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The Funniest Joke Of The Year

Blog, Career, Media

Tim Vine
Tim Vine

I love jokes.

Especially the ones that make me laugh.

Seriously!

Every year, the public at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival votes for the funniest joke of the year. Comedian Tim Vine was declared the 2014 winner with the one-liner:

“I decided to sell my Hoover…. well, it was just collecting dust.”

I don’t know about you, but when I read that joke, I had to chuckle a bit. That’s all. It wasn’t one of those tears in my eyes – I can’t stop laughing – rib-tickling moments. Why is that? If 2,000 people polled at the Festival thought this was the funniest joke, why am I barely laughing?

THE PROBLEM WITH SCRIPTS

The problem with that joke is the same a problem I encounter with many of the scripts I’m asked to voice. Well-written scripts aren’t meant to be read. They are meant to be spoken. Just like jokes.

I often compare the words in a script to musical notes. They’re dots on a piece of paper. Only when they’re played, you have the beginnings of music. And only when they’re played very well (and on a good instrument) do they have the potential to move you.

A great script can fall flat on its face due to a lackluster performance, but a great performer can still make magic out of a mediocre script. It has to do with that thing (voice) actors and comedians have in common with the Ob/Gyn’s and midwives of this world:

It’s all about the delivery.

Yeah, baby!

Now, those last two words might not make you smile, but when I hear them, I hear Mike Meyers say them as sixties-spy Austin Powers, and I have to laugh.

Delivery is the trademark of a pro. Done well, it sounds easy, but it’s not. And that’s what many hopefuls don’t yet get. 

Someone might have a resonant, pleasing voice, but as we all know, that’s not enough to have a career as a voice-over. Believing that having good pipes is all it takes, is the same thing as saying that you only need good looks to make it in Hollywood. As far as I can tell, only Tom Cruise pulled that one off.

Having the goods is one thing, but you have to know how to deliver. 

SHOW ME THE MONEY

So, the next question is: What makes a good delivery? What’s involved; can it be learned or does it come naturally?

I had to think about that when I listened back to a Terry Gross interview with Robin Williams for her show Fresh Air. At first, Williams manages to stay himself, but it doesn’t take him long to start doing all kinds of voices. The amazing thing is, Williams never sounds like someone pretending to be someone else. When he does an impression, he sounds like a completely different person. One thing was immediately clear: he’s a master of his instrument; a master of his voice.

Trained vocalists would immediately notice his use of voice placement. It’s a way for singers and actors to focus their sound into a particular area (head, mouth, chest or nose) with a specific resonance, coloring the sound. During the interview, I actually got the feeling that some of the characters Williams pulled out of his hat were sitting at different places at the table. I’m sure this also had to do with the way he worked the microphone.

If you listen to the entire interview, you’ll understand why he must have driven the sound engineer crazy…

Moving away from voice placement, what factors influence the way we come across, vocally?

If I were a college professor, I’d say: Human speech can be broken down into several basic elements, and each of these elements makes the way we sound unique, very much like a vocal fingerprint. Here they are:

  • Pitch: the degree of highness or lowness of our tone, as well as our vocal range and inflection
  • Tempo: the relative speed or slowness of the way we speak, and the way our speech flows
  • Volume: the relative loudness or softness of our voice
  • Timbre: the color and quality of a voice, e.g.  clear, nasal, raspy, breathy


COLORING OUR SOUND

These four elements can be affected consciously, and unconsciously. For instance, our health -or lack thereof- influences the way we sound. We all know that we don’t sound the same when we have a cold or suffer from a bad allergy. Our lifestyle may color our voice too. If you’re a heavy smoker or drinker, if you’re on a junk food diet, and if you’re not physically active, it will slowly change the sound of your voice. 

The way you are built and your posture have an impact too, as well as your facial expressions. Try saying something serious with a huge grin on your face… Then there’s your emotional state. A sad person sounds very different from an angry or a happy person. Environmental factors may influence your voice too. If you live in a very dry or polluted climate, the way you sound will tell the tale.  

And finally, we should consider age. After a lifetime of talking, the vocal folds and surrounding tissue lose strength and elasticity, and our mucous membranes become thinner and drier. Over time, men’s voices become higher, and women’s voices will drop. We lose volume, endurance, and control. All of this and more will influence our delivery. 

Now, here’s the good news: even though we cannot stop the aging process, you can protect and strengthen your voice. That means investing in your health. A few tips:

  • Be critical of what you put into your body.
  • Avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Get enough sleep.
  • Avoid screaming and whispering.
  • Breathe deeply, and from the diaphragm.
  • Use good posture.
  • Manage your stress level.
  • Take singing lessons.


When you do all that, you will start to notice a huge difference in your delivery because you gain more control over your instrument. That’s essential if you want to get to the next level: making music.

And that’s precisely what I’ll be talking about next week, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, comedian Tim Vine told The Independent that his award-winning Hoover-joke wasn’t even his favorite joke of the show. Tim tells about two hundred one-liners in sixty minutes. 

Vine also won funniest joke in 2010. Here it is:

“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

I’ll tell you what…

Never again.”

Rimshot!

Paul Strikwerda ©nethervoice 

PS Be sweet Please retweet!

PPS This is part 1 in a series on performance and script delivery. You can read part 2 “The worst acting advice ever,” and part 3 “How to be believable,” in the weeks to come. 

