I've never seen a Fassbinder film, but reading over that list I just realized the full extent of my NPR geekery.

Um. Yay?

Um, I think most of these names should come complete with pronunciation guide. :)

I totally have a crush on Kai Rysdall's voice, though I've been told I might be disappointed if I actually see him. I think his is by far my favorite NPR name and, of course, his is my favorite NPR show. Glad to see him starting the list off.

Out of curiosity, did Karl-Heinz von Hassel and Carl Kassel wind up back-to-back on purpose? Because I got a good chuckle seeing their names stacked like that. Putting those two names in a short sentence, I think, would invariably give you something that sounded like a nursery rhyme. (For instance: "Karl-Heinz von Hassel went up to Carl Kassel...") I would like to read a nursery rhyme involving them.

Strangely enough, all I have to do is say name aloud and every NPR name rings out clear in my head. It's good you ended with Sylvia Poggioli, because I could say that name all day. And sometimes do. Though I like elongate second syllable. Po- jho-o-o- li.

JE: Frightening, isn't it? But I think Elizabeth Trissenaar and Barbara Sukowa really should be NPR names.

So... did you just finish reading "Truck...a Love Story", too?

JE: No. Fill me in.

I don't see Sarah Bellum

JE: I think I forgot Medulla Oblangata, too.

This is fricking brilliant, Jim. And, in its honour, I shall read all of them out loud, record it, and send the file over.

OK, this one was so totally lost on me...

...says the German :-)

I think I forgot Medulla Oblangata, too.

Funny you should mention that because I'm Jack's Medulla Oblangata.

By the way, I like taking really bad song lyrics and speaking them aloud in proper English accents.

And finally may I submit Cornelia Froboess for your reading aloud pleasure.

I really love this, because I really love interesting names. One of my absolute favorites is that of Haitian author Edwidge Danticat.

Matthew: "Edwidge Danticat" is a keeper. And, indeed, in this context so is your own surname, Lingo.

Jonathan L: I've always liked to do that with song lyrics, too. The driest upper-crust or BBC readings are funny -- but so are the earnest dramatic Canadian ones, as I learned from William Shatner's "The Transformed Man."

Proud NPR geek here. I see two different spellings of Sylvia Poggioli and will go with this one, though I don't know if it's correct. In any case, it would probably take a master impressionist to give her name the same musical inflection that she does. She almost turns the first "o" into two syllables. Since we're on the subject, I have to say that even though I like interesting names and I like exotic accents I notice a certain inconsistency in pronunciation among NPR folks. On Spanish names, even those of American-born of Spanish heritage, they roll those r's and do whatever that t thing is like there's no tomorrow (you know how they say "Latino" almost like "Ladhino", or something? Hard to put it into spelling.) But the same doesn't seem to hold true for other languages; there it's just good old American phonetics. Maybe they just happen to have a whole lot of people with outstanding Spanish skills, but over years of listening it strikes me more as a careful policy. I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this and what you think. I don't want to seem biased, but I can't help gritting my teeth a bit when I hear "Hugo Chavez" pronounced as if by a native of Caracas and then, seconds later, the same commentator says "nucular". And I'm a little surprised Diane Rehm (again, I'm not sure of the spelling) isn't on the list. She is outstanding. Her Friday news round-up is my favorite source of news analysis in any media. I know it's not available in all markets, though.

Danke sehr, Herr Emerson.

JE: Und vielen dank, Herr Arikan!

Kinda sorta related: http://www.cinefilevideo.com/

And since I live in Michigan I also get CBC which features a music show called "Disk Drive" hosted by Jurgen Goth (umlauted u assumed).

Steve Allen, call your office.

Schuyler: There are coincidences, but this is not one of them. I like this sequence, too:

Gusti Kreissl
Pam Fessler
Frank Langfitt
Corey Flintoff

Dane: Diane Rehm would definitely be on the list if she were EJ Dionne-Rheum. One of the jokes here is the name "John Nelson." It's an old throwaway from a Peter Schickele (great name, aka PDQ Bach) record in which the public radio announcer introduces the American conductor before a concert by egregiously over-pronouncing his name. So, instead of doing the r-rolling "Arrrturrrro Toscanini" thing (or what Sylvia Poggioli does so well with her own name), he speaks of maestro "Johnnnn NNellsssonnn." As for "nucular" -- that's what the President of the United States says. Excuse me, I have to go stick my head back in the oven.

