CANBERRA, Australia — He is loud -- and proud of it. He also has a record to show for it.
Joseph McGrail-Bateup, 58, an honorary town crier in the Australian capital city of Canberra, has been officially recognized as the world’s loudest person.
Guinness World Records last week verified that McGrail-Bateup, who is a professional air conditioner cleaner when he is not shouting, recorded the loudest shout by one person.
He yelled the word “now” at 122.4 decibels on May 2, 2026, according to Guinness.
Guinness World Records last week acknowledged 58-year-old Joseph McGrail-Bateup from Canberra, Australia resident as the world’s loudest person.
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 23, 2026
The professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier yelled “now” at 122.4 decibels. pic.twitter.com/C6x3XGrNKx
His scream broke the previous record of 121.7 decibels, set in 1994 by Annalisa Flanagan, The Associated Press reported. The schoolteacher from Ireland had yelled an ear-splitting “quiet,” according to the news organization.
For comparison, McGrail-Bateup’s full-throated roar is in the same noise range of a chainsaw, a jet taking off and an ambulance siren at close range, the AP reported.
That is in the noise range of a chainsaw, a jet aircraft taking off and an ambulance siren at close range.
McGrail-Bateup told SkyNews that it took him seven attempts to break Flanagan’s record. He added that his voice was “shot” for weeks after he set the mark.
“There’s no way that you can actually practice for it,” he told the news outlet. “You have to just keep it for the day, especially with the world record attempt.
“It was husky, it was terrible.”
In a diplomatic gesture, McGrail-Bateup said he considered himself the world’s loudest man rather than the loudest person, the AP reported. Guinness had no record for the world’s loudest man. There was no previous record for the loudest man.
“I’m pleased that she (Flanagan) gets to keep her record,” he said. “So she’s still the loudest woman in the world and I’m the loudest male in the world.”
McGrail-Bateup became the town crier in Canberra in 2017 and makes announcements at local events --something he calls a “bit of fun.”
He had not intended to break the world record for loudness, instead leafing through Guinness to see what records existed for town criers, the AP reported.
His shout was recorded in a Canberra radio studio by a professional acoustic engineer and with witnesses present. The files were sent to Guinness, which announced the record on Friday.
McGrail has held another record in the Guinness book, but his voice did not quiver for this one. In 2019, he shot 10 archery arrows in 60.03 seconds, SkyNews reported.
The record only stood for nine months. A 7-year-old boy smashed the mark by 11.4 seconds, according to Guinness. Casey Wilhelm now holds the record at 39.53 seconds, set in September 2023.
McGrail-Bateup is not worried that someone might break his loud record someday.
“If someone beats me, that’s fantastic,” he told the AP. “Records are meant to be broken.”
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