Scott Brick on Voiceover

Jonathan Lowe) You’ve been narrating for a couple decades now, so you literally need no introduction. To begin, when did you foresee how your acting would turn from stage to recording booth or studio?

Scott Brick)  It started slowly transitioning when I did my first audiobook in 1999.  For the first few years of my career I was doing a book or two every month, but it wasn’t until about four years in that I realized this was a full-time gig.  What had been a passion of mine, narrating audiobooks, was suddenly my career!  Or not so suddenly, but you take my meaning.

JL What was the watershed moment for why all this came about, as an evolution? How much was chance, and how much just hard work and planning?

SB) Well, I’m a fan of the quote from the great Branch Rickey: “Luck is the residue of design.”  I like to think there was definitely a purpose for putting me in the position to book that first job, God gave me the opportunity to pursue it as a career if I wanted to, but after that much of it was up to me.  He wasn’t going to do it for me, right?  We get out of life what we put into it.  I feel like God gave me certain gifts, the ability to tell stories in ways people enjoy, but it’s up to me to use them.

JL) You are teaching as well as performing these days. Plus you’re publishing. This came about as a natural progression, did it not?

SB) I think it did, yes, and both simply because I was passionate about doing them.  When a number of people asked me to teach classes, I at first didn’t think I had anything to say, but when they kept asking, I gave it a try and found out that I loved it.  I didn’t just love it, I wanted to do more and more of it, and it’s been hugely rewarding.  Five years ago, UCLA, my alma mater, came to me and asked me to teach their third year graduate Theater students, so we created the first nationally-accredited university course that teaches solely audiobook narration.  That felt wonderful, and is a nice way to spend my Fall months.  And the publishing happened similarly, I had a series of books, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson, and nobody had narrated the first six volumes on audio.  Well, I had a studio, I had pretty much everything I needed to get them finished and distributed online, so I asked my attorney to contact the publisher and we secured the rights.  We just renewed that contract, in fact, and it’s wonderful seeing them available for the first time on audio.  And my best friend suggested the name of my company: Brick by Brick Audiobooks.  It seemed right.

JL) You’ve often been asked who your fav writers are, or books, true? What is your ballpark total now, after so many awards?

SB) Yes, I’m often asked which are my favorites, but I’ve narrated nearly a thousand titles at this point, so it’s difficult narrowing it down to one or two.  I typically ask the person I’m speaking to what their favorite genre is, then suggest something I’ve done in that genre that I particularly liked.  Much easier to handle it that way, although I do maintain a list of favorites on my website that fans can check out if they wish, it’s the list of books I am most often asked about.

JL) What is the most surprising thing in your personal life up to this point?

SB) I still get such a huge kick when someone whose work I’ve loved, respected and admired somehow knows who I am.  I’ve been a lifelong fan of Stephen King, and years ago, he actually mentioned my name in an interview, and it was the most surreal experience.  I mean, of course I know who HE is, but HE knows who I am?  That’s nuts!

JL) The Wall Street Journal once published a cover piece on you. That’s amazing. What amazes you most about the audiobook industry itself, and how do you see it changing?

SB) That was a wonderful moment, and really helped my career take off.  They came back to me this past year and profiled me again in their Entertainment section and I told them they’d given me no end of street cred.  I told the interviewer, “This is going to be my third time in your publication, and I’ve never even been indicted, that’s got to be some kind of record…!”  As for the changes to the industry, the biggest one I’ve seen over the years is that it’s finally become cool to do books, as in, celebrities seek out the work, occasionally.  I was part of a terrific profile of the industry by CBS This Morning last month, and David Pogue interviewed a number of celebrities who spoke eloquently about why they love doing this work, and it was wonderful to see.

JL) Are there voices, dialects and pronunciations even you struggle over, or is research generally able to clear up problems in the course of production? What’s an example of a difficult book?

SB) There’s a wonderful database available online, the International Dialects of English archive, or IDEA as it’s known, and it breaks down accents by every country on Earth, some of them, like the US and the UK, quite extensively.  So there’s rarely an accent that’s described that we can’t listen to rather quickly.  At that point, it’s up to us and how well we can mimic it.  Some of the hardest accent work I’ve ever had to do have been in Brad Meltzer’s books, because he intentionally puts in crazy ones, just to see if it’ll trip me up.  Oy.

