Kathy Bates and Conan sing 'Star-Spangled Banner' in Baltimorese

Stephen Proctor

On Conan, Kathy Bates revealed that she got all sorts of guff from linguists for her performance in American Horror Story: Freak Show. In the show, Bates was supposed to have a Baltimore accent, or Baltimorese. But she didn’t have a dialect coach, so she’d practice by singing the “Star Spangled Banner” with it spelled out phonetically in front of her. Bates and Conan O’Brien gave it a shot, and the results … well, it’s no wonder the linguists weren’t too happy.

Bates got things started, and O’Brien soon joined in. The sound the two produced wasn’t so much Baltimorese. It may be described as a kind of Philly, Aussie, cockney mix, with just a touch of nails on a chalkboard.

This performance of our national anthem was reminiscent of Roseanne Barr’s performance at a San Diego Padres game in 1990, only better … slightly.

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