I watched R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" for the first time on Saturday night at BB and AW's house and now a strange thing is happening: when I sit down to read, and last night it was Kathy Acker's Great Expectations, the usual reading voice that resounds in my head and makes me a slow reader has been replaced by R. Kelly singing the text to the tune of "Trapped in the Closet". Imagine:This: "I knew there could be no way I would live with a man because, while I desperately needed total affection, I wasn't willing to give up my desires which is what men want and I couldn't trust. The men who were part of my life weren't really part of my life: Clifford who I hated and the delivery boys who were weaklings..."
or even better: "Author: Huh? What rare discourse are you fall'n upon, ha? Ha' you found any friend here, that you are so free? Away rogue, it's come to a fine degree in these spectacles when such a youth as you pretend to a judgement."
Unlikely pairing or genius mash-up? You decide.
5 comments:
R.'s voice is to'ally the narrator of my thoughts.
I'm always like,
"I'm-gonna-be-all-up-in-dat-busted-ass-kitchen-with-dat-peanut-butter-and-jelly-and-i'm-gonna-make-a sand-WICH!"
I'm cool with it until at the sight of 12 year old girls my brain starts singing, "Come-over-here-girl-I-gots-ta-pee-pee-all-over-you-bay-bay!"
Then I'll be sorta bummed. Sorta.
midget midget midget (echo)
If only you could reproduce this effect for the rest of us. I want to hear it. Unfortunately, I'm betting you can't actually sing like R. Kelly; how does that man make a falsetto so macho?
Next time I see you, I'll give it a shot. In the meantime, try watching Trapped in the Closet and experimenting with different texts. I bet you the voice will come spontaneously.
On another note, has anyone had the experience of various other voices popping into your head while reading? I think the typical voice-over is that of a British man's. That guy has been reading Moby Dick over my shoulder lately. I think my British man wears a bushy mustache, tweed and has a bit of a belly.
when I read Chaucer I hear the voice of Scrooge McDuck from Ducktales reading aloud.
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