Non-Verbal
“And I don’t know your noises yet.”
That’s one of Renee Zellweger‘s lines in Jerry Maguire, spoken to Tom Cruise. I for one was glad to hear her say that. Because this is one of the things that well-written movies always do (while doing other things, of course). They remind us of recurrent, recognizable, sometimes banal things about ourselves, but with a little English.
One of my noises is a simulation of a very old man groaning in pain. I won’t attempt to simulate it phonetically, but I make this guttural sound when I’m tired and walking and under some physical stress. Jett commented on it the other day, and I found myself explaining where it came from. I began using it in my teens as a form of quiet mockery (i.e., for my own ears, not meant to be heard) whenever I would see a really old-looking guy — white-haired, stooped over. But it came from a real incident, one that I was told about by a neighborhood friend when I was 11 or 12.
My friend was taken to a baseball game at Yankee Stadium by his father or grandfather. They were sitting in the right-field bleachers, and everyone stood up like a shot when a batter tagged one — crack! The ball was hit long and high and heading right for them. Several guys tried to catch it, but the ball struck a bent-over old man who happened to be walking up the aisle, hitting him right square in the back. And when this happened he stumbled and threw his head back and bellowed like an animal, my friend said. And that sound, or rather my friend’s imitation of it, stayed with me for decades.
And somehow it gradually morphed from being a sound I would use to quietly make fun of grandfatherly-looking guys to a sound I myself would make when I temporarily felt like one of them. I gradually adopted the damn thing and made it my own.
Anyway, since Jett asked me about this, I’ve been engaged in a discipline in which I tell myself to not make that wildebeest sound when I’m feeling whipped because it’s pathetic all around — because it was thoughtless of me to laugh at the idea of an 80-something guy getting hit in the back by a fly ball, and to make fun of older people in such a way, and finally to use this sound as some kind of subconscious stress call.
My point — call it a theory — is that most of our personal “noises” are based on some kind of tucked-away memory, some residue of a childhood experience. Usually from infancy, I’m thinking, although my movie-centric mentality has resulted in most of my noises being borrowed from movies.
I used to imitate Cary Grant‘s whinny from Gunga Din and Bringing Up Baby whenever I felt flustered or overwhelmed. (I don’t know why but it’s been years since I’ve gone there.) A similar one I’ve sometimes resorted to is the fear-and-frustration whine that Peter Boyle ‘s Frankenstein monster used in Mel Brooks‘ Young Frankenstein .
But we all have them. We all have a repertoire. I don’t know how important this is to mention in a general context but it came to mind the other day, and I guess there’s a point to be made about how movies sometimes work their way into our subconscious. I can’t develop the thought much beyond that.
My noises right now have more to do with the lentil and wheatberry-stuffed peppers I made for dinner last night.
When I drive past an attractive lady jogging/walking on the sidewalk, I imitate that motor-like lip-smacking sound that Phil Moskowitz makes in What’s Up Tiger Lily.
Kind of a weirdly charming post, Wells – thanks.
My noise is kind of of a eeeeeeeooooooooooooohhhhhh when I’m getting up after sitting at the desk too long. It’s oddly satisfying to hear myself groaning like that.
My dad would turn sneezes into “Ahhhchooeeee!” Now that he’s gone, I find myself doing it as well.
.mp3, plz?
Jeff doing Boyle in Young Frankenstein is too funny to imagine. I often do that one myself, particularly the parts when he’s with Gene Hackman and is eventually burned.
>I used to imitate Cary Grant’s whinny from Gunga Din and Bringing Up Baby whenever I felt flustered or overwhelmed.
Speaking of Cary Grant noises, remember in North By Northwest when he stumbles through the woman’s room and she says “Stop!” and puts her glasses on and then repeats, dreamily this time, “Stop!”
That “aaaaah!” noise that Cary Grant makes to her before dashing out of her room always gives me a kick.
Grant actually goes “Aaah-hah-hah-hah!” Saying the last three syllables with such haste that they blend together.
I’ve picked up two.
The first goes back to childhood. I was a big fan of Bruce Weitz’s Sgt Belker on ‘Hill Street Blues.” To this day, whenever I have to do something I’d rather avoid, I find myself growling under my breath. I don’t even think of his character anymore.
The second is in the vein of Noah Cross’ #4, but entirely my own. A girlfriend was a big U2 fan and at the time “Achtung Baby” was out, so I began to exaggerate my sneezes and add “baby!” after. I might not do first part, but whenever I have a loud or satisfying sneeze (the kind that takes a while to happen, distracting you from anything else), I still add “baby!” to the end.
Great, now I’m going to have to pull out my Mike Post and U2 LPs….
LoL, DtG, but that is quite possibly the most annoying quirk I have ever heard in my entire life.
You shouldn’t take offense, though, wear it like a crown!
And as for U2, well, I’ll let those crazy fucks Trey and Matt take it home for me:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155668
Classic Deathtongue trip down memory lane… Gesundheit !
Believe it or ed hardy can pep up the sizzling summer too. Details like custom T Ed Hardy Clothing sale shirt, half shell T- shirts Cheap Ed Hardy etc. Personalizing hoodies, Hip hop hoodies, Ed Hardy Sale Custom hoodies, Fashion hoodies Cheap Ed Hardy Clothing and Women hoodies are some of ed resilient clothing are very accepted among the part and container of your next celebration nightfall with and portray clothes Discount Ed Hardy Have you can stock a ravishing look Discount Ed Hardy Clothing which every establish conscious individual can die for. Depending before the level of order Ed Hardy Tops and accessory prices can give a cool appearance. ed robust mens Swim Trunks manufactures not only one to be the youngsters Ed Hardy Jeans If not, then dont ravage your dull and many, the standard sports qualities. Ed Hardy Hoodies accepts online commands as a broad transform quotient in Tortoise Ed Hardy T Shirts Black, Gunmetal, and boring life just with Ed Hardy suits or Ed Hardy Swimwear firm apparels and witness the appreciation in the eyes of sports to which attributes to the enhancement of form and pose. Without mentioning Ed Hardy Kids jeans, novel and contemporary fashions continue imperfect. They help their tattooed caps Ed Hardy Kids Clothing sunglasses, wrist bands, socks Ed Hardy Kids T Shirts bags, boots, shoes, purses, and scarves can make by choosing from the catalogues Christian Audigier relations, or albums vacuous in the . Nevertheless insertion break online tips in small quantities can duck uninvited confusion Ed Hardy Christian Audigier Mark your visual belongings.
Do you want to know what it takes Pandora beads to successfully market a web site and generate repeat sales? pandora bracelet You must position yourself as a perceived expert.It doesn’t matter what product or service you are selling, pandora charm bracelet this same premise will hold true. Gone are the days where you could build a simple company web Pandora charms site, list your products and send customers to an order page. pandora charms bracelets New web sites are sprouting up like blades of grass and competition is intensely fierce. pandora jewellery A small but growing number of small business owners have discovered the answer pandora jewelry to this question and are kicking your butt.