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John McLaughlin's strange accent

skeith

By skeith
in Miscellaneous Music

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skeith Newbie

skeith

Posted
Posted

I have been watching the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Fest 2004 DVD and there are several interviews with McLaughlin.

THe guy has the strangest English accent I have ever heard and I have been to England several times and have travelled all around and I have never heard anything like that.

His accent sounds almost eastern european.

anyone else seen this DVD or heard him speak?

I saw him in concert in the early 70s with Mahavishnu and don't remember this accent so either I have forgotten or this is a change.

Joe G Newbie

Joe G

Posted
Posted

I wondered about that the first time I saw him with Remember Shakti. I could barely understand him when he spoke, whereas Zakir Hussein sounded almost American.

tonym Newbie

tonym

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have been watching the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Fest 2004 DVD and there are several interviews with McLaughlin.

THe guy has the strangest English accent I have ever heard and I have been to England several times and have travelled all around and I have never heard anything like that.

His accent sounds almost eastern european.

anyone else seen this DVD or heard him speak?

I saw him in concert in the early 70s with Mahavishnu and don't remember this accent so either I have forgotten or this is a change.

That's a posh South Yorkshire (Sheffield) accent as far as I'm concerned. I may of course be wrong, he may have travelled around as a child etc., but that's what it sounds like to me. I speak to Barry Hoban now and again (Tour de France stage winner etc) and he has a very similar accent.

edit to say that Hoban is from similar neck of the woods to McLaughlin.

Edited by tonym
Michael Fitzgerald Newbie

Michael Fitzgerald

Posted
Posted

McLaughlin was born in Kirk Sandall, Yorkshire in 1942 - I'm not familiar enough to know if that makes sense for his speech.

I marvel at the fact that two of the most influential guitarists in the last 40 years are both from Yorkshire - Allan Holdsworth born in Bradford in 1946.

Something in the water?

Mike

A Lark Ascending Newbie

A Lark Ascending

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's mid-Atlantic.

Dave Holland speaks like that too. You sometimes catch the Brummie in him but the twang is more pronounced.

It's interesting why some people mutate and others retain their accent (it happens within the UK too). Richard Thompson and Martin Simpson have lived in the States since the mid-80s (Though Simpson has now returned); both sound completely unaffected in their accents.

Edited by Bev Stapleton
sidewinder Mentor

sidewinder

Posted
Posted (edited)

There is something in the water in Yorkshire. Together with Derbyshire they do the best water in the country, thanks to the limestone of the Pennines.. :rsmile:

I've often wondered about John McLaughlin's accent - it sounds weird to me too, although there's certainly hints of his native South Yorkshire in there (Sheffield area, I think). Tony Oxley's another one from Sheffield - creative place.

I suspect that McLauglin's (not very broad) Yorkshire accent has been further diluted by many years of living and working in NYC. Not easily achieved with a Yorkshire accent but the guys in Shakti must have worked on him I guess.

Edited by sidewinder
A Lark Ascending Newbie

A Lark Ascending

Posted
Posted (edited)

I thought McLaughlin was from near Doncaster (Kirk Sandall is part of Donny). A good 30-40 mins from Sheffield. A world in English regional accent differences.

Both Martin Simpson and Martin Taylor come from Scunthorpe, not too far south-east of Doncaster. Maybe there's a South Yorks/North Lincs delta!

Edited by Bev Stapleton
tonym Newbie

tonym

Posted
Posted

I thought McLaughlin was from near Doncaster (Kirk Sandall is part of Donny). A good 30-40 mins from Sheffield. A world in English regional accent differences.

Both Martin Simpson and Martin Taylor come from Scunthorpe, not too far south-east of Doncaster. Maybe there's a South Yorks/North Lincs delta!

The Don Delta. I like it.

Maybe Ken Burns should explore this. :D

tonym Newbie

tonym

Posted
Posted

posh

Posh?

posh.jpg

Works for me! :P

Posher than the rest of the Spices but by no means 'posh'

BTW 'posh' is a term that tends to get overused by us working class northerners. :D

Regarding accents, it usually refers to anything other than a local dialect so strong that only others from the neighbouring area will understand it.

ie. Newsreaders = 'posh' :P

tonym Newbie

tonym

Posted
Posted

posh

Posh?

posh.jpg

Works for me! :P

Posher than the rest of the Spices but by no means 'posh'

BTW 'posh' is a term that tends to get overused by us working class northerners. :D

Regarding accents, it usually refers to anything other than a local dialect so strong that only others from the neighbouring area will understand it.

ie. Newsreaders = 'posh' :P

I think the classification for Mrs. Beckham now goes under 'chav' rather than 'posh'. Drastic social 'demotion'. Mainly due to British press and possibly due to dressing her sons in nasty gold jewellery and sporting attire. Oh, and calling them such naff names to start with. :P

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