18 January 2012 (Comedy Preview)

Words: Caroline Foran

One of the more interesting entertainment acts to arrive on our shores of late is the 'Master of vocal gymnastics', Mr. Michael Winslow who's set to play Whelan's on February 20th. You might not be overly familiar with his name, but you'll certainly remember him as Sgt. Larvelle "Motor Mouth" Jones in the Police Academy series of movies and TV shows. Rising to fame for his peerless ability to create the most realistic sound effects using only his voice, Winslow, who has been taking beatbox requests for over 25 years, is touted today as 'The man of 10,000 Sound effects'.

Born in Washington and growing up on Fairchild Air Force Base, Winslow, the youngest of six brothers, found it somewhat difficult to make friends. So, he took to entertaining himself by imitating the sounds of everything around him - the airplanes, the jet engines, pretty much anything that made a noise. But he was really rather good at it. Where kids today will immerse themselves in their Wii's and DS's, Winslow spent most of his childhood creating imaginary friends - 'cats, dogs, trucks, anything that would keep me occupied for the moment.'

Not overly keen on the field of academia, after stunning an audience with his rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' during his first post-college professional performance, (he wasn't even the main act but managed to earn himself a standing ovation) Winslow knew a life of entertaining was for him. So, it was off to LA where following a brief stint of homelessness, he eventually struck gold. Things took a turn for the better when director Hugh Wilson and producer Paul Manslanski came to see him perform at Long Beach Theater where he was opened Count Basie and his Orchestra. So impressed were Wilson and Manslanski, they immediately wrote him into the script of "Police Academy I through VII". And whether it was down to Winslow or good writing, both film and star became an instant success. With his celebrity status nicely established, the rest, as they say, was history.

Between lending his voice to the likes of Family Guy and Robo Chicken and touring worldwide with his unique vocal dexterity, (you may have been lucky enough to catch him at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe) Michael Winslow will be stopping off in Ireland for a show that'll entertain you no end.