Tim Sample is the designated heir of the Marshall Dodge, Bert 'n I Downeast Maine humor. The accent is exaggerated, but not a lot. You can find people who speak pretty neah just like this.
His reference to "generic beer" comes from an earlier part of the routine. He describes how ubiquitous such products have become in the poorer Maine communities, and tells about going down to the general store, with a big jar of eggs in brine on the counter, and picking up generic products.
In particular, the generic novel: "It's got a black-and-white cover with a bah code. No illustrations. It's about this fellah. Doesn't say who..."
1 comment:
No...he doesn't exaggerate much. I've spoken with more than one old timer (and grew up with a few) who speak a very New Hampshire version of the same. NH is a little sharper, a bit more nasal, but recognizably New England.
I'm always interested to see what actors do with the NE accents. They inevitably focus on the soft "R" and ignore most of the other nuances. You can hear Sample employing a very specific type of cadence and a clipping of certain words and sounds that many actors seem to miss.
As for "generic" that was very much a joke of its time. I recall when white labeled "generic" products were quite the rage among the frugal crowd. Good enough, don'tcha know. Good enough.
I haven't seen any white label generic products in many years. I'm fairly sure my kids would not really get the joke.
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