Ray Hudson - sports announcer extraordinaire
February 2, 2010 6:25 PM Subscribe
The Magisterial Goal. YouTube/Essay on the great British sports announcer Ray Hudson and his literary metaphoric style. “Look at him, so languid, look at him walking. He’s like a big, beautiful zombie, Riquelme. He just strolls around…like smoke off a cigarette.”
Hudson developed a sort of cult following for his over the top metaphors and phrases. Two blogs were created to document some of his best sayings, the original but now mostly dead Hudsonia, and a re-creation New Hudsonia. Further links at Wikipedia.
Hudson developed a sort of cult following for his over the top metaphors and phrases. Two blogs were created to document some of his best sayings, the original but now mostly dead Hudsonia, and a re-creation New Hudsonia. Further links at Wikipedia.
Nice, he sounds like a laugh, certainly better than the John Motson school of cliche and mixed metaphoe
I like the first two comments
# drew
at 6:54 am on February 2, 2010
Ray Hudson is a hack. Don’t kid yourself that his quips are spontaneous. He makes GolTV nearly unwatchable–certainly unlistenable.
# Will
at 12:52 pm on February 2, 2010
Ray is the best there is. His commentary can make the dullest games seem interesting. It’s to bad there aren’t more announcers out there who could announce a game with the same passion that Ray does.
posted by criticalbill at 6:51 PM on February 2, 2010
I like the first two comments
# drew
at 6:54 am on February 2, 2010
Ray Hudson is a hack. Don’t kid yourself that his quips are spontaneous. He makes GolTV nearly unwatchable–certainly unlistenable.
# Will
at 12:52 pm on February 2, 2010
Ray is the best there is. His commentary can make the dullest games seem interesting. It’s to bad there aren’t more announcers out there who could announce a game with the same passion that Ray does.
posted by criticalbill at 6:51 PM on February 2, 2010
Smoke off a cigarette - that's just beautiful. I love a well-placed simile. Some of the others in the article didn't reach that dizzying height, but you know, so what? I applaud people willing and wishing to let the beauty of language and the human mind out. Reminds me of that exchange between Raleigh and Elizabeth:
"Fain would I climb, yet fear I to fall"
"If thy heart fails thee, climb not at all"
Hudson's language may stumble at at times, but his heart is obviously ever-willing to climb. Nothing more infectious than love.
posted by smoke at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2010
"Fain would I climb, yet fear I to fall"
"If thy heart fails thee, climb not at all"
Hudson's language may stumble at at times, but his heart is obviously ever-willing to climb. Nothing more infectious than love.
posted by smoke at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2010
it's a rare announcer who's better than silence. I'd like to hear him work.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:23 PM on February 2, 2010
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:23 PM on February 2, 2010
Metaphoric? Those samples are similes, not metaphors.
Just sayin'.
posted by Doohickie at 7:44 PM on February 2, 2010
Just sayin'.
posted by Doohickie at 7:44 PM on February 2, 2010
Oh my, that's amazing. I think I'll have to start watching some more GolTV.
posted by Kattullus at 7:56 PM on February 2, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 7:56 PM on February 2, 2010
My favorite from Hudsonia is The Big Cat remix (last link), mashed up from a Barca-Atletico game (Leo being, of course, Lionel Messi): "Leo the Lion...by Leo the Lion...He's a puma, the Argentine puma...but what an absolute tiger he is...he's a little tiger, Leo...he's like a leopard coming out of the bush...and he is like a spring rabbit."
Hudson coached several seasons in MLS. Can you imagine the halftime talks?
posted by stargell at 8:04 PM on February 2, 2010
Hudson coached several seasons in MLS. Can you imagine the halftime talks?
posted by stargell at 8:04 PM on February 2, 2010
Describing a hesitating, stupified defender as Lot's wife, turning to a pillar of salt, that's just brilliant.
Reminds me of darts commentator Sid Waddell, who came out with gems like
"Eat your heart out Harold Pinter, we've got drama with a capital D in Essex."
"He's like D'Artagnan at the scissor factory."
"Even Hypotenuse would have trouble working out these angles."
"When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer... [Eric] Bristow's only 27."
