“I learned how to get rid of the Southern accent when I was, like, 11 years old and living in New York for the summer doing modeling and commercials and auditioning for Broadway. The mother I lived with for the summer taught me how to drop my Southern accent.” YearsMotherNew YorkTaughtSummerSouthernAccentsBroadwayModelingSouthern Accent Author:Nikki DeLoach
“I spoke bluntly about what I had seen in a little over a year as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. To the apparent surprise of many in the room, I observed publicly that insider trading appeared to be rampant.” YearsLittlesStatesUnitedRoomsUnited StatesNew YorkSurpriseSpokesSouthernTradingAttorneyInsidersInsider Trading Author:Preet Bharara
“Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of New York or LA. It has some Southern romanticism to it, but also a Northern progressivism, this weird urban island in the middle of the state of Kentucky that has always provided a fertile, often dark, bed. For us, Louisville and the surrounding areas are the center of massive creativity and massive weirdness. The place has its flaws: You move away, but you’re always going to come back.” ThinkingStatesMovingDarkCreativityMiddleNew YorkBedAreasSouthLabelsIslandsMassiveFlawsChicagoSouthernUrbanRomanticismFertileWeirdnessKentuckyProgressivismLouisville Author:Jim James
“I'm originally from southern California, so I, like, say 'like', like, a lot. I've been trying to scrub any traces of Valley Girl from my speech since I moved to New York, but it's, like, totally way harder than anyone thinks, you know?” ThinkingKnowsWayTryingGirlNew YorkSpeechHarderMovedCaliforniaValleysSouthernSouthern CaliforniaValley Girl Author:Mara Wilson
“Big Star invented a vision of bohemian rock & roll cool that had nothing to do with New York, Los Angeles or London, which made them completely out of style in the 1970s, but also made them an inspiration to generations of weird Southern kids.” MadeBigsInspirationKidsStarsVisionGenerationsRocksStyleNew YorkLondonLos AngelesSouthernBohemian Author:Rob Sheffield
“That could sound arrogant, I guess, but sometimes I feel like I have a bit of a Zelig thing. I'll blend in wherever. I'm from the South, so I'll have a Southern accent when I'm home. But if I'm up here in New York, I have a British accent.” IfsFeelsSometimesHomeBitsSoundNew YorkSouthBritishSouthernArrogantAccentsSouthern Accent Author:Michael Shannon
“How come regional pandering only works in one direction, right? You never see a Southern politician trying to win votes in New York State by saying, 'I read books and make a mean vegan meatloaf.'” TryingMeanBookStatesWinningNew YorkPoliticianVoteVeganSouthernOne DirectionNew York StateMeatloaf Author:Bill Maher
“I think in the old days, the nexus of weirdness ran through Southern California, and to a degree New York City. I think it's changed so that every bizarre story in the country now has a Florida connection. I don't know why, except it must be some inversion of magnetic poles or something.” ThinkingKnowsCountryStoriesCitiesNew YorkChangedDegreesConnectionsCaliforniaRanNew York CitySouthernFloridaBizarreOld DaysWeirdnessMagneticSouthern CaliforniaNexusInversions Author:Carl Hiaasen
“My grandfather lived to be 96 years old. He was born in a town outside of Salerno in Southern Italy. He came to New York when he was 20. He lived in the States from age 20 to 96, but he brought his culture with him, he brought his food with him, he brought his language with him, he never spoke a word of English.” YearsStatesAgeCultureLanguageBornNew YorkTownsSpokesSouthernGrandfatherMy GrandfatherSouthern Italy Author:Abel Ferrara
“I was raised in New York and spent two years in Rio. My parents met at the University of Southern Mississippi, and they had me there, and then we moved to New York. I'm not very familiar with Mississippi.” YearsTwoParentNew YorkMetsMovedRaisedUniversityFamiliarTwo YearsSouthernMississippiRio Author:Fred Armisen