Iannuccilli: Will I Ever Be Able to Whistle?
Monday, March 04, 2019
Dr. Ed Iannuccilli, Columnist
View Larger +
Ed Iannuccilli
Is it too late to learn how to whistle? No, I don’t mean the Lauren Bacall “Put your lips together and blow” whistle. I can do that. I can hold the pucker position for a bit and whistle a marching song, maybe. I heard the world whistle champion on NPR one day. He sounded like the symphony, whistling more notes than I could count. Forget that.
There is one other whistle in my repertoire; the one modulated with a piece of grass held between thumbs and cupped hands and blowing. A high-pitched, short-lived meaningless shrill emanates. Though the grandchildren may love it, it’s not the whistle I covet.
I want the neighborhood whistle … the loud, crisp, no-nonsense signal that opens up the street and gets attention; the kind Andy’s father made, a crisp … phweep … when he wanted him home. One whistle and Andy was running, even if he was out of sight. That’s the one I want to do. I have tried and failed.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
I yearn for that fingerless, attention-grabbing special, the one that is born by pursing lips and curling tongue in some kind of contorted fashion and blowing. I envy those who can just let go. I moisten my lips, conjure a sardonic grin and blow. Nothing but a wisp of silence. Harder. Deep breath in, breath out. Impossible. The wisp becomes a whoosh that only I can hear.
I’ve tried by sticking my fingers in the sides of my mouth. I saw some do that. A bit unsanitary but worth the risk if it worked. I tried different combinations … right and left index, right and left middles, right and left pinkies, thumb and index in a variety of positions. All I get is a silent saliva spill.
I’ve tried a variety of tongue positions … broad tongue, flat tongue, rest it on my bottom teeth, push it on the top, close my lips, open my lips, make a 'V' shaped hole, blow through the hole. I get neither sound nor attention. I am stumped. So I checked the internet.
There is a fair amount of information about whistling techniques. I’ve tried them all. It’s a good thing I was not being recorded. Looking at the monitor and contorting my face in so many different ways bore its share of ugliness. If I had any success, it would have been worth it, but I could never find the sweet spot. I blew until I had a headache, got dizzy or my jaws hurt
So I bought a good old fashioned metal whistle, the kind that looks like angel wings, the one with edges of sharp metal. When I was a kid, I had one that worked. I was able to make a bunch of different sounds, even music, sorta. These days, I can repeat a few, but when I saw blood at the sides of my mouth, I quit and threw it away.
Where can I take a whistling class?
Ed Iannuccilli is the author of "Growing up Italian" and "What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner?" and "My Story Continues" can be found here.
Related Slideshow: 19 to Watch in 2019 - FULL LIST
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Angie Armenise
Chef and co-owner of Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern in Smithfield, Angie Armenise has it all going. Expansion to a new and larger location, a wonderfully loyal customer base and a big stack of awards -- and more to come in the new year. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Marcela Betancur
Marcela Betancur, the new head of Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University and will be the power behind Latinx think tank in 2019.
Betancur, a Central Falls native, most recently worked READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Brian Goldner
No one will influence the psyche of Rhode Island more this year than Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner. After the loss of the PawSox to Worcester and the closing of Rhode Island’s beloved Benny's in 2017, Rhode Islanders are a bit raw.
He is poised to announce that Hasbro is...READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Cortney Nicolato
New United Way of Rhode Island President and CEO Cortney Nicolato succeeded Anthony Maione in 2018 — and takes on her first full year at the helm of the social service organization in 2019.
She is a Rhode Islander turned Texan returned back to Rhode Island. The Pawtucket native is all about Rhode Island and is passionate about helping to improve issues of housing affordability and the quality of education in RI. She is the mother of two elementary school-aged children. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Sabina Matos
It is the rise of the Phoenix in Providence. On Monday, Sabina Matos won back the Presidency of the Providence City Council and returns to the top legislative position in the City of Providence.
As Providence goes so goes Rhode Island. Matos will be faced with taking on some of the most difficult issues in the state. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Jamie Bova
The Newport City Councilor At-Large lined up the votes to votes for Mayor after being elected to just her second term on the Newport City Council this past November.
