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There is no cash prize, no Broyhill living room set, not even a free Metro ride -- just bragging rights and your voice piped into subway cars 33,017 times a day.
...
The finalists, chosen from 1,259 entries, awoke this morning to the possibility of hitting the big time, of being anointed the new voice of Metro and recording the "doors closing" message that plays on every Metro train after every station stop. The voice will replace a 10-year-old recording that transit officials said has grown so stale no one pays attention to it anymore.
The winner will enjoy a peculiar type of celebrity. His or her voice will become one of the distinctive sounds of Washington, intimately familiar to Metro's 700,000 daily subway riders.

Metro officials were stunned by the interest in the contest. The transit agency was flooded with audition recordings from as far away as Seattle. A panel of Metro managers narrowed the field to 10, all of whom live in the metropolitan area and half of whom ride Metro regularly.

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:44 (eighteen years ago) link

listen to all ten finalists here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101463.html

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:45 (eighteen years ago) link

so who should win? i think i know. (hint: his name is john howell)

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:46 (eighteen years ago) link

i like linda carducci

― ,,, Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:49 (eighteen years ago) link

shrillest/most irritating = sarah fraser

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:53 (eighteen years ago) link

craziest in the coconut = angela stevens

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:55 (eighteen years ago) link

mark p is right, john howell is the best

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link

he has a voice that makes me want to drink gin

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link

I swear to god John Howell sounds like the guy that did the spoken word thing on GYBE- Dead Flag Blues

― PlayfulPuppy (playfulpuppy), Thursday, 2 February 2006 03:42 (eighteen years ago) link

John Howell is awesome but Jon Garcia is so comforting, he's the Mr Rogers of doors closing

more importantly though what the fuck is up with "so customers can exit the train"?

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 2 February 2006 03:56 (eighteen years ago) link

i think carol rabel's was soothing

― tehresa (tehresa), Thursday, 2 February 2006 03:58 (eighteen years ago) link

PlayfulPuppy says:
He sounded identical to the guy from Dead Flag Blues.
PlayfulPuppy says:
Like a husky old whiskey-drinker.
Trayce says:
oh cool
Trayce says:
"the doors are opening... and we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine. Please stand clear. Then die"

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 2 February 2006 04:02 (eighteen years ago) link

I like John Howell - it's sounds like he's saying "The doors are openin'"

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 2 February 2006 04:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Jon Garcia is winning - but Joh Howell must win...vote now.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:16 (eighteen years ago) link

Now, Linda's winning. The trouble with Jon is that he sounds like he's reading a book so I'm more likely to stand there waiting for him to finish than get on with actually standing back.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:20 (eighteen years ago) link

jon and mary are best. john has a wicked voice but he speaks too slowly, as does linda. i like the weary, peading note in randi's voice when she askes customers to move to the centre of the car when boarding - i sympathise with her. couldn't even get to the end of sarah and angela's recordings before pressing stop; listening to either of them every time you travelled would be excruciating.

― emsk ( emsk), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:41 (eighteen years ago) link

WASHDAHCLOSINDAWS...

Damn, I wish I had speakers at work. Can we get one of them to replace that horrible smug posh woman who just sounds so pleased with herself when she announces "Swiss Cottage!" ?

― The Late Fear And The Potato Fear (kate), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:05 (eighteen years ago) link

i voted for the craziest in the coconut lady, since she seems to be the underdog. she says it with such urgency! it's good.

― the kit! (g-kit), Thursday, 2 February 2006 12:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Can anyone work out a way of putting these on an MP3?

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 13:45 (eighteen years ago) link

When I was in Washington I argued with my friend about the femaly voice of the "doors opening", "doors closing". I insisted (and still mantain), that she had a slight Australian, possibly British accent - certainly not American. I guess it's all moot now.

I liked the lightshow down the platform when the trains approached.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 2 February 2006 13:58 (eighteen years ago) link

"female" voice, dang.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 2 February 2006 13:59 (eighteen years ago) link

John Howell all the way. He would make riding metro much more exciting. Most of 'em sound too much like the current voice but his is kinda the American equivalent of Liam Neeson.

I've also always found the voice of the woman who says "Stop Requested" on DC buses really hot. perhaps that's one of those things one should keep to oneself.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link

But isn't this just a poll? We don't actually get to decide who the voice is gonna be do we?

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link

What about having vaguely appropriate music for each stop?

e.g. Baker Street station, the doors open to the sound of the sax break from Gerry Rafferty's record.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link

john howell sounds like fucking johny cash. totally the best.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Aaaaaaaand stop. Randi Miller won. Big disappointment.

I like Mark's suggestion although this is DC and not known for having too many songs written about it's different metro stops.

Could play Wham! at Dupont Circle I guess.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:51 (eighteen years ago) link

the key thing to consider is which voice lends itself best to repeat airings. thousands a day, if you happen to work for the transit service. that's why: cowboy howell in '06.

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:51 (eighteen years ago) link

boo Randi Miller - she sounds too close to the current voice. John Howell woulda tore shit up.

― ZR (teenagequiet), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Randi Miller - such a predictable choice. Howell was the man and he knew it.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:12 (eighteen years ago) link

"I hear the door's a closin'..."

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:14 (eighteen years ago) link

no howell, no tranquility

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:14 (eighteen years ago) link

I thought this thread was going to be about the number of times Jimmy Snuka thinks about killing a woman per day.

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago) link

"I hear the door's a closin'..."

-- Big Loud Mountain Ape (bigheadyet...), February 2nd, 2006.

hahahahahha

― don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:30 (eighteen years ago) link

i could listen to john howell say anything and it would sound pleasant.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago) link

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