Jack Fear beat me to the Steve Allen reference. Though Allen didn't do it in an English accent, he had a regular bit in which he'd recite a contemporary hit song (say, Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff") with precise diction to point out horrible lyrics had become in the rock era. Frankly, I always thought the bit was disingenuous. You'd never catch him doing the same thing with "Jeepers Creepers" or "Mairzy Doats."

As for the list of names, it's a real shame Johnny Carson is dead, because I'd love to hear those recited by Art Fern.

in which the public radio announcer introduces the American conductor before a concert by egregiously over-pronouncing his name

Garrison Keillor does a funny bit about DJing at his college radio station and spinning discs by artists about whom he knew nothing, and being under the impression that "Scott Joplin" was a French name—which he pronounced zhoe-PLANH.

Good point, Jim. Reminds me of John Updike saying that the U.S. is held together by credit cards and Indian names (Rabbit at Rest). For those interested in the pronunciation of the New German Cinema names: I took the trouble to make a little guide. Enjoy!

Kurt Raab (KOORT RAHB)
Peer Raben (PEHR RAH-ben)
Ulla Jacobsson (OO-lah YAH-kob-son)
Elisabeth Trissenaar (eh-LEE-za-bet TRI-se-nahr)
Volker Spengler (FOL-kə SHPENG-lə)
Werner Schroeter (VAIR-nə SHRØH-tə, Ø as in Montreux)
Dieter Schidor (DEE-tə SHEE-dohr)
Vitus Zeplichal (VEE-toos TSEP-li-khahl)
Karlheinz Böhm (KAHL-haints BØHM)
Hark Bohm (HAHK BOHM)
Karin Baal (KAH-reen BAHL)
Hannes Gromball (HA-nəs GROM-bal)
Brigitte Mira (bree-GIT-tə MEE-rah)
Lilo Pempeit (LEE-loh PEM-pait)
Karl-Heinz von Hassel (KAHL-haints fon HA-səl)
Gusti Kreissl (GOOS-tee KRAI-səl)
Günter Lamprecht (GÜN-tə LAM-prekht)
Ulli Lommel (OO-lee LO-məl)
El Hedi ben Salem (el HEH-dee ben SAH-lem)
Armin Mueller-Stahl (AHR-meen MÜ-lə SHDAHL)
Armin Meier (AHR-meen MAY-ər)
Walter Sedlmayr (VAL-tə ZEHDL-may-ə)
Barbara Sukowa (BAR-ba-ra ZOO-ko-vah)
Harry Baer (HAH-ree BAIR)
Rosel Zech (ROH-zl TSEKH)
Karl Scheydt (KAHRL SHAYT)
Hannes Fuchs (HA-nəs VOOKS)
Roger Fritz (RO-gə FRITS)
Irm Hermann (EERM HEHR-man)
Ingrid Caven (EENG-greed ka-VEN)
Ivan Desny (EE-vahn DES-nee)
Kristine De Loup (kris-TEEN də LOO)
Margit Carstensen (MAH-git KAH-sten-sen)
Gottfried John (GOT-freed YOHN)
Doris Mattes (DOH-ris MA-təs)
Matthias Fuchs (mah-TEE-as VOOKS)
Klaus Löwitsch (klaus LØH-vitsh)

Sorry about the delay, I don't get to spend much time online. "Truck...A Love Story", by Michael Perry, is a yearlong memoir of a writer in Wisconsin who spends that year restoring his 1951 International truck. One of the many tangents he gets on is an almost page-long reverie of the names of NPR reporters and how they pronounce them (including the kick he gets out of how Corey Flintoff pronounces his name). If you pick up a copy of the book (hardback version), it's on page 54/55... "Lakshmi Singh!"