That’s what I was wondering. Is his voice real - i.e. not affected - or is it just a thing he does? And if it’s real, what causes it? I don’t really know that much about Goldthwait, so there might be something I’m missing here.
It’s something he just does. In “Scrooged” and an episode of “Tales from the Crypt” he used his normal voice–still kinda high, but not screechy as in classic “Police Academy” movies.
Hm. I’ve seen Scrooged, and I can’t remember him using a “normal” voice. But thanks.
In normal conversation, he DOES have a high and raspy voice, but he’s fairly soft-spoken and lucid.
That is, you’d definitely recognize his normal speaking voice as that of the maniac from “Police Academy,” but he’s much quieter and more serious off-stage. Same basic voice, but no rants or screams.
Where is he these days? He was on “Hollywood Squares” a bunch of times the first season – looking fairly strung out, even for him – but I haven’t seen him since. I think he’s hysterical.
“Bobcat” is a character Bob plays. You don’t realize nearly how much of a character he is until you just hear “Bob” talking. Try to catch him on the episode of The Larry Sanders Show he guest stars on.
Mrs. ToKnow heard him being interviewed on the radio Friday (he was in town) and remarked how very normal he sounded.
Not only does he have a normal speaking voice, but he does a pretty amazing impression of Bono.
He’s nearly unrecognizable as a drug dealer in the movie Blow.
And what about Gilbert Gottfreid?
Does he ever sound “normal”?
I ask cause he does a voice on the cartoon CyberChase.
Now he’s actually on a commercial (for garbage bags, i beleive).
So now my son knows what he looks like, but he wants to know if he always sounds like that.
I remember Gilbert Gottfried from his stint on SNL, and I don’t recall him using the “Gilbert Gottfried character” that we’ve all come to know and love. I don’t recall him ever squinting, and he used a normal voice.
Bob Goldthwait had a great guest spot on The John Larroquette Show as a recovering alcoholic. He spent most of the show in Bobcat mode, when his character was sober. He sounded normal when his character was drunk.
He’s still working. He provided the voice for a chicken in the latest “Happy Cow” California Cheese ad. And yes, its the usual hyperactive screechy voice.
I always get him confused with Sam Kineson, so whenever I see/hear him my first thought is “Oh, I thought he was dead…”
That’s an excellent way to describe it. I once did a phone interview with Goldthwait for a local paper when he was doing his standup show nearby. Although at the time, I’d only ever heard his character voice, I could tell it was him right away.
I’d say the best thing you can do if you want to see him using his normal voice is this: rent or buy Shakes The Clown. It’s a movie he did about a clown with a drinking problem. It has almost no plot, but it’s rather funny and he almost never uses his character voice.
As for Hollywood Squares - when I went to the standup show I interviewed him about, he discussed that. Although it could have just been for the act, he said he was banned from the show for making an inappropriate joke about Michael Jackson.
Re: Gilbert Gottfried - whereas Bobcat has abandoned his character voice for entire movies, Gilbert hasn’t ever really done this since he developed his voice. Trying to hear Gilbert’s normal voice is like trying to find a tape of Harpo Marx talking.
That said, he does sometimes lapse into it during comedy routines and the like. When he sets up jokes, he’ll use a more subdued voice. So you can hear it, but only for bits and pieces at a time. As for the squinting, I think I remember him saying in an interview that this was originally a nervous habit when he got on stage. He might just keep it around to cope with stagefright.
Yet one more reason why The John Laroquette Show should go down in history as The Best Sit-Com Ever Made.
[hijack]My favorite joke from that show was about John’s AA advisor, who looked and dressed like Jesus. At one point, John started to wonder if he really was Jesus.
friend: “You don’t really think he’s Jesus, do you?”
John: “Well, what makes you think he isn’t?”
friend: “You remember last winter when he slipped and fell on the ice outside?”
John: “Yeah…”
friend: “See? He can’t even walk on frozen water!”
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Just saw a promo for tomorrow night’s CSI – Bobcat and Gilbert Gottfried will be guest stars.
Tonight, on a Very Special Episode of CSI, Grissom realizes being deaf isn’t always a bad thing. Bobcat Goldthwait and Gilbert Gottfried guest star with a special appearance by Fran Drescher.
I actually saw him make a joke about his voice. Paraphrasing: “You know this is my actual voice, but people don’t laugh unless I’m doing the screaming thing, so (Screams)… whatever. Happy?”
If you get a chance to see him live, I’d really recommend it. He’s a hell of a lot funnier than most of his movie/ tv performances would have you believe.
He can do a dead-on impression of Jerry Seinfeld, but I’m not sure if that qualifies as normal. Quite a jarring contrast to his normal screeching.
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I used to wonder the same thing about Victoria Jackson on SNL a few years back. One of the funniest Weekend Update segments I can remember had her starting a bit using her “normal” ditzy-blonde-high-on-nitrous voice.
After a few lines, she pauses with a disgusted and weary look on her face, pulls off the blonde wig she’s wearing to reveal long dark hair, and says “That’s it – I just can’t do this anymore” in a husky Angie Harmon-esqe voice. Then the “real” Victoria Jackson goes on a rant about how difficult it is to play such a dippy character all the time.
As you were…
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I recall Dana Carvey saying pretty much the same thing about Garth Algar.
Very funny!