Singers with a speech impediment

Here's an article from their fan site, Cloud Zero, )at http://cloud-zero.org/):

Here's my old post on Edward's accent. I have made some corrections to it
and additions based on new information. This should be the end of this
thread. I'll save it this time in case the question comes up again:

I've heard a lot of talk on here about Edward's voice and its
unusual quality. I've also heard it referred to as a "lisp".
Hopefully, i can help illuminate everyone a little. Edward comes
from East London, (Phil comes from Ilford in nearby East Anglia.) I myself
lived for a time in Colchester, which is near Ipswich, Ilford, Harwich, and
many of the other places that Edward seemed to be working in and around
when the band was still in the U.K.. I also spent quite a bit of time in
East London and my best friend is a certified Cockney geezer, born and
raised in Barking. So this can be considered expert advice from an
honorary Cockney boy. Go West Ham.
Back to Edward: His accent is pretty normal for that area,
especially if he spent some time in more urban areas (Daggenham, Barking,
Basildon, what have you.) And indeed he did, as a recent conversation
revealed. He was born in Barking and lived in nearby Daggenham.
Beyond his East London/East Anglian accent he has a pronounced way
of pronouncing certain sounds, for instance his R's. To many they start to
sound like W's (especially to American ears, which don't hear this as
often.) This is NOT a "lisp". Strangely, it is not an accent either.
What it really is is a bit more complicated. There are several theories as
to why some folks in England talk this way, and here is one of the most
feasible that i've heard. It seems that a great while ago, (a couple of
hundred years perhaps) it became fashionable for people to speak with a
softened "R". Over time, this R became so softened that it pretty much
disappeared altogether. It's important to point out that this manner of
speaking does not appear to be regional, and is, rather, an affection. I
don't mean by that that Edward is faking this, at least not anymore. It
seems that at a very young age a person begins to talk this way, (perhaps
because a parent does) and by adulthood it has become natural to them. In
other words, if you were to visit where Edward grew up, Barking, Daggenham,
or some such place, most of the people would have a characteristic East
London accent, but most would not have this little "quality" in their
speech. Since there isn't a good explanation as to where it comes from,
many people in Britain
refer to it jokingly as a speech impediment. But in reality, it as a
peculiar form of permanent affection. It is not a "lisp" which is more of
a true speech impediment.
Unfortunatly, I don't know of a term for this kind of speaking, but
maybe someone else out there has heard of one. I have not studied speech,
so a few of the above facts may be a little off. If anyone out there has a
degree in this sort of thing, I welcome them to correct me. I hope this
has been of interest to someone besides myself and I hope I haven't bored
you all. Just thought you might like to know that the way Edward talks is
even more unique than you thought. You may want to note that this way of
talking is not thought of very highly by Joe Brit, as most of them consider
it silly. As a Pink Dot fan I have to admit that this way of speaking (or
singing) used to really annoy me, but with Edward, I don't mind. In fact,
with him I really like it. It's when I meet anyone else that talks like
that that it bugs me. Strange.

For a good example of someone without the same regional accent as
Edward, but with the same affection, check out Jonathen Ross on British
Telly. (or as we say "Jonathen Woss") (his show is still on isn't it?)
For a good example of someone with Edward's regional accent, but without
his speech peculiarity, listen to Billy Bragg. Billy is from Barking as
well.

whew, that's over.
-Jared Butler

jared@sfsu.edu 12/4/95

(RZA??)

RZA tends to pronounce his 'r's as 'w's, at least on the Wu-Tang tracks I've heard (same prob as Ed from LPD, apparently). I've heard it called a 'wubbleyou'.

More than a fair share of stutterers, too, but I won't name names (they're not famous anyway). But the stuttering in their speech is lost when singing.

Kool G Rap totally has a lisp but it's weird cuz it's the only lisp ever that sounds HAWDKORR.

"Itths a mythtery"

And speech impediments which don't make it into the songs: Gareth Gates to thread. I may have given this too much thought.

So how come Jonathan Ross's even less talented brother doesn't have the same "affection". Face it, yer man Ka-Spel has a lisp.

this is purely affected, in case you were wondering.

No, but pretending you are might.

On a separate note, my friend Alex is convinced Stuart Murdoch has a lisp. "I wath imprethed, I wath happy for a day in nineteen-thickthty five". I do not concur - he's just got a weedy and occasionally flat voice, and that's fine by me.

K, bad joke.

Does Cerys from Catatonia have a speech impediment? She seems to add a "sh" sound to everything.

That's not an impediment that's an affectation.