JL) The Reacher series by Lee Child is a recent coup for you. How did it come about, and what do you try to bring to the character that’s special?

SB) I’ve been reading and listening to those books for years, so I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to be cast to do it.  The month it took between the audition and the news I’d been picked was nerve-wracking, there were a lot of sleepless nights, believe me.  As for bringing anything special to it, look, it’s really hard replacing a legend like Dick Hill.  He’s wonderful, and knew that character so well, so I’ve always said I can’t fill his shoes, but it’s nice to be walking in them.  I used to be a fight choreographer, so I spent years seeing the world in a tactical way, where everyone’s attack leaves them open to their opponent’s next move in some way.  If I swing at a guy’s head, that means my chest is exposed, yes?  And Lee Child has always written from a highly tactical mindset, so I’ve just paid particular attention to those moments where Reacher looks for a weakness, then pounces on it and exploits it.  It’s those mental moments that I enjoy the most, and I think the listener should too.

JL) It must be thrilling to be reading a book no one has read yet in book format. Exhausting too?

SB)  Yes, getting to read stuff months before other people is pretty darn thrilling, I won't lie.  A part of me kinda wants to rub it in online, sometimes, especially when it's really good.  But yes, it is pretty exhausting work, at least when you're as tightly booked as I am right now.  Still, it's a good problem to have, a First World problem for sure.

JL) How many times do you read and make notes on any particular galley before recording, and how long does it take to produce a typical unabridged title?

SB) The average books takes about a week to record, depending on how difficult it is, or how much research is required.  I have a researcher who writes copious notes for me, in case I need them.  For instance, when he preps the manuscript, he may not know that I know how to pronounce “fecund,” so he’ll typically write it out for me, just in case.

JL) Where do readers go to best sample your work--ScottBrick.net?

SB) My production manager Gina has been working for years to update my list of books recorded to date on my website, and while it’s not quite comprehensive yet, there are a ton of books listed, many by genre, or by series, or by author, and each of them links to various click through pages where they can either listen to samples or purchase them if they want.  I love audiobooks so much that I told her long ago that I want to make them as easy as possible to put them in people’s hands, or ears, or phones, or however you want to look at it.  There are a lot of people who’ve never listened to one, so I’ve got my work cut out for me if I want to convert them all. 

Thanks to Scott for contributing to my upcoming memoir POST OFFICE CONFIDENTIAL.

SIDEWAYS by Rex Pickett is read by Scott Brick. As you probably know, the story follows two friends---one of whom will soon be married---on a road trip to California wine country for one last blowout. Things become complicated when they get entangled with two barmaids, and fail to tell them about Jack's pending wedding. Then comic situations ensue when the truth comes out. But in the end this thoughtful, balanced first novel displays a talent for pacing and narrative focus.  Indeed, only minor differences are evident between book and film, including an alternate ending, and yet it's interesting to hear and contemplate why Hollywood's medium requires a slightly different approach. Interesting, too, to hear more of Miles' inner thoughts than can be expressed on screen. Scott Brick gives such a believable performance that, like a fine Pinot Noir, the experience of listening mellows one's mood with delicate, luxuriant flavors simply not present in the more flashy but shallow Merlot of Star Wars.

THE STARS HIS DESTINATION

from the Vault: Before winning an Audiobook Publishers Association's "Audie" award in 2003 for narrating DUNE: THE BUTLERIAN JIHAD, Scott Brick was already one the most prolific narrators in the business. A former Shakespearian actor turned film actor and writer, the versatile 42 year old has been featured on Page 1 of the Wall Street Journal for his studious interpretations of 900 books by authors from Brad Meltzer and Clive Cussler to Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov. Chosen as "Narrator of the Year" by Publishers Weekly in 2007, Brick has also won over 40 Earphones awards from AudioFile magazine, and is nominated twice in this year’s "Audie" awards (the Oscar of the industry). First, for work on the original DUNE novel, produced in a recent multi-voice edition by Audio Renaissance (now MacMillan Audio), and again, for DREAMSONGS, a short story collection by George R. R. Martin published by Random House Audio. His website is ScottBrickPresents.com.      

