Let Me Clear My Throat

by Elena Passarello

From Farinelli, the eighteenth century castrato who brought down opera houses with his high C, to the recording of "Johnny B. Goode" affixed to the Voyager spacecraft, Let Me Clear My Throat dissects the whys and hows of popular voices, making them hum with significance and emotion. There are murders of punk rock crows, impressionists, and rebel yells; Howard Dean's "BYAH!" and Marlon Brando's "Stella!" and a stock film yawp that has made cameos in movies from A Star is Born to Spaceballs . The voice is thought's incarnating instrument and Elena Passarello's essays are a riotous deconstruction of the ways the sounds we make both express and shape who we are—the annotated soundtrack of us giving voice to ourselves.

Elena Passarello is an actor and writer originally from Charleston, South Carolina. She studied nonfiction at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa, and her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction , Gulf Coast , Slate, Iowa Review , The Normal School , Literary Bird Journal , Ninth Letter , and in the music writing anthology Pop Till the World Falls Apart . She has performed in several regional theaters in the East and Midwest, originating roles in the premieres of Christopher Durang's Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge and David Turkel's Wild Signs and Holler . In 2011 she became the first woman winner of the annual Stella Screaming Contest in New Orleans.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Music, Memoir, Research, Book Club, Theatre

242 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2012

About the author

Elena Passarello is the author of Let Me Clear My Throat (Sarabande 2012), a collection of essays on some unforgettable moments in the history of the human voice. Her writing on music, performance, pop culture, and the natural world has appeared in Slate, Creative Nonfiction, the Normal School, Oxford American, Iowa Review, and the 2012 music writing anthology Pop When the World Falls Apart (Duke University Press 2012).

For a decade, Elena worked as an actor and voice-over performer throughout the East Coast and in the Midwest. She originated roles in the world premieres of Christopher Durang’s Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge and David Turkel’s Wild Signs and Holler. To date, she has performed seven of Shakespeare’s comedies, zero Shakespeare tragedies, and one musical version of James Joyce’s “The Dead.” She’s played a tree twice, a dead cow once, and a man at least eleven times.

A graduate of the writing programs at the University of Pittsburgh (BA) and University of Iowa (MFA), Elena was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew up in a town in Georgia called Snellville (official motto: “Where Everybody’s Somebody”). She now lives in Corvallis, Oregon, where she is an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I change my voice to make sure she hears me exactly the way I want her to. “OTHER SERVICES,” I bellow, squishing the melody of my natural speech. ‘CAN-CEL. MY. OR-DER.’ This is what phone voices are like eighty years past Cocteau—me pretending to be a robot when I am on the phone with a robot that is pretending to be like me.”

Good collection of essays on the human voice.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a fan of this book. Passarello writes about film, sound, pop culture, music, politics among other things in a way I had never read before. How brilliant is her Led Zeppelin meets Howard Dean "Communication Breakdown" essay? So brilliant. I also love how one of the most autobiographical essays in the otherwise non-autobiographical book almost buries the fact that the author was the first woman to win the Brando/"Stella" screaming contest. Kind of like Joan Didion meets Walter Murch in the best possible way.

[Sophfronia Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found, to my delight, pages and pages of excellent storytelling. Let Me Clear My Throat, Ms. Passarello’s first book, consists of 14 essays and 15 monologues split into three sections: “Screaming Memes,” “Tips On Popular Singing,” and “The Thrown.” The author teaches nonfiction as an Assistant Professor in the School of Literature, Writing, and Film at Oregon State University and as a faculty mentor in the low-residency MFA creative writing program at Murray State University in Kentucky. But she is also an actor, one who appreciates how the slightest change in tone, mouth shape and facial expression, even while vocalizing a throwaway word like “Eew” as she describes doing onstage in the essay “Playing Sick,” can bring on thunderous laughter or withering silence. You can tell the author nurses a deep love and fascination with the human voice; she is a true connoisseur of sound, perhaps with the same level of passion she describes of the 18-century music aficionados who so cherished the pure, airborne notes of the near-mythical castrati. What else would drive her so deeply into her research and allow her to accomplish, time after time, the enchanting feat of translating sound into words?

FYI, I've written a full review of this book for "Gently Read Literature." This is an excerpt. I'll let you know when the rest is available.

