Have you ever wondered who voiced AOL’s iconic greeting (“Welcome!”), mail notification (“You’ve got mail!”), and other sound bites? Well, you’re in luck, because comedian/goatboy Jim Breuer tracked him down and recorded a short video for the whole internet to enjoy.
Elwood Edwards is his name, and he tells Breuer a short story about recording those voice snippets way back in 1989 (!!!) before reeling off a few of his favorites — including the demonic “Goodbye!” that destroyed your will to live on so many occasions.
More fun facts about Edwards, via Wikipedia:
– His voice appeared in an episode of The Simpsons, in which he provided the voice of a virtual doctor (“You’ve got leprosy!”).
– His voice appeared in advertising for the movie You’ve Got Mail.
– AOL converted his voice into an AOL-BOT to be used in chatrooms.
– He had a short stint as a weatherman (once proclaiming to New Bern, North Carolina: “You’ve got hail.”)
– He used to sell personalized .wav files through his website.
– No one but your grandma knows if AOL still uses his voice.