Ice-T finds recording Dungeons & Dragons audiobook ‘impossible’

In his podcast, rapper-actor Ice-T talks about recording an audiobook for Audible. The recording was hard -- because the story was what he describes as “a [expletive] Dungeons & Dragons book.”

“When you read these books, you make up the pronunciation in your head,” he says. “But to actually verbally say this words? Son. Son.”

“It took me 3½ hours to read 25 pages.”

This is how he tells it on his freewheeling, full-of-adult-language podcast: “Dungeons & Dragons is some of the most crazy, deep, deep, deep nerd [stuff] ever invented. Every word you’re saying is pretty much made up. [Characters] talk like Yoda: Outside I go, into the sun thereof, in, out....how do you read this [stuff]?”

“I’m trying to read it. I’m not going to say I’m some literary expert that can read some heavy [stuff],” he said. But he warned, “This [stuff] is impossible to read, son.”

What he had to read, Ice-T says, was a 40-page short story. He thought he could record in four hours -- instead, it took two days.

“I needed breaks. I needed water,” he says, sounding tired just recounting the experience.

Sadly, the title of exactly what he recorded isn’t included in the podcast, and it doesn’t appear to yet be available. But judging by Twitter, it will find listeners. Enthusiastic responses included @PaulTheBookGuys tweeting, “I would read that!” and, from young adult author Maureen Johnson, “WHY ISN’T THIS THE ONLY THING ON THE NEWS?”

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