"That sounds terribly uncomfortable for the female snake," I said, giggling.

And he sounds uncomfortable with being a celebrity.

If Shrubland sounds too austere or uncomfortable, it is not.

Unfortunately, he sounded uncomfortable holding back, as if playing quietly did not come easily.

"My mother said you called," he said at last, sounding uncomfortable.

"You sound uncomfortable with my choice, Doctor," I said.

They hadn't spoken since that night in Ormskirk, and he still sounded uncomfortable.

They made a positive identification this morning: His voice sounded stiff and uncomfortable.

"I guess there must be, you know," he said, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

But in another sense it's no wonder he sounds uncomfortable; he is now out of place in the hip-hop world that made him a star.