Remember the old Michael Jackson song “Bad”?
In the 80s, that song was everywhere. It was one of Michael Jackson’s first rock songs, and it took his career up a notch. Just about anywhere you went in those days, you could hear “Bad” playing.
Well, in addition to the myriad musical covers you can find of that song, one person put a unique spin on the classic.
John Moschitta, Jr. became famous for being the world’s fastest talker in the 1980s.
If you grew up during that time, you definitely remember him, even if you don’t recognize his name. He can speak 583 words per minute, and he was able to build a career off of that.
The 1980s were a decade in which his career flourished.
If you turned on any TV during that time you could see him as “Micro Machines Man” in toy commercials, a teacher on Saved by the Bell, and even a narrator on Sesame Street.
He was also the face of FedEx and Minute Rice.
He jokes about his extraordinary skill.
When an interviewer asked the origin of his fast-talking, Moschitta credited his upbringing and background. He says:
“I also grew up in a house with 5 sisters so to get a word in edgewise it was self defense.”
On a more serious note, he says that he practiced how to talk fast because he wanted to break a Guinness record, but he wasn’t interested in many of the more dangerous stunts.
During an interview in his heyday, he decided to blend one of the biggest songs of the 80s with his unique skill.
That’s right, in the middle of the interview, he stopped answering questions to show off exactly what he could do. Someone requested him to recite the lyrics of the hit song, and he complied.
It’s amazing to watch. In 20 seconds, Moschitta sings the entire first verse and chorus. For comparison, it takes Michael Jackson a minute and 8 seconds to sing that far in the song.
The entire time that Moschitta is speaking, he articulates each word clearly, and he doesn’t let his pronunciation get jumbled. I bet you don’t know anyone who can talk that fast!
Even though this is an old interview, people are still flabbergasted.
The video on YouTube is now a certified classic. It has 103,719,072 views, 2.6 million likes, and 229,248 comments. The comments are filled with people remarking at Moschitta’s amazing ability.
One commenter jokes:
“The only man who can live up to the phrase “to make a long story short”.”
Some people are remembering him from their childhoods. One person said:
“Wow I remember this guy as a kid growing up, a blast from the past, completely forgot about him! Thanks for the reminder Google 👍😎”
Decades later, Moschitta is still possibly the fastest talking person in the world.
There has been some debate over whether Moschitta is the fastest talker, or his rival, Steve Woodmere.
During a contest organized by an editor of The Guinness Book of World Records, Woodmere beat Moschitta out by a fraction of a second, but while listening to the playback, someone noticed Woodmere accidentally left a sentence out of what he was supposed to be reciting.
Since that, Moschitta has offered Woodmere a rematch, but Woodmere won’t meet him. The title for fastest talker in the world is still up for grabs.
Either way, we still have this incredible video.
Watch this feat of speed for yourself in the video below!
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