Fascinating voices and faces

Post date: 2019-11-18 05:05:48

I'd like to build a little library of people I can study for writing fiction. People with distinctive speech and phrasing and character. Some examples and notes inside.

Sometimes when I'm writing fiction I like to hear the voice of a character in my head, and it's helpful to have a reference. If you can think of some audio or video reference of someone with a distinctive character, a distinctive way of speaking or behaving, I'd love to know.

For example, Richard Feynman: The accent, the pacing, the way he inhales in excitement when he's building a point.
Or Tammy, starting at 25:10 or so in this episode of the Lost Notes podcast. "I'd as soon smack the piss outta him" â€” amazing.

Of course everyone's speech pattern is unique. But there's something hypnotic and distinctive about these two examples; it makes it tantalizing to try to write in their voice, or borrow some characteristic.

Some requests:
â€” No fiction please. Don't care how wonderful.
â€” I'm not really looking for people with a practiced cadence (e.g., BBC Newsreaders).
â€” Similarly, performers who are working their shtick are less interesting to me. I love Tom Waits, but when he's on a talk show he's doing shtick. And yes, Feynman had a shtick, but ... you know what I mean.

Thanks!

Note: I know real human beings I've known make the best reference. This is just one tool in the kit.

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