Let Me Clear My Throat: Essays
“Stellaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Who can forget Marlon Brando’s gut-wrenching wail in A Streetcar Named Desire? In this eclectic collection of essays, actress and writer Passarello explores the ways in which our voices define us, refine us, and connect us to one another. From Billy Idol and his “rebel yell” to eighteenth-century castrato Farinelli, who mesmerized audiences with his high C, Passarello ponders the encyclopedic range of sounds that emerge from vocalists’ throats. Here we learn about the life of an Elvis impersonator, the recording of “Johnny B. Goode” that accompanied the Voyager astronauts into orbit, and the tragic tale of Judy Garland, whose mother’s voice penetrated her every cell from the time she was in the womb. The author intersperses her essays with monologues from individuals who have enjoyed fun and profit with their “pipes,” including voice-over artist Jim Meskimen and Joe Starkey, the sports announcer who called the legendary Final Play in the 1982 Cal-Stanford Big Game. Passarello, the first woman to win the annual Stella Screaming Contest in New Orleans, informs and delights in this witty, original read. --Allison Block--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.