Industry Inspiration. Who is yours?

[KHUK]

When you work for or in any aspect of the media industry, in my case the voice industry. There is always someone who you aspire to, that person might have been responsible for what you do today, or that person may have inspired you to do what you do today.

 

I thought I would start this thread for everyone to list or discuss their industry inspiration. I'll start it off...

 

Name one or more person / people you aspire to the most and explain why this person has inspired you.

 

For me, it's Tommy Vance (BBC Radio DJ) and Chris Grant (Voice Over Talent) If it wasn't for these two legendary people I wouldn't be doing what I do today.

 

Tommy Vance, like so many inspired a generation with his radio programme, The Friday Rock Show - he sadly passed away due to complications from a stroke in 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4323345.stm

 

Chris Grant, who's voice is enough to make your face melt (excuse the expression) has been my voice idol since I began a career in the voice industry. http://www.voiceovers.co.uk/chris.grant/

[James]

Actually i was inspired by my fathers friend, Bob Cooke who ran a show on local radio many many moons ago. It was a fantastic show but it went downhill with some issues and new management for the station. Im still inspired by Bob Cooke today but i dont see him very often which is a bit of a down.

 

Also my dad is a big inspiration, he recorded many famous artists back in the day and he has helped me along by building me a home studio :D

[GKIye]

I was infected by the virus of radio during the famous days of Offshore Radio. To Europe : stations such as Caroline, Mi Amigo etc where "hot" those days

In 1978 when Offshore radio was "almost" dead I begun with a friend of mine a Hospital radio project. For reason because We where both crazy about the making of radio. After all those years (2008 = already 30 years ago) I'm still crazy .. and I'm getting sometimes even more crazy than before

In fact I don't have a particular person or personality who inspired Me, its music and radio in general who are the source of evil

Since I've got as birthday present at the age of 12 (1972) my first portable radio / cassette deck .. and it had a real mic included .. those days a miracle to Me to hear my voice after it was recorded .. radio became a huge part of my life.

[carlwelden]

One particular thing (there were a few) that set me on this path was this:

 

One day in High School, back before the world went digital...I listened to a cassette tape by the experimental music group Negativland that had their new 1989 album: Helter Stupid (on side A) and The Perfect Cut (on side B).

 

The content of their music is made up from remixed audio media montage including films, television, radio, music, news, commercials, you name it. It turned all the transparency of media I'd taken for granted into a bolder, significant art form and reworked it's message while at it.

For most it would be catagorized under "difficult listening" but it made me rethink my perspectives on sound, language, music and their influence.

After that nothing ever sounded the same.

 

IT CHANGED THE WAY I LISTENED TO EVERYTHING.

[KHUK]

Actually i was inspired by my fathers friend, Bob Cooke who ran a show on local radio many many moons ago. It was a fantastic show but it went downhill with some issues and new management for the station. Im still inspired by Bob Cooke today but i dont see him very often which is a bit of a down.

 

Also my dad is a big inspiration, he recorded many famous artists back in the day and he has helped me along by building me a home studio :D

 

I know this reply will be off topic but I've never heard your voice before James. Apart from the excellent job creating Broadcasting World - Are you planning to break into the radio or voice over industry or both?

 

I'd love to see pictures of your studio when it's finished. Did your Dad record anybody still famous today? They say it runs in the family.

 

I was infected by the virus of radio during the famous days of Offshore Radio. To Europe : stations such as Caroline, Mi Amigo etc where "hot" those days

In 1978 when Offshore radio was "almost" dead I begun with a friend of mine a Hospital radio project. For reason because We where both crazy about the making of radio. After all those years (2008 = already 30 years ago) I'm still crazy .. and I'm getting sometimes even more crazy than before

In fact I don't have a particular person or personality who inspired Me, its music and radio in general who are the source of evil

Since I've got as birthday present at the age of 12 (1972) my first portable radio / cassette deck .. and it had a real mic included .. those days a miracle to Me to hear my voice after it was recorded .. radio became a huge part of my life.