JONATHAN LOWE: Despite narrating a variety of genres, including the mystery and suspense of Joseph Finder, Tom Clancy, Nelson DeMille, Dennis Lehane, David Baldacci, Harlan Coben and others, you've attracted the most critical attention narrating the DUNE series by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Is Frank Herbert's DUNE and its prequels also your favorites, and if so, why?

SCOTT BRICK: Well, I read the original six novels while in college and absolutely loved them, so when I was asked to record "Dune," I was overwhelmed. Brian was so giving of his time. He spent four and a half hours on the phone with me, guiding me through extremely difficult pronunciations. After we'd done the first prequel, we recorded the original "Dune," and Brian shared all his father's notes with me, to ensure that all our pronunciations were correct. It's hard for me to convey just how special an occurrence this was. No one had ever gone to this effort before, and Brian was so appreciative that we were doing so. The time we sank into this series was immense, yet was completely rewarding.  

LOWE: AudioFile gave you a great review, as I recall. Something about your sounding as though you were a tour guide for the planet Arrakis, with all the words just flowing off your tongue as though you'd been saying them for years.

BRICK: Yeah, it's the nicest review I've ever received. Never smiled more after reading a review. Brian actually gave me the most wonderful compliment, as well: 'Scott, after doing all this work, I want you to know you're now officially a pillar of the Dune universe.' When he pointed out that the main character's name means 'pillar' in the Dune language, I told him, 'Geez, Brian, I feel like you just dubbed me with a sword!' 

LOWE: Narrating isn't as easy as people think. It should be obvious that it requires a lot of skill and research. But when you read a book that difficult to interpret, don't you run into time constraints, caught between your recording schedule and the need to take notes about the characters?  

BRICK: I do, especially when authors make specific references to accents and such. Brad Meltzer, for instance, has a real ear for accents, and makes a point of assigning even minor characters the most obscure accents. He'll go into incredible detail about stretched or flat consonants, resonant vowels, etc. Then there’s the accents: South Dakota, Chicago, Boston. . . he even threw in a Greek guy who'd been raised in England, and if that isn't a direct challenge I don't know what is!

LOWE: Maybe they should force him to read his own work! What's the most difficult and most enjoyable thing about reading books for Random House and other publishers?

BRICK: Reading a book from a different genre and finding a treasure I ordinarily would never read. I’ve had that happen numerous times. WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN? by Budd Schulberg is the example I always cite, it’s the Great American Novel, and I likely never would have read it were I not asked to narrate it. I’ve had that happen over and over in my career. ALEXANDER HAMILTON by Ron Chernow, THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan, THE TALBOT ODYSSEY, or any of the thrillers by Nelson DeMille. I always knew these authors were great, but when you’re such a fan of one particular genre, as I am with science fiction, you tend to be somewhat blind to the other great reads out there. I likely would’ve gone without reading them, and that would be a shame. I’m so thankful I got to. 

LOWE: Is there a difference in the way different publishers direct you, or do they now just give you the book and let you do your thing?

BRICK: Sure, each publisher has their own technique, their own approach to the work. Some are very hands-on, others just let me to do my own thing. As far as direction goes, I'm always happy to have other people's input. Sometimes directors will listen more for gaffes or mouth noises and ask me to go back and fix those. Others will sometimes tell me, ‘I don't think the meaning of that sentence came through,’ and ask me to pick it up. It's nice to have their perspective. One time, a studio manager told me, 'Scott, I told our director that you've done a ton of these, so she should just stay out of your way and let you do it.' Even though it was a compliment, I wished he hadn't told the director that. I never want anyone to feel like they can't correct me. What we do is a collaborative effort, and director/producers don't get nearly enough credit for their work. That being said, I've worked with producers who stop me every other sentence, and it drives me nuts!

    

LOWE: As a writer, you also got to adapt some of Orson Scott Card's stories for the stage, and to script the production draft of the upcoming Arthur C. Clarke based movie "Rendezvous With Rama." How did this come about, and where did you first meet Orson and producer Morgan Freeman?

