StarShipSofa on Scalazi
Posted on May 20, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 21 Comments
The folks at StarShipSofa have done a podcast show on me and my work (it’s show #89), and it’s an amusing listen, not the least because the fellow consistently mispronounces my name as “Scalazi,” but does so in a charming accent, the provenance of which I am entirely unsure about (Scottish? Scouse? Scoustish?), so it’s hard to get at all annoyed about it. That said, for SSS’s future reference, “Scalzi” rhymes with “ballsy,” or, at least, it does when I say it. Anyway, it’s a fun podcast (if slightly spoilery if you’ve not read Old Man’s War); check it out.
Who would win in a fight, John Scalvi or John Scalazi?
I’m looking forward to listening to it on the way home. His accent is fun, and the podcast (sorry, magazine) is a fun form of fandom I’ve never come across. Tony doesn’t interview people as far as I can tell, he just talks about the works and lives of folks.
It’s a great way to spend a 2 hour bus ride home.
Insertion of extra letters like that could make for some pretty extravagant modifications. I mean, with appropriate metathesis, next week we could be discussing a celebrity deathmatch between John Salacazzi and John Szallacia…
So, just exactly who is labeling John one of the”new comprehensibles” and who else does this label refer to?
My money’s on Scalvi over Scalazi. He fights dirty.
Anyone who hasn’t read Old Man’s War has no excuse. Tor gave it away as one of the free e-books weeks ago. I LOVED it and so have the half-dozen people I’ve recommended it to.
John, that is a Geordie accent. Newcastle and environs. It’s sort of where the northern English accent runs into the scottish.
…you don’t say your name with a “ts” sound? Scall’-tsee? Huh. Good thing I did not do a podcast show about you, then.
There is a Ponte delgi Scalzi, “bridge of the barefoot”, in Venice, Italy (aka “the third bridge”, being the bridge over the Grand Canal that is not the Rialto or the Accademia [though there’s a fourth bridge on the way]), which is pronounced the Italian way (obviously), and which I was familiar with before finding your work, so that’s how I’ve always said it.
I don’t pronounce my name as it would be correctly pronounced in its native language either (as I mentioned in the ‘esque thread), so. Just surprised me.
Well, Kevin R, I certainly won’t complain if you pronounce my last name the way actual Italians would.
Brian @#3: do you know that “John Salacazzi” means “John who puts salt in the [coarse word for the male genital organ, plural]” ?
Ponte degli Scalzi takes his name from the nearby Chiesa degli Scalzi that was the Chapel of the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites, a religious mendicant order. So it’s probably unrelated to the origin of John’s family name.
No need to thank me for increasing your knowledge.
Don’t feel singled out. It’s a time-honored tradition on the Sofa to mispronounce the subjects’ names. You join the ranks of Henry Kuttner (Henry Knutter), L. Ron Hubbard (Ron L. Hubbard or The Dark Lord) and even Robert A. Heinlein (Robert A. Henlen). Of course, Tony and his former co-host Ciaran have nothing but love and respect for their subjects (except for Hubbard).
Oh, I don’t feel disrespected. It’s not the worst pronunciation of my last name, in any event.
Hey that G guy just called you a mendicant!
so then what does Scalvi rhyme with?
Can we give the v a more german pronunciation so it sounds a bit like “scull-fee”?
You should have that as one of the changing tag-lines under the Whatever banner –
“It rhymes with Ballsy”
But John, how do you pronounce ‘ballsy’?
I my head Scal rhymes with Al, whereas ball rhymes with awl. Is it the same inside your brain?
Yes, I pronounce the “al” part of my name more like “awl” than “al.” However, there is no strong agreement, even within the family, of which is correct. I do not object to having it pronounced with the “al” sound, it’s just not how I pronounce it.
Why don’t you upload an mp3 with your voice pronouncing “John Scalzi” and don’t you link to it from the “Administrativia” section?
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I do think the accent totally makes the podcast. I break into fits of laughter every time he says your name. You know this is gonna come back to haunt you at cons.
I also like how he cracks himself up. That’s the kind of people with whom you know you’ll have a good time!
Early in SSS’s run, I donated to the show via PayPal. I felt honored that they mis-pronounced my name when they read off the list of donors in the next show.
Now you, too, can proudly claim that you’re on the list of “people whose names Tony has butchered”!
Ooo, that picture looks familiar.
I’ve just finished listening to the podcast, so now I’m fully up to date with Anthea Scalazi and The Last Connelly.