[Patricia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Elena's writing. I published "Playing Sick" in issue 3 of SR, one of my favorite nonfiction pieces we've taken, so you can see why it was a special thrill for me to read this book. I especially appreciate its innovative format--personal narrative mixed with fact, interspersed with monologues. This was a really enjoyable read.

[Bonnie Brzozowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erudite, funny, cultured essays on the voice. I'd get so excited by the topic of an essay that I had to go and listen to the scream or the Judy Garland performance she was referencing. Her use of language and her wit were a continuous delight and surprise.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been thinking of doing an MFA and this writer teaches at a program I'm interested in. I thought it'd be a good look at what I might be signing up for, plus it had the added benefit of a piece on New Orleans. I loved the collection and the multifaceted view of "voice"; the Frank Sinatra essay felt overly long and the Hector piece seemed totally out of place and I skimmed most of it, but otherwise the research and personal reflection were nicely balanced and creatively organized. I had to buy it to read it, because no library had it, but I'm glad I did.

[Holly M Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This essay collection is smart and funny, and the essays engage the content and the reader with impeccable attention to detail. I love it so much that I'm teaching it in my Composition I course; Passarello's book demonstrates a variety of ways to understand voice and self that are always authentic, joyful, and keen.

[anarresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover art is, I believe, a nod to the "Stella!" shout off in New Orleans which the author won once, but for many of the essays that theatricality, true emotion and raw power come into play. The original film and the contest are each their own essay, different thoughts on the same scream. Screams make up part 1, singing part 2 and speech part 3 with interview clips (in italic) placed between each essay. Those clips are curation that often punctuate the neighboring essays making the book more than the sum of its parts, in case certain essays were published elsewhere. There is a mix of personal reflection, in depth analysis, at least a couple internet link spirals. Her writing style often resonates with me, particularly in the first section (though I was mesmerized by the high C castrati and opera essay despite knowing not understanding a thing about music.) An interview question that pops up occasionally when reading is "do you forgive bad writing for a good story or bad story for good writing" and I will normally throw good writing under the bus in favor of character and universe, but several of these essays transported me with just a few word or phrases. Sometimes the history and ideas are arranged in a provocative manner (How to Spell the Rebel Yell and Space Oddity in particular) while the language is more straight forward.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection first came into my radar after reading This! Is! Yelling! in Oxford American nearly a decade ago, and I am sorry that it took me so long to read it because it was SO entertaining. It was basically Lindsay candy in the way it mixed music theory and history and linguistic elements into pop culture discussions of the human voice. Fun anecdote: as I was sitting outside engrossed in this book this past weekend, I was so amused by Passarello's likening of the Dean Scream to Robert Plant's delivery in "Communication Breakdown" as "culturally slutty" that I failed to notice a teenage bear approach me on my patio. It was less than 10 feet away from me before I realized it was there. Any book that can make that happen deserves 5 stars from me.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought it on a trip to Powell's, thinking it would be a collection of Feminist essays. Nope.

And while I'm not apposed to a collection of essays revolving around the theme of sound--indeed, "Rebel Yell" was very interesting, and I greatly appreciated the historical research elements and the Whitman touches therein--the collection as a whole was not to my taste. It leapt rather wildly from topic to topic, and my lack of knowledge about the music and theater elements the author built on greatly lessened my enjoyment of the book.

[mak · Rating 3 out of 5]

feels wrong of me to try and give this a proper rating seeing as my brain feels like garbage and my body hurts. from what really stuck out to me, i enjoyed the writing. harpy was incredible and my favorite part. it wasn’t my best reading ever, i could’ve paid some more attention and not done it so skimming-ly but i wasn’t planning on being super attached to this seeing as it was one i picked up from the free bin and i had no expectations of enjoyment or dislike going into it.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic!! I cannot recommend it enough. Passarello’s descriptions of the voice and its many sounds are not only deliciously literate but anatomically accurate. As a voice pathologist (speech language pathologist), actor and singer, I have high standards for books about the voice. This exceeded them with every essay. She examines the voice from many wonderfully original perspectives, and I savored each one. I can’t wait to gift this book to other voice geeks in my life!!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want this book to end. It is a synesthetic experience - words on page making music (I feel this way about Alex Ross's books as well). I loved every minute spent with this book and craved to learn more about the topics featured in each essay.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for coining the phrase "mayonnaise tenor."

