Remember that Famous Quote by Charlie Brown's Dad?


It was such a big deal.

Having voiced announcements for Vancouver Transit, homegrown superstar Seth Rogen was voicing a series of announcements for the Toronto Transit Commission. Injecting a bit of levity and fun into a dreary subway commute couldn’t be a bad thing, could it?

The first few days after they were supposed to go live, I heard nothing at my regular subway stops. Caught the tail end of an announcement a few days later, but it was like the last few words, going quiet just as I hit the bottom of the stairs.

But today, I heard my first announcement from start to finish.

I don’t know what I expected. This is the TTC after all.

I’ve had my hearing tested in the last few years, and despite all the rock concerts and headphones and heavy equipment I’ve been exposed to over my lifetime, the Doctor said my hearing was fine.

So I can only surmise that everybody else in the station heard pretty much what I heard. By the light, rising and falling tone of the voice, I could tell it was Seth Rogen, but he sounded more like Charlie Brown’s dad from the old Peanut comic strips, “Murfel dodd mmummph, brigirdinitz shpinkle shpankle, crobopple...murfle murfle mummph crobopple.”

There you go. Far as I could tell, it might have been the Boston Strangler threatening to garrotte me the next time I set foot on a subway car.  Thank you TTC. You did make me smile. A somewhat rueful and dismissive smile for sure, as I slowly shook my head and got on the train.

I write literature of the fantastic. My short story collection, Psychedelia Gothique is mostly psychological horror. My just released novel, The Human Template is available through most online book retailers - and book two of the diptych, The Carnivorous Forest will appear in 2021. https://www.dalelsproule.com As a book reviewer I have written for Rue Morgue Magazine and AE Science Fiction. As a visual artist, I have illustrated books and magazines and have carved numerous sculptures out of stone.

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