 

I listen to Radio Caroline now and again, did you ever listen to Radio Luxembourg? Both of course legends of Pirate Radio. I never experienced those days - I was born 20 years too late.

 

I know a few radio broadcasters and fellow voice talents who were inspired the same way. I know exactly what you mean by 'the source of evil' you get sucked in and you can't get out. I think it's like that for most people working in media.

 

One particular thing (there were a few) that set me on this path was this:

 

One day in High School, back before the world went digital...I listened to a cassette tape by the experimental music group Negativland that had their new 1989 album: Helter Stupid (on side A) and The Perfect Cut (on side B).

 

The content of their music is made up from remixed audio media montage including films, television, radio, music, news, commercials, you name it. It turned all the transparency of media I'd taken for granted into a bolder, significant art form and reworked it's message while at it.

For most it would be catagorized under "difficult listening" but it made me rethink my perspectives on sound, language, music and their influence.

After that nothing ever sounded the same.

 

IT CHANGED THE WAY I LISTENED TO EVERYTHING.

 

What a story, Carl. I've never heard a band like Negativland before. It doesn't get anymore original than that. They must have inspired you to work in theater?

[carlwelden]

What a story, Carl. I've never heard a band like Negativland before. It doesn't get anymore original than that. They must have inspired you to work in theater?

They inspired me to record.

Theater came later in the form of live spoken-word with voice characters, masks, instruments, props and movement. Then I was recruited to work with fifteen foot tall puppets in a touring company. Been doing that for eleven years now on top of everything else.

I do a bit of technical theater as well.

It pays to be well-rounded.

[Voxjunction]

Name one or more person / people you aspire to the most and explain why this person has inspired you.

Excellent topic, but a hard one to answer if you try to narrow it down. For me it was probably listening Alan Freeman from BBC Radio One as a ten year old in 1973. Not only a great voice, but a unique style of presentation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6187762.stm

 

As far as voiceover heroes are concerned, my all time favourite was Tony Allan, who was a fantastic jock in his own right, but provided countless voice work for Radio Caroline in the 70s and almost every radio station in Ireland throughout the 80s had Tony Allan IDs and commercials. He could write, produce, sing and voice an ad and had many character voices aside from the deep tones he was best known for. Tony was station voice for Dublin's Radio Nova and this rare clip shows him closing the station down when the Irish Government threatened unlicensed stations with raids back in 1983:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMjXiM3CAk

 

Also worth a mention is Bill Mitchell, a Canadian who moved to Britain in the late 50s and became the English version of Don La Fontaine:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zMERN_dHGaE

 

Mike Hurley, king of the UK hard sell ads was also a favourite of mine:-

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8860491330189235314

 

Sad to say all of the above are no longer with us.

[KHUK]

Excellent topic, but a hard one to answer if you try to narrow it down. For me it was probably listening Alan Freeman from BBC Radio One as a ten year old in 1973. Not only a great voice, but a unique style of presentation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6187762.stm

 

As far as voiceover heroes are concerned, my all time favourite was Tony Allan, who was a fantastic jock in his own right, but provided countless voice work for Radio Caroline in the 70s and almost every radio station in Ireland throughout the 80s had Tony Allan IDs and commercials. He could write, produce, sing and voice an ad and had many character voices aside from the deep tones he was best known for. Tony was station voice for Dublin's Radio Nova and this rare clip shows him closing the station down when the Irish Government threatened unlicensed stations with raids back in 1983:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMjXiM3CAk

 

Also worth a mention is Bill Mitchell, a Canadian who moved to Britain in the late 50s and became the English version of Don La Fontaine:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zMERN_dHGaE

 

Mike Hurley, king of the UK hard sell ads was also a favourite of mine:-

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8860491330189235314

 

Sad to say all of the above are no longer with us.

 

I can't believe I forgot to mention Mike Hurley - What a legend.