In case it weren't obvious from the title, Elena Passarello's prose is meant to be read aloud. Unfortunately, this isn't available as an audio book. Shame.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jordan Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how she used your voice and vocal chords to carry the narrative. Deserved the awards it won. Read for a class and actually finished it. (Rare). Thank you Pat Madden.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

pasarello's sentences are beautifully economical - dense with meaning but concise. the first section, "scream memes," was my favorite.

[Andrea Cobos · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun to read

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review title: The music of sound

I picked this up based on the title of one of the essays in this collection called "Double Joy: Myron Cope and the Pittsburgh Sound." Growing up listening to Myron Cope on Steelers games and on the Channel 4 News sports segment, and sporting perhaps the only Myron Cope memorial front license plate in the world, when I have lived away from the area I have struggled to convey to those unfamiliar with Cope the strangled sound of his voice. For even when you could see him on the TV news, more than his wizened appearance and loud clothes was his louder and more distinctive voice and vocabulary, which when you try to reproduce results in either the disbelieve or bafflement as Passarello describes from her experience in a bar on the night Cope died.

Passarello is a writer and actor who has written this collection of essays about the music of sounds, and even sometimes the sound of music; chapters on soprano castratos, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra describe the techniques, anatomy and training behind the timbre and tone of notes and lyrics.

Other essays about spoken sounds take on the Wilhelm Scream that has has been used in many Hollywood movies (google it to find a Youtube compilation), how to spell or sound out the Rebel Yell (see the recent Rebel Yell for notes on recordings of this sound by surviving Civil War soldiers in the very early days of sound recording), and or to recreate that classic Brando screen scream of "Stella!". This last topic is of close personal interest to the author as she entered the annual New Orleans Stella Scream contest a few years back (and yes women are allowed to enter, and that year Passarello was not the only female entry, and she did very well).

An essay about Howard Dean's ill-fated and often-parodied campaign scream from 2004 bridges the gap between the spoken word--and Robert Plant's primal scream singing on Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown". The connection is not so bizarre as you may think, and Passarello has some prescient points to make about how much that scream did and should have influenced voters' decisions on Dean.

This little collection isn't easy to categorize. In my personal book list I classified it first as Pop-Culture for all the pop references I described above, but that seemed too trivializing, then briefly considered labeling it as science for the author's explanations of the anatomy, physics, biology, and psychology of sounds, but that seemed too stifling. In the end I went with "Other", a middle ground that represents the multidisciplinary and indeed literary (where my local library placed it in the Dewey Decimal System) approach and intent of the volume; it isn't primarily intended to entertain or to educate (though it does both well) but to make the reader listen to sounds in different ways, and it does that very well.

[Melissa]

This is a wonderful book, filled with thought-provoking essays about sounds. From sounds that we as humans make, from singing to speaking, to the sounds of animals. Each essay goes into a deep dive of information about the subject. Between essays are short one or two page first person written parables, great intermissions.

I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from Elena Passarello.

[Helen Kantor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of nonfiction essays about singing, shouting, acting, and crows. Vocalization runs through all the pieces and the whole, which is larger than its parts, leaves the reader with a contemplative and thoughtful view of something as basic to existence as vocalizing. Passarello writes from thorough research, but infuses her work with lyrical and fluid prose, making each piece a delightful adventure in the topic it explores.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot of interesting things from this book, but I almost wish there were a CD or a "listening guide" included with it. Passarello's writing style is very interesting, but it's sometimes hard to connect with a written description of a sound or voice you've never heard before. This was a good one to read with YouTube open nearby so I could look things up.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Because this means that a space inside all of us waits for something that hurts so much we require it. It is built not for fear, or for flight, but for need. For when fist beats thigh, eyes squint, shoulders lower. For when breathing stops, neck whips, torso rockets, joints lock, hearts swell, and voice screams."

[Mark Folse · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you care about the essay and think Adam Kirsch doesn’t know what he’s talking about, get thee to a book store to arm yourself with this splendid answer to his arguments about the death of the essay.

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and incredibly intelligent. I feel like I just read a wonderfully intelligent encyclopedia of vocal knowledge. Passarello does not disappoint. There were moments where it lagged for me, but in general it was interesting and well-researched

[Amy Bernhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Jane]

I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. It got better after the first third. Still, am lending it to another speechie friend.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get interested in these essays.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an oddly delightful collection of essays about the human voice.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just plain fun. If you have a voice, you will like this book.