A quick word with the world’s fastest talker

17/11/2004 18:08

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - When Sean Shannon goes to the theatre, no one could blame him for shouting "Get On With It" when Hamlet delivers his famous "to be or not to be" speech.

For the last 15 years, the Canadian businessman has held the record for being the world’s fastest talker -- he can recite the 260-word Shakespeare soliloquy in 23.8 seconds.

"When the speech comes on, I do tend to get ahead of the actor a little bit in my mind as it is so engrained in my memory," he said.

But Shannon, a mild-mannered 52-year-old who refuses to take his quirky talent too seriously, is not resting on his laurels.

"I have now broken the record twice and I think I could break it just one more time," Shannon told Reuters at a London reception to mark the 50th anniversary of Guinness World Records, the wacky bible of ultimate achievers.

"I can do 655 words a minute. I would like to get to 660. That would be quite a landmark," he said.

To reach that pitch of verbal perfection, Shannon finds it best to empty the mind completely before embarking on his word sprints.

"I think it is important NOT to think about what you are saying. I gather newscasters do an entire newscast without understanding a word they say. They just say it convincingly and this is probably the best way."

Happily performing his Hamlet soliloquy at a gallop for .....continued below

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reporters, he confessed: "I’m not like an athlete who spends hours in the pool to get his bit of fame. I’m a bit too lazy to spend too much time training for it."

Interviewing him can be a nightmare. Shorthand writers have been known to implode, pens to self-destruct. A tape recorder is an essential tool of the trade for meeting Shannon.

"I always thought everybody could do it and spoke like that when they were excited. I was very surprised when I realised that I speeded up more than most and then -- it turned out -- more than anyone," he said.

As a veteran record-breaker, Shannon has to keep some weird company in surreal surroundings.

"I have met several dozen of the record holders. It is true. Some people are extremely obsessive about it, such as people who stand on one foot for days and months."

Across the room, a television soundman jumps in alarm as his headphones reverberate with the world’s largest burp as performed by Britain’s Paul Hunn.

David Morgan claims the world’s biggest collection of traffic cones. Elaine Davidson proudly shows off her 2,520 body piercings.

Amid this eccentric mayhem, the ever quizzical Shannon maintains a much needed sense of proportion.

When asked to reflect on the perfect epitaph for his 23.8 seconds of fame, he swiftly came up with the best inscription for his tombstone:

"I wouldn’t want it to look silly and I wouldn’t want it to look if I took myself too seriously. So let’s think. How about --- He talked quickly but enjoyed it."