I was just this minute listening to Leon Thomas (on a Pharoah Sanders album), sounds like he might have one (and no, I don'y mean just because of the African throat-yodelling schtick).

Having just heard his album, add Oliver, of "Good Morning Starshine" fame, to this list - he actually sounds a lot like Tom Rapp on several tracks

Dr. Wobert from the Blow Monkeys

Judy Garland had a bit of a lisp, and Liza seems to have developed her own

Grimes has a fairly prominent lisp

https://myspace.com/illpunk/music/songs

alvin lucier

John Hammond Jr. stuttered. Sometime in the early '80s, I accompanied a friend who was interviewing him. Somehow--I was doing whatever I could to be unpleasant, but how we broached the subject, I don't know--he and I got into a disagreement about whether or not the Jefferson Airplane's audience in 1967 consisted primarily of young teenagers. He got more and more exasperated, the stuttering added to the tension, and he finally snapped at me that if I'd just listen, I'd realize he was right. Still remember it vividly.

That's amazing.

Very unpleasant memory, and, needless to say, my friend wasn't very happy. (The interviewed proceeded after I shut up.) I had this thing at the time about the self-righteousness that went along with a certain mindset--blues music is pure, and rock/pop is kid's stuff--and that's what was behind it. The joke of it is that I was six years old in 1967, and didn't know who the Jefferson Airplane were. What he said still doesn't make intuitive sense to me, but I should have had enough sense to defer to someone who was actually there.

alvin lucier

― Ward Fowler, Thursday, August 8, 2013 8:15 PM (30 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

came here to post this! robert ashley, too.

the girl who sings the first verse of 3lw's "no more (baby i'ma do right)" has a lisp. i think it's kiely williams? if so, i guess she lost it later on.

Steven Malkmus has a slight buzz, like a partial lisp, to his "s"s...I don't know what that's called, but the FMU DJ Tom Scharpling also has it.

The lead singer of the Showstoppers has a strong lisp.

Check their one big hit "It ain't nothin but a Houthparty"

Chris Brown had the most pronounced lisp in the world on his debut album

Dominic Appleton out of Breathless and This Mortal Coil has a lisp.

Tom Hingley from Inthspiral Carpetsth

Wayne Newton

Roger Daltrey. The stutter in 'My Generation' is put on but he said in an interview that both he and Pete Townshend stutter.

Wayne Newton's thing is that a terminal "s" becomes "sh," which is more apparent when speaking than when singing. Garland & Minnelli have a similar thing

One of the guys in The Clash?

Most English singers to american ears

Charming.

Roger Daltrey. The stutter in 'My Generation' is put on but he said in an interview that both he and Pete Townshend stutter.

― 2017, how bad could it be? (snoball), Sunday, January 8, 2017 6:12 AM (seven hours ago)

I don't doubt Daltrey said it, but I've seen several Townshend interviews and he seems like the most un-stuttering person ever. I don't even remember hearing any vocalized pauses like "um" and "uh."

One of the Wolfgramm sisters (maybe both) who does the predominant vocal on The Jets' "Crush on You" has an adorable lisp.

A.C. Newman has one too, and once I noticed it, all those New Pornographers songs seem sweeter.

Wow, can't believe no one has yet mentioned Scatman John, who even had a Top 10 hit about his stuttering.

Everybody stutters one way or the other
So check out my message to you
As a matter of fact, don't let nothin' hold you back
If the Scatman can do it, so can you

Everybody's sayin' that the Scatman stutters
But doesn't ever stutter when he sings
But what you don't know I'm gonna tell you right now
That the stutter and the scat is the same thing to you

I've never had a speech impediment, but I always find this super inspiring, brings a tear to my eye.

Does Henry Rollins lisp?

JUst watching the Birthday Party Minneapolis and Nick doesn't seem to be able to get through a song without falling over. Then writhing around on his back.
Inner ear problem?

Wow, can't believe no one has yet mentioned Scatman John, who even had a Top 10 hit about his stuttering.

Scatman John, is what I thought immediately too! :)

Claudine Longet had a speech impediment which, like everything she did apart from shooting her boyfriend, was very endearing. It's particularly notable on her cover of Bwoomstick Cowboy.

Surprised no-one's mentioned Richie Havens.

On Barry Gibb's solo album In the Now, he not only seems to have problems with vocal projection and resonance, it sounds like he has trouble pronouncing the lyrics. His whole vocal style had changed. Had he had a lot of health issues in the 15 years since the last Bee Gees album?

the guy from dead milkmen, not sure of his name

The guy in the Romantics has a slight lisp. Not Jimmy Marinos, but the guy who sings "Talking In Your Sleep."