I’d never done voice work before, but I guess I knew my cadence and baritone delivery was unique. And powerful. So even without any experience or formal training, when I saw a posting in the actual physical newspaper for a live announcer, I was confident I’d get the job. And since confidence is nine tenths of the law, I did. However, I was given no indication during the interview that the job was for an interworld fight-to-the-death tournament. The interviewer, who was cordial and genial, told me it was the same as being on the radio, which according to my resume I already knew something about. By the time I realized where I was and who was signing my paycheques, I was being thrown so much money that I couldn’t back out.
It’s not a realm I fully comprehend, and how anyone would choose to enter into such a competition is beyond me. Even so, I get along pretty well with my co-workers. They kill each other all the time, sure, but they do make me feel like an important part of the organization.
The first fight I ever called was hard to watch, but it was exhilarating, and I immediately knew this was my calling. And you can ask around, but I’m widely considered a pioneering innovator in the field.
“Fatality”? That was mine. I wrote that. And “Animality”. I made that up by mistake one day when I announced a match either while drunk – we used to get pretty drunk at work before the new boss took over and cleaned things up – or having just burned my tongue on some hot soup. The victor apparently heard me say it right before his finisher – Scorpion was the guy, I believe – and so he took my cue and turned his opponent into a wallaby. It’s been a hit ever since.
Oh, my greatest match? That’s a tough one. Actually, it might not have been the most exciting fight in the league, but there was a recent preliminary match between Liu Kang and Katana, where the fighters were as equal as short horizontal parallel lines in a math equation, that became a part of me. They performed a lot of interesting techniques throughout, sure, but it was the flagrant spontaneity with which I shouted each description that made it what it was. It was not I who was controlling my voice that day, but something greater than us all, in my personal Street Spirit (Fade Out). I could never take credit for the brilliance, and I’ll never be able to duplicate the feeling surrounding the ring, I know. The fight ended with a simple Babality and it was the first time the standing ovation that followed a gruesome death was not for the winner, but for me.
Edit: On August 25, 2020 I received the following email, so this is me doing what was asked because it helps someone who’s giving people who play guitar support or something:
Hey Ian,
This is Liam! I run a blog called MusicGrotto.com where I create guides and tips for guitarists and singers for improving their skills.
I’m emailing you because of the piece I found here:
http://ismith.ca/birthday/
I saw that you had linked to ultimate-guitar.com and wanted to make a suggestion!
I recently put together a guide to teach beginners how to read guitar tabs. It really gives them the support they need when learning guitar and playing songs, and I’m happy to have put it together to help people!
I’m wondering if you’d be interested in linking to my article in your piece? I think it would make a great addition to your already great piece and would be helpful for getting beginners comfortable with learning guitar tabs!
You can check out my post here:
https://www.musicgrotto.com/
Let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Liam Flynn
Music Grotto
Redmond, Oregon 97756