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Filed Under: Blog, Career, Media Tagged With: best voiceover blog, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Fresh Air, Funniest joke of the year, how to color your sound, Nethervoice, Nethervoice blog, Paul Strikwerda, Robin Williams, Terry Gross, Tim Vine, voice characteristics, voice placement, voice-over, voiceover, voiceover blog

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ted Mcaleer says

    August 21, 2014 at 4:46 am

    I always love Thursday, great tips… delivery explained. All with a rimshot!

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  2. Conchita Congo says

    August 21, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Wow! Rimshot, indeed! This is an article I really need to “let simmer” & read again.
    And your Tom Cruise comment is probably the funniest joke of all time! LMAO!
    Thank you Paul

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  3. Joe Van Riper says

    August 21, 2014 at 9:42 am

    Love the tip re: singing lessons! Even if you can’t carry a tune in a basket, you’ll learn a lot about breathing and posture.

    And you may enjoy a one-liner a friend of mine wrote for Rodney Dangerfield years ago:

    “My son sent me a bottle of imported water. It was from Mexico!”

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  4. Nicholas Lane says

    August 21, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    I too enjoyed the Tom Cruise comment. Also, enjoyed the whole piece. As said earlier, great info to “simmer”. And then implement.

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  5. Cliff Zellman says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    Excellent, as usual Paul! I really like the “singing lessons advice. I suggest to all Newbie’s to seriously consider taking piano lessons for 3 months, not to become an accomplished pianist, but to understand the relationship of chords, major and minor, dynamics, tempo and ear training. VO IS music. And “proper” musicality is vital to a compelling delivery.

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  6. Andy Maher says

    August 21, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    Very true what you say about environmental factors affecting the voice.

    Years ago I moved from Calgary, Canada to Sydney, Australia. I’m not sure whether it was the change in altitude (moving to back sea level after 2 years at 1km above it), the humidity, atmospheric pressure, pollution, or what – but in Sydney my voice became quite a lot deeper.

    It was great – I ended up on some hot rock radio promos!

    It was only temporary, which bugged me for a while until I realised my regular voice was more versatile and easier to control. Unless I’m stressed – you’re right about that too Paul!

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    • Paul Strikwerda says

      August 21, 2014 at 9:49 pm

      I really enjoyed reading your comments, today! Music is a huge part of my life, and it has helped me tremendously as a voice-over. I’ll probably talk about that in next week’s installment. I play the piano, I sing, and I’ve also played the cornet for many years. Music is my therapy!

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  7. Mike Harrison says

    August 22, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    Great stuff, as always, Paul! There are some things I definitely need to work on.

    In the meantime, here’s a classic from the late Henny Youngman:

    “My wife said to me, ‘For our anniversary I want to go somewhere I’ve never been before.’ I said, ‘Try the kitchen!'”

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  8. Nicola Redman says

    August 23, 2014 at 4:25 am

    Really interest read Paul, and some great tips re vocal health. People forget that their voice ages too and it needs some TLC…
    Nic
    http://www.nicolaredman.com

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    • Paul Strikwerda says

      August 23, 2014 at 7:31 am

      Thank you, Nicola. Vocal health starts at an early age. Protecting our instrument is an investment in the future.

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  9. Alissa says

    August 24, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    “Take singing lessons”
    Yes! I tell so many people this. You learn so much about control, breathing, pacing, rhythm, etc., etc., from singing lessons that no voice over coach has ever been able to convey to me. With the exception of one who was also a singer. I would even go further and say take opera or musical theatre singing lessons, to incorporate all of the above with acting. It’s a lot to think about all at the same time 🙂

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  10. Kent Ingram says

    August 26, 2014 at 12:50 pm

    Thanks, Paul, for another wonderful article! I’m reminded of a project I was hired for about 3 months ago. The clients liked both me and the lady who worked with me, voice-wise. But, they ended up firing the lady and keeping me, because her delivery was very flat and emotionless. That’s when it became clear to me that my experience level in voice ACTING served me well in this instance! Your article proved my thinking was spot-on. Unfortunately, after letting the female talent go, the project was put on indefinite hold until the clients can find a suitable (plus affordable) female talent. Take care.

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    • Paul Strikwerda says

      August 27, 2014 at 8:39 am

      My pleasure, Kent. I’m working on part two, today. You are right: this is called voice ACTING for a reason. Otherwise, they might as well hire a robot to read our lines. Oh wait… they’re already doing that!

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  11. Dean Smith says

    November 23, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    jokes about letters are easy…its all in the delivery.

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  12. Ralph Hass says

    July 21, 2016 at 4:20 pm

    As you mentioned the late great Robin Williams, Paul, it is worth noting he was born on this date in 1951. He sure had an impact on me over the years beginning with “Mork and Mindy” and delivering his lines as “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

    I didn’t realize until after I published my blog post last week featuring some funny “Anchorman” footage that Will Ferrell had a birthday the next day.

    Thanks for your tips, Paul!

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    • Paul Strikwerda says

      July 21, 2016 at 4:38 pm

      Thanks for pointing out that it’s Robin Williams’ birthday. I had no idea. He’s also a hero of mine, and I’ll never forget his unforgettable two-hour interview Inside The Actor’s Studio. I’m still not over the fact that he has left us.

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