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We did a Radio Boston
We did a Radio Boston interview with Oglesby a little while back: http://www.wbur.org/2010/08/18/voice-of-the-t
Correcting announcements?
How does a T rider go about requesting a corrected announcement? There's one on the 66 that grates on my nerves every day - Hano Street is pronounced "Hay-know," not "Hanno."
If you know that
You don't need no stinkin announcement?
Taking a Bow
that's how the #87 bus at least used to pronounce Bow Street in Union Square -- as in "bow down" rather than "bow and arrow".
Moe-zart Street, Estrella Street
The 41 pronounces "Estrella" correctly, then shortly thereafter it messes up "Mozart."
In Chicago ....
Goethe St is pronounced "Go--ee--thee St."
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for posting this. I've always wondered who the guy was. I was actually planning to ask you soon enough because I figured you or someone would have known and could run a story on him.
ditto
Excellent piece Adam - thanks
Yes, but...
...who is the woman who says, "MASS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY" and why does that only sound occasionally?
Ugh, that woman is awful
I've always wondered about her. She sounds like she's trying to inflict maximum pain upon the ears of the passengers.
Only on certain trains, I think
My guess is that it was added because MEEI is REALLY ADAMANT that they aren't part of MGH.
But yes, I laugh my ass off every time she comes out of nowhere and shreeks that.
mr rodgers
i was trying to place his voice the halting uncertainess. he talks like mr rodgers. i used to put on mr rodgers when i wanted the kids to take a nap . his voice was so boring we would all fall asleep before he finished putting on his sneakers. ditto with this guy you fall asleep and miss your stop.
Putting a face to a voice
When I lived on Phillips Street on Beacon Hill people used to ask "can you hear the Red Line going by?" My answer was "not only can I hear it, but I can hear 'Next Stop....Park Street'". It is nice to finally put a face to the voice.
He actually mentions it in
He actually mentions it in the video, but my first two reactions were:
1) He's black?
and
2)Every announcement is the same guy?
Also, AAAASHMONT
ASHMONT(!!!!!!!!!!!!) etc
I'm exhausted, so this is a bit scatterbrained...
- If he had a smile on his face when recording "Now Entering Park Street." I can't imagine what the explanation for "ASHMONT!!!!" is. It sounds like he fell asleep in the recording booth, someone jabbed him with their elbow, and that's the first thing he said when he jerked awake.
- Also, the "doors will open on the... left" announcement is delivered along the lines of "Haha. You didn't see that one coming, did you? We're mixing things up. Yeah, that's just how we roll."
- I'm glad he said something about the weird processing on some of the recordings. (like the Green Line announcements) It's amazing how easy it is to assume it's several different people.
- May the T never change "Suthaland Road".
On the... left!
I've always found the doors opening on the left one (Green Line) interesting too. He sounds so excited to be throwing you this curveball of an exiting scheme.
He's so emphatic about Braintree too, with a strange and awkward emphasis on the "brain." The Red Line really is a gem with all of its awfully choppy announcements. "Entering: Kendall/MIT"... "MIT/CAMBRIDGE CENTER!!!!!!"
Ashmont depression
I had always noted how he seemed so depressed about Ashmont, and so perky about Braintree. Maybe we can get a more energetic Ashmont someday?
Applause for the story & video, Adam.
I always thought that distinctive T-Voice was an MBTA employee– great pipes!
Nice to see Frank's such a humble celebrity.
Applause for the story & video, Adam.
-Ed
I'm surprised he's a black guy
Actually I'm surprised he's human. A lot of those recordings are so stilted I assumed it was a computer generated voice.
Same. I was sitting on the
Same. I was sitting on the bus when I read this, and thinking, "There's no way that's a human voice."
Yeah, I knew the subway was
Yeah, I knew the subway was real, but I thought the bus was text to voice.
It's his voice, but a bunch
It's his voice, but a bunch of the announcements are edited-together fragments of different recordings. Some of the bus announcements are pretty terrible that way - "Alewife Brook Parkway" on the 77 sounded like it was about five different bits spliced in. I don't know if that's to save storage space for the recordings, or if it was just easier for the bus programming folks to do that than to get Frank back for another recording session.
That's what I figured. They
That's what I figured. They cut up things and splice them together as needed, resulting in a stilted delivery
"Funny,
for some reason, you sounded a lot taller on the radio."
Sheriff Beauford T. Justice - Smokey and The Bandit
Mr. Oglesby has such a lovely-sounding voice....
... I wish the announcements sounded more like his _real_ voice.
You scooped the New York Times
NYTimes article on the voice behind the MTA
Biters.
Hah, and like their mayor ...
She's from New England.
We just returned from a trip to New York (and started a Twitter hashtag: BostonIsBetterThanNY). Took the PATH train to Hoboken because, well, we could. Those trains have two announcers, a cheery woman who tells you what the next stop is and a gruff man who warns you not to get trapped in the doors. Naturally, I wondered if they ever get into arguments, like the announcers at the airport in "Airplane."
Nice
Awesome hashtag. Red Lobster sucks.