Now Hear This

My mom's in town visiting for the weekend so Michael and Cyrisse came over for dinner this evening. I love my brother. He is one guy who can be both funny and annoying at the same time. To illustrate, he tried to mimic this unique sound for us called Tuvan throat singing that he heard about on NPR.

Basically, throat singing is a long, sustained, two-part (sometimes three- or four-part) harmonic note produced from deep in the throat which sounds somewhat like an Australian didgeridoo. Apparently, it represents the sound of horse's hooves as well as the wind passing over the Mongolian Steppes where throat singing originates. It's become popular recently because of a small film called Genghis Blues about a blind bluesman and his association with this unusual singing style. (For those of you with Real Player, click here to hear a sample of throat singing from the film's site. You can hear numerous styles of throat singing at this site as well.)

Now, as if that doesn't sound weird enough by itself, Michael mimics the sound as loud as he can to the simultaneous irritation of others and amusment of himself. And he does so repeatedly for added emphasis; again and again. I think his motto is whatever wasn't funny the first time will become funny or annoying the longer he proceeds with either outcome being desirable. Personally, I was laughing by the end of the evening. The girls, however, were not so amused.

But that's a perfect example of my brother's sense of humor.