RANT HERE

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

Re: Yeah well but

Originally posted by martin ewen
I'm used as an example of some entertaining asset for some moribund church dwelling juggler and rocksalesman.

Mart, proximity to you will always come to the fore as one of the shining examples of why not to whine in my life, from those who know. I will go on the record here as stating, however, that while I can still talk Mart into the ocassional gig for me or with me, the shit ones are long out of the question, and I forsee the time when I''ll be taking his shit gigs, as the world around him starts to see what he delivers. I know his October numbers are edging past mine.

The weekend festival passed with no more imput from morning show guy, by the way. Phew. Back to doing nothing.

[Evan Young]

I hate this contract I'm working on. I'm almost done with my year at the kids show, and then they ask me to showcase the show at some confrence in orlando over the summer. they say $500, it's on a tuesday; ok, I'll do it. I get a free day at a resort in florida and a paying gig on a weekday. whatever.
Once I agree to it, up pops five days of rehersal with a new partner (for another $500). That's five days I could have been in Burlington doing street shows for real money; or in albany with my freind dave working on my new prop that's gonna put me on the map for origional variety shows. And then I find out I have to fly down to the confrence on a suday night and leave on a wednesday morning. So now I'm working for eight days in the summer for $1000. KILL ME NOW!
We did a dress rehersal at a school today. the audience were kindergardners. Of course it sucked. it takes months of experience to know how to get kindergarden kids to shut the fuck up and pay attention, and my character isn't allowed to ask the kids to calm down. So now we have to go in for another rehersal tonight as if it's gonna make any difference in the world, and despite the fact that the real show is over a month away and it's gonna be in front of adult nutritionists, not kindergarden kids.

the really stupid thing is this. Foodplay is changing their employment practices. they will no longer be hiring jugglers because they can't afford to keep us happy. They will be employing desperate for work actors at a rate of $450/per week. That's up to ten shows for $450. they want to keep me on as a showcase show because I'm a good juggler. they will be showcasing a show with a juggler, but selling a show with low level actors.
my mom is sad that I'm leaving the company because it's "such a professional troup". She also keeps telling me, it's gonna look so good on your resume! She doesn't understand the difference between promo material and a resume.
ok, that's it.

oh yeah, btw. I was up in burlington last week to check things out, and didn't see a single act working. it looked like a licence to print money.

[jester]

Evan - You are travelling, you are earning £1000 a week, you can go back to the street whenever you want, you are performing, you are working.

We are the luckiest bastards on the planet for those reasons alone. Okay, you made a mistake and you took a job you wish you hadn't... Well we all do it sometimes.

Look at it as character building.... it's bread and butter. Accept it and enjoy it.

[Evan Young]

shut up

"you can go back to street whenever you want"
yeah, as long as it's not winter. right now I'm not working, I'm sitting on my ass in western massachusets going to rehersals for somebody elses show. I might as well go get a job as an f'n line cook. it's not character building. character building would be going out and using the short summer to develope my show, work on new material, networking with other performers, shooting promo video for next years festival season, and making $100 per half hour show rather than $100 per six hour rehersal.

Jester, the thread is titled "rant here". it's a place to bitch and moan, not a place to get a pep talk. You have no idea what the back story is on this company, and if you did you would probably just call me stupid for going along with anything they put in front of me to begin with.

plus, and this is arbitrary, but I just had to turn down a $1000 gig today because it interfears with the flight they booked me on that sunday.

[Steven Ragatz]

pep (I mean RANT) talk

Evan,

DTBT (Done That, Been There). Feel your pain. Don't sweat the money because there will be plenty for you. (I hear tell from first person accounts that you've got a good act and that you have grown allot with it since you quit the cooking job.) There will be plenty more, and better, opportunities in the future. In the big picture, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars don't make a difference, though I realize that may be little consolation now as you reuse the water for a second batch of Ramin.

Any show situation is a perception game. They all look good from one point of view, and completely suck from another. Same show with two different perspectives. It makes me remember one theme park season where my partner was literally taking an axe to the dressing room while I was ready to resign for another four months.

Won't try to "pep talk" you, but I thought about your post because I remember my early twenties thinking how much I hated performing for schools and how I should be working in high end shows. Now I've done some glitz, I'm actually interested in doing school shows again. (Having children puts a new spin on that scene for me.) I was just thinking about my own change of perspective...