BRICK: Well, my friendship with Scott Card actually predates my audiobook days. I used to write articles for a living, and got to interview him once for a science fiction magazine. It turned out we had so much in common that about ninety minutes after this phone interview was over, he was at my house dropping off a script for a Reader’s Theater production of LORD OF THE RINGS he was directing. He’d been listening to my voice and told me, ‘Would you do this? You’d make a great Gandalf.’ That, of course, after I’d dropped innumerable hints that I’d like to participate in some way. Thank God, he got the hint! Then a few years later I found myself narrating his work on audio. That really made me happy.

As for Morgan, that came about through Lori McCreary, Morgan’s business partner and the head of Revelations Entertainment, his production company. She and I used to go to church together, way back when, and knowing I was so well-versed in science fiction, when they were having trouble with their adaptation of RAMA, she asked me to consult on it, to help her figure out how to fix it. I basically told her it needed a complete overhaul, a page-one rewrite, and asked if I could do it. She said yes, and we were off. I met Morgan shortly thereafter, in production meetings, and he’s the absolute nicest man. He loves that book. In fact, it was his idea to do the film. He dropped the book on her desk years ago and said, ‘Let’s make this.’ Years later, they wound up hiring me all over again to write another draft of RAMA. We were hoping it would be the production draft, but in Hollywood, things don’t always go according to plan. Given Clarke’s recent passing, the thing that makes me proud is that when Morgan and Lori flew to Sri Lanka to visit him and show him the script, it was my version they brought over. I hope he’s watching one day when the movie finally gets made. It’s a lovely story, and Clarke deserves all the credit for it.

LOWE: You also have a special interest in Stephen R. Donaldson. What's this I hear about your buying audio rights to Donaldson's books? 

BRICK: Yeah, look at me, I’m a publisher all of a sudden! I fell in love with Donaldson’s work the first time I read his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I literally sacrificed my grades during finals, my freshman year of college, because I couldn’t bring myself to study without knowing how the first volume, LORD FOUL’S BANE, turned out. Well, years later I got to narrate his latest in the series, RUNES OF THE EARTH. When its sequel, FATAL REVENANT, came out late last year, I learned there were no plans to record it, and I thought that would be a shame, so I purchased the rights myself. I recorded it in my brand new home studio, then made a deal with Random House to purchase the rights to the original series as well, which as it turns out had never been recorded either. So at the beginning of May, people can either grab the most recent installment, FATAL REVENANT, or they can start at the beginning with LORD FOUL’S BANE. The plan is to have all original six books finished by the time Donaldson comes out with the next in the series. And the folks at Random House Audio were so cool, they’ve agreed to distribute the series for me, so people can either go to my website and download it there, or they’ll find it in all the usual digital distribution outlets like Audible, iTunes and Amazon, as well.

LOWE: What's his best, in your opinion?

BRICK: His GAP series is amazing, his MORDANT’S NEED books are lovely, but having just re-read the first Covenant book (for at least the sixth time), the Covenant series is clearly his masterpiece. And it’s an honor to be able to do them on audio, to be associated with them in any way. There were times I had to shut off the tape, I was crying too hard. This is an absolutely glorious series, and I’m really excited about new readers discovering him. I envy them, getting to experience this story for the first time.

LOWE: Tell us about "Spin," by Robert Charles Wilson. Hearing you read it, I was struck by how detailed the human story was, or how believable the characters were, which they needed to be in order to support such an otherwise unbelievable plot. What were your thoughts, in recording it?

BRICK: Well, of course its premise is spectacularly original, a novel about Earth being cut off from the rest of the universe by beings unknown for reasons unknown. But it shows humanity adapting to life in exile, essentially, and the crazy effects that has on us as a species. It was extraordinarily dense, in every way. It had dozens of words I’d never heard of before. I lived with my dictionary open before me, and, yes, it was dense in terms of character development too. The book is inhabited by wonderful, original characters that you really feel for, that you root for, and that’s always so welcome in books of any genre. There were also some unique challenges. I had to learn how to curse in Flemish, for one thing. And not just any curse, but the absolute worst thing you can say in the Flemish language. It’s hysterical, actually, and I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this odd, odd curse.