Bova, an engineer who grew up in Middletown, attended URI, and moved to Newport in 2012, succeeds Harry Winthrop as the city faces major changes ahead for 2019, including the construction of a new hotel on Thames Street — and more hotel proposals in the pipeline — and READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Jennifer Wood
The former private practice attorney turned top government aide turned non-profit director might have her biggest — and most public — battle on her hands in 2019.
RI Center for Justice Executive Director Jennifer Wood joined GoLocal News Editor on GoLocal LIVE where she spoke to the next steps after filing a federal class-action lawsuit in late November on behalf of all Rhode Island public school students to establish the right, under the U.S. Constitution, to an adequate education to prepare young people for full civic education.
READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Catholic Church Sex Abuse Survivors
In 2018, Bishop Tobin with the Diocese of Providence landed on GoLocal's “18 to Watch” as the Catholic Church was — and continues to remain — at the center of lawsuits pertaining to the collapse of the St. Joseph pension fund.
He’ll remain squarely in the spotlight — and not for good — in 2019, when he has pledged to release a list of names of abusive priests “credibly accused” over the years in the Diocese, as pressure mounts nationally for how sexual abuse claims were handled around the country — READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Matt Voskuil
One of Newport’s most iconic — and upscale — dining locations has a new look, a new chef — and people are taking note not just in Newport, but beyond.
Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage, Matt Voskuil at the newly opened Cara at the Chanler READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
David Torchiana
The most powerful person in healthcare in Rhode Island may soon be a man who rarely visits the state and few here know his name.
Dr. David Torchiana is the CEO of Partners HealthCare and he is poised to push through an acquisition of Rhode Island’s second largest hospital group, ending the local control over three of Rhode Island’s most important healthcare assets. And, the deal has the potential of putting in peril thousands of Rhode Island jobs through consolidation. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
RI GOP Party Chair
Rhode Island Republican Party Chair Brandon Bell was defeated in his run for the General Assembly in 2018.
Republican Cranston Mayor Allan Fung lost in his second attempt at the Rhode Island Governor’s office, after a bruising primary that saw former opponent and House Minority Leader opt to endorse former Republican-turned-independent (and honorary chair for President Donald Trump’s campaign in Rhode Island) Joe Trillo. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Anthony Baro
Anthony Baro heads Newport-based PowerDocks — one of Rhode Island’s most interesting startups. It is a market-making green tech company that, in many ways, combines the best of Rhode Island.
The emerging maritime renewal energy company is having an impact in the U.S. and globally. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Blake Filippi
Blake Filippi is the new House Minority leader and is a fresh-faced leader for the GOP in Rhode Island. But, he faces a number of challenges. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Desmond Cambridge
Brown University sophomore basketball player Desmond Cambridge has been a human highlight film his first year and a half on College Hill. He won Ivy League Freshman of the Year and this year he is READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Sarah Markey
South Kingstown School Board member Sarah Markey has been at the center of controversy since her election in November.
Markey, a top labor leader for the RI National Education Association, has drawn criticism by Democrats, Republicans and multiple municipal attorneys because READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Peter Neronha
Peter Neronha, the new Attorney General, takes over for the controversial Peter Kilmartin. The former U.S. Attorney for Providence now faces a far busier assignment than his federal one. READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Dylan Conley
Dylan Conley seems to be everywhere. Recently, GoLocal featured the attorney as one of Rhode Island's "Emerging Leaders."
He is the chairman of the Providence Board of Licenses and is in a hotbed READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
Mike McGovern
Chef Mike McGovern -- formerly the chef at Red Stripe -- is taking the helm at East Greenwich's Kai Bar -- and now 241 Main Sports Bar and Grill.
Kai Bar is a combination of small plates and big drinks, “Kai offers a rotating small plates menu from an award-winning Chef and Craft Cocktails READ MORE
View Larger +
Prev
Next
BIg Tourism Voids
Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Rhode Island economy and two of the most important positions in the state are now vacant. READ MORE
Related Articles
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.