggle of getting ready. A few weeks ago I asked for recordings from fellow bloggers and some online buddies. I assumed this was going to be a fairly easy task but for the few who don’t like their voices. I was wrong. Oh, some took to it very well, but some had no clue how to record. That was fine since I love to teach. There were also some who had to find a microphone they had not used in awhile or never. Some did not find their microphones. Some had colds or other such maladies that rendered them mute. :D One even resorted to co-opting some two year olds to sing instead of recording her voice, and every day I would get multiple excuses in my in-box about why someone couldn’t send a file. Yet I kept reiterating it was voluntary! After awhile I began to think I was being stonewalled. Yes, I know some felt bad, but please, please, do not feel bad. I hate my voice too! LOL!
This exercise made me question if almost everyone hates her voice. I went in search of some data about this and found quite a bit. In particular I thought this was interesting. It seems almost no one likes his/her voice when they hear a recording of it! Although I’ve long known the difference was created by the amplification inside our heads versus outside of it, I did not know that we actually hear additional vibrations of our voices. All of this has me wondering how Richard Armitage must sound to himself. Since a person’s voice sounds higher pitched when recorded than it does in his/her head, what must it sound like in his head?! Oh my! And of course I wonder if he hates the sound of his voice as well. Yes, I’m still trying to get in his head, but I’ll stop this line of thought for now. :D
Thankfully, none of you gave up and eventually all came through despite the obstacles, and some of you didn’t realize you weren’t as bad as you originally thought. Natalie of ArmitageFanBlog was a trooper though.
First attempt from Nat:
Already trying to distance her name from it:
Really not sure about this:
Almost giving up:
I think I heard a “to hell with this!” No, I’m just kidding, Nat. :D
Aaah success!
By the way, Nat, you were doing good to get it in five takes although I thought the first one was just fine! I’m not even going to say how long it took me, and one friend said she had 400 files or what felt like it.
There will be more voices throughout the week not the least of which will be RA’s, and if someone would still like to send me a file of 2-3 minutes (more or less) of what you like about him and perhaps words of encouragement to him, I’ll be happy to take it. :D Would love to have them by March 20th or sooner.
But for now:
Voice brought to you by Phylly of PhyllysFaves. Be sure to check out her posts as she will be covering ‘The Impressionists’ and all things of an artistic bent relating to it. Can’t wait to see what she’s got!
RAFrenzy 
