crowd gathering

[Rachel Peters]

Oh yeah! The creamer in the hand, over the eye... I remember that.
But I feel that's a cop-out.
Only the real thing will do for me.

[scot]

I don't believe you rachel.

[Rachel Peters]

...Is this an eye poke-out challenge?

[Schuyler]

3...2...1...FIGHT!

[Rachel Peters]

Depth perception is very important in the career of an animator.
I might just have to offer a tip-of-the-hat and a "good form" on this one.
You win THIS time, Nery.

[GlassHarper]

Crowd gathering

I am, I suppose, more of a one-man-band (with only one instrument).

To start a show I simply start playing familiar tunes on my glass harmonica (27 water-tuned goblets forming a chromatically-arranged instrument that spans two octaves and a major nineth -- uh, if there are no musicians in the audience, a major nineth is two octaves higher than a major second ---- ah, I see there are only TWO musicians in the audience)!

Sometimes it happens immediately, sometimes it takes a while, but sooner or later one person will stop and all of a sudden another, and another, and yet another person will stop. "Won't you move in close, folks, where you can actually hear the subtle tones of this glass harmonica --- excuse me sir, I AM a vegetarian, I won't bite -- you CAN come up close!"

If everyone is still hanging back I stop playing. "Hey, folks there are TWO reasons I need you to move up: one is it makes it look like I actually have an audience that is interested in what I am doing. The other is it gets you up closer --- to the tip bucket!"

If they still won't move up I turn off the lights, cover the instrument and back away. Better to blow off an unresponsive audience as soon as possible so I can begin building an audience that will appreciate what I am doing.

My "fire" is a set of battery-operated white Christmas mini-lights snaked around the bases of the goblets on my instrument. They are so effective that I don't even bother playing during the day any more.

It's taken me fifteen years to figure it out so far. I live in an apartment a block and a half from where I work on Jackson Square, I drive a brand new Toyota Hybrid vehicle, I work three hours a day. Streets entertaining allows me those luxuries!

[Schuyler]

Now THAT'S a neat act!

[R. Wade Henry]

Interested vs Interesting

To gather a crowd, it is best to be interestED, not interestING.

Try this experiment:

Go into a public place and start yelling out that you're going to do a show and get desparate (like a bad clown) by trying to be interesting with bells and whistles and gadgets. People will back off and look for an "out". This is being interestING. Like a bad salesman who no one wants to talk to.

Next, go into the place and look at a the ground in a VERY interestED way. Just look at a crack or something and get very very very interestED. If you do this well, people will stop to look at you and will get curious about what you're so interested about. By being interestED, you will not only gather a crowd, but they will be a group of people who are also interested. Interest is contagious.

That's the difference between interestED and interestING.

[Schuyler]

I've noticed that I get better crowds when I'm just practicing a new trick at a campground. Then again maybe the tricks I'm practicing are just better. This is neat, I'm going to run out and try both techniques.

[Butterfly Man]

Interesting ... very interesting

Wade is 100% correct ... the more you become "serious" about setting up your act the more interesting you become ... Master Lee was a master of setting up his boards and bones so intensely that he consistently drew bigger crowd than the rest of us in Australia.

I have seen a situation like this backfire though ... the performer was flipping pennies into the center of his pitch with the utmost intensity ... it piqued the audiences interest worked for awhile but when they saw there was no fuckin' reason for him doing it so they scattered ...

and (for all my Jewish friends) yes, I did pick up the pennies later.

[Seadawg]

Very good posts....
When trying to gather an edge if you look like you are asleep, they could care less...

But if you look like you are setting up to do something interesting and are intense about it, curiousity will kill them every time.

When I fumble around with my leg hold traps checking the Springs, jaws etc( Like I wouldn't have em in good working order) .... people stop and wonder what I am up too....

Somedays if I am doing just straight street I will do my needle thru the balloon routine. Simple, visual and gets people to stop...

Once I got a few then I am off to the races...

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

chickening...

Alex, the puppeteer, came up with this word "chickening". This is the process of turning you back to the crowd and acting like you are doing something really important and not doing anything at all.

[Seadawg]

Dallas,
I get to see alex daily on our main pitch here in halifax.... and yes he chickens quite well....

I have never seen somebody do so little while making it look like so much.

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

Seadawg, tell him i said hello and hope all is well. zI hope he comes this way this winter!!!!