Alright, I'm going to come out from under the rug and proclaim that yes, it is I, the perpertrator of this week's read
Let me state that the conversation has not been damaging to my ego - more, it has been very interesting, and quite what I expected, knowing the high standards EP listeners hold.
Problem: Technical quality. I apologize. In my rush, excitement and nervousness (I'm reading for Escape Pod, wheee!) I set the compression wrong. It wiped all the bass from my voice, made me sound metallic and topsy. I'm usually not such a dunce when recording for work. My apologies to the greatness and high standards that is Steve Ely.
Problem: My accent. Ok, kiwis tend to talk a little fast and slur words (we have a terrible dark L, which makes us sound like we swallow words like Mall). Apologies if my regional ambiguities came through. Again, I was excited and nervous. However, I'd like to clarify I am a professional - I have a degree in broadcasting, I work for an advertising production company, I'm a freelance voice locally, and I do a lot of voice acting. I guess even Shakespeare had his off days
If you guys can see past a Virigin Hiccup, I'd love to have another go at entertaining you.
I'd like to quote "Stan!" from the comments on the EP site: "I think the problem was exacerbated by the fact that the prose was tight to the point of being terse, and it contained lots of quick, almost throw-away references that were meant to give meaning to the top level conversation, context to the world, and nod & wink to today’s global economic shenanigans. That’s A LOT to parse all at once, and even more so when the pronunciation is so regional."
When I got the story, I knew it was going to be a challenge. My first thought was "Wow, this scans like Cinderalla Suicide. The listeners are going to rip me apart." However, I am not one to back down from a challenge.
I wanted to see if a Kiwi accent was acceptable on the market. There is being professional, and then there is changing the essence of who you are. I know there are some technical issues I could change in a read, but I'd hate to change who I am/my accent.
To that regard, I think I understand what Steve was trying to imply by matching a non-American accent to an allegory about globalization - we shouldn't let the normalization of a capitalistic society overwhelm the character of other cultures.
Thanks all
Amanda