"Steve Beaton, he's not Adonis, he's THE donis."
and my favourite:
"The atmosphere is so tense, if Elvis walked in, with a portion of chips...you could hear the vinegar sizzle on them."
posted by Len at 8:17 PM on February 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Reminds me of darts commentator Sid Waddell, who came out with gems like
"Eat your heart out Harold Pinter, we've got drama with a capital D in Essex."
"He's like D'Artagnan at the scissor factory."
"Even Hypotenuse would have trouble working out these angles."
"When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer... [Eric] Bristow's only 27."
"Steve Beaton, he's not Adonis, he's THE donis."
and my favourite:
"The atmosphere is so tense, if Elvis walked in, with a portion of chips...you could hear the vinegar sizzle on them."
posted by Len at 8:17 PM on February 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Oh man, Ray Hudson is all kinds of awesome. Every so often he'll come out with something that just stupefies his partner, which is always amusing. And oh boy does he love Messi.
posted by asterix at 8:32 PM on February 2, 2010
posted by asterix at 8:32 PM on February 2, 2010
As I say, it's a game of two halves, innit. And the lads done brilliant today to get a point away from home. Obviously (Burnley, West Brom, Wolves, Peterborough) are a quality side, with the big lads at the back and the little fellas coming at you with pace and all. So we're well happy with the point, and are looking to kick on and get up the table for the rest of the season, and hopefully all this speculation about the manager will die down now that all the clubs are verging on the bri.... sorry... now that the transfer window is closed.
posted by Sk4n at 10:31 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Sk4n at 10:31 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Dude would be awesome if he spoke English!
Oh, snap!
posted by clvrmnky at 5:44 AM on February 3, 2010
Oh, snap!
posted by clvrmnky at 5:44 AM on February 3, 2010
I love Ray Hudson, and yeah, he's at his best when partnered with Phil Schoen. The other GolTV guys don't feed his insanity nearly as well (conversely, I find Phil Schoen pretty boring when paired with anyone else in their stable).
Here's my absolute favorite piece of commentary from the inestimable Ray Hudson, during a Barcelona v Villareal match. After about forty seconds of buildup, Xavi dinks a ball over the top of the defense to find Ronaldinho away from his marker; the latter chests it up into the air and then executes a perfect bicycle kick to find the goal. Ray Hudson is silent for 10 whole seconds as Phil Schoen stammers his appreciation. This, the Hudson enthusiast suspects, is going to be good.
"As electrifying as a hair-dryer thrown into a hot tub, my friend! Absolutely... breath-taking! He puts the Haitian voodoo-rattle on this one, when he finishes.... Oh! Like Betamax, they do not make them like him anymore. What more can you say? An extraordinary goal, by an extraordinary player, that will send this people into their dreams tonight, thinking of heavenly things. Absolutely bamboozles his defender with this virtuoso goal."
At this point, the feed cuts to a young platinum-blond boy grinning and making faces at the camera.
"And little blondie says, I want to be like him." There is a pause, as the sage considers his words for what must be the very first time.
"I doubt it very much."
posted by Errant at 11:38 AM on February 3, 2010
Here's my absolute favorite piece of commentary from the inestimable Ray Hudson, during a Barcelona v Villareal match. After about forty seconds of buildup, Xavi dinks a ball over the top of the defense to find Ronaldinho away from his marker; the latter chests it up into the air and then executes a perfect bicycle kick to find the goal. Ray Hudson is silent for 10 whole seconds as Phil Schoen stammers his appreciation. This, the Hudson enthusiast suspects, is going to be good.
"As electrifying as a hair-dryer thrown into a hot tub, my friend! Absolutely... breath-taking! He puts the Haitian voodoo-rattle on this one, when he finishes.... Oh! Like Betamax, they do not make them like him anymore. What more can you say? An extraordinary goal, by an extraordinary player, that will send this people into their dreams tonight, thinking of heavenly things. Absolutely bamboozles his defender with this virtuoso goal."
At this point, the feed cuts to a young platinum-blond boy grinning and making faces at the camera.
"And little blondie says, I want to be like him." There is a pause, as the sage considers his words for what must be the very first time.
"I doubt it very much."
posted by Errant at 11:38 AM on February 3, 2010
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Is it too late to change my username?
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:31 PM on February 2, 2010