Australian man crowned Guinness World Records' loudest person

Joseph McGrail-Bateup became Guinness World Records’ loudest person after shouting the word “now” at 122.4 decibels, a mark that narrowly beat the previous record of 121.7 decibels set in 1994 by Northern Ireland schoolteacher Annalisa Flanagan. The difference was small on paper and enormous in practice: Guinness compared the sound to a chainsaw, a rock concert, a military jet taking off and an ambulance siren close by.

The Canberra resident, 58, already had a career built around projection. Guinness says McGrail-Bateup was appointed official town crier of Canberra in 2017 and later became town crier for Queanbeyan. He joined the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers in 2022 and, in 2024, won first place for the loudest cry at 98 dB in town-crier competition, using the traditional call “oyez, oyez.”

The latest title fits a record book that has long rewarded highly specific feats as much for their oddity as for their precision. McGrail-Bateup’s case brought that formula into sharp relief: a professional air-conditioner cleaner and civic performer became globally recognizable for one shouted word, while Guinness kept the women’s record with Flanagan. McGrail-Bateup said he thought of himself more as the loudest man than the loudest person, and he was pleased that Flanagan retained the women’s title.

He said his daughter helped choose the word “now” for the attempt, after the earlier record word, “quiet,” offered little help in chasing a louder result. McGrail-Bateup said he could not really train for the effort and had to save his voice for the day itself. It took him seven tries to land one good shout, and his voice was ruined for the next couple of days, leaving him husky and exhausted.

Guinness says McGrail-Bateup grew up shy and became louder after joining theatre, a detail that gives the record a human edge beneath the spectacle. It also shows why these one-off titles travel so well: they turn local figures into national curiosities without needing a scandal, a podium speech or a policy fight, only a number, a name and a sound that could be measured.

McGrail-Bateup has already had one other place in the record book. Guinness says he previously held an archery title for the fastest time to shoot 10 arrows into a 40 cm target from 18 m, completed in 1 minute 0.03 seconds in 2019.