Maybe this is a good time to add some small skill component to your repertoire? Some juggling technique or trick that you can just work in an environment that you don't give a toss about?

BTW: Your Mom is wrong. Anything called "Food Play" isn't going to help unless you are going into an educational market, and even then unless you're the one writing or producing the educational content it will have little impact. Resumes don't help as far as I can tell.

Kudos to you for your obvious professionalism to stick with the contract and see it to the end. If that attitude shows in your contribution to the Food Play program, you will be having a more profound influence on the kids than you probably realize. Years down the road, don't be surprised to run into adults who come up to you after your show to tell you that they remember you when you visited their school and juggled vegetables. The proper attitude will come back and reward you financially far more than the short term gigs that you lament passing up. Keep the faith and revel in the realization that you are not going to go back to being a cook. You are in it for good.

Steven Ragatz

[Evan Young]

thanks Steve. I like what you said.
and Jester I'm (sort of) sorry I snaped at you. (but not really, because it's you)

[jester]

Dont be sorry. I was only trying to cheer you up. Rant Away my freind. Rant away.

As for the winter thing - Buy a thermal vest. I do street in Winter (all right the hats are bloody minimal sometimes).

If it helps. I've been there done that too.

[Evan Young]

fucking CAR!!!!

state inspection failed today. god damn tie rod ends are loose again. I just fixed them last year and they are already loose. that and gas prices, it's too expensive to get around the country.
I told the mechanic my dream of owning a volvo from '01 or somthing (I currently have a '95 VW) and he rolled his eyes. He says that it would be even more problematic because nobody makes cars to last anymore. Cars are such junk! At least I don't own a house.
I'm gonna go hang myself from a tree.

[le pire]

I'm REALLY fucking sick of stand up comedians who get more applause than laughs. If you are a comedian it means you tell jokes and get laughs. If you state the obvious for cheap applause it means you are a "speaker" or a politician.


etienne


p.s. "The difference between men and women" jokes are just as hack as jokes about food on airplanes. They're EASY. Get a point of view you fucking hack.

[harmonicakev]

Christian?

"On Monday's telecast of his Christian Broadcasting Network show "The 700 Club," Robertson had said: "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. "

Mr. Robertson was referring to the duly elected, (and re-elected!) leader of Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez.

I thinks it's disgusting that someone who portrays himself as a Christian can make statements like that. How is this different from the muslim clerics calling for death to specific "infidels?"

[Evan Young]

Did a gig in Washington DC last night. It was my first time to the nation's capital. The event was for some international mayors forum or somthing, I had to get dressed up in a jester outfit and do walk around juggling at their new orleans styled dinner. Gig went great. I met a senator from Louisiana, and he seemed offended that I didn't know who he was. I met the mayor of sariejvo (spelling?), who took my juggling balls and shoved them down his pants. I met the mayor of florence itally, and the mayor of North Vancouver BC.
The event organizer really liked me and was asking about my availability for her other events.
Then I discovered that my wallet got stolen out of the dressing room while I was working. they ran my debit card for about $400 before I had a chance to cancel it. I think I had about $150 in cash too. Drivers License, buisness cards of people I need to contact, etc.
shit

[gav]

I would suspect the major of Sarajevo. Officialy his salary is far less than yours.
Then again, it could have been the digruntled senator.

[jester]

Evan, it's a bummer and very inconvenient. The loss of cash is not as bad as the inconvenience.

I had my wallet stolen 2 years ago and it really pissed me off - however, it is a relatively small thing and you will survive.

I sympathise man. But you feel worse than you need to. Be strong, move on.

[Stretch]

for what it's worth

I had the hip pockets in my shorts deepened so I can more easily carry my wallet on my person while in costume. Probably wouldn't work too well with tights though!

Just heard from a magician who left his kit on stage to go get a drink of water. Came back to do his show and found everything messed up, dissaranged and one prop missing.

Band left their stuff on stage, came back to find the volumes all messed up, blew a speaker.

Sometimes it pays to be paranoid.

[Evan Young]

oh, and my new car has a leak. it drips water from under the dashboard when it rains. found two inches of water in the passenger floor board the other day.

I've had it for just over a month, so the dealer warrenty has expired.
I have a subaru manufacturer warrenty, but it wont cