World’s Loudest Man Sets New Record in Australia

In Melbourne, Australia, Joseph McGrail-Bateup, an Australian air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier, has been awarded the title of the world’s loudest person by Guinness World Records. The 58-year-old from Canberra achieved this with a shout of ‘now’ that reached 122.4 decibels, surpassing the previous 121.7-decibel record set by Northern Ireland’s Annalisa Flanagan in 1994. Her shout of ‘quiet’ was as loud as a chainsaw, a jet aircraft taking off, or an ambulance siren.

McGrail-Bateup said that there is no way to practice for such a record. ‘You can’t practice it, you just have to do it on the day,’ he explained. ‘It took seven attempts just to shout one word, ‘now.’ My voice was strained and husky for several days afterward. But it’s fun while you’re doing it,’ he added.

Despite breaking the record for loudest shout, McGrail-Bateup prefers being recognized as the world’s loudest man; there was no previous record for the loudest male. ‘I’m pleased she (Flanagan) retains her record as the loudest woman than,’ he remarked. McGrail-Bateup discovered Flanagan’s record while trying to find records related to town criers.

He began as Canberra’s official town crier in 2017. The position is honorary, part-time, and arranged by the local government. Known as Lord Joseph, he attends community events and works as part of the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian Town Criers. He won a 2024 competition for the loudest ‘Oyez, Oyez, Oyez’ with a shout of 98 dB, typically used to command silence before a proclamation.

For the world record, McGrail-Bateup experimented with various words before choosing ‘now.’ His record-setting shout took place on May 2 in a Canberra radio studio, with the assistance of an acoustic engineer. The recording was then sent to Guinness, who confirmed the record.

This achievement marks McGrail-Bateup’s second world record. In 2019, he broke a speed record for shooting 10 arrows, with a time of 60.03 seconds. However, a child bested this record nine months later.

McGrail-Bateup feels no pressure to maintain his records. ‘If someone beats me, fantastic,’ he said. ‘Records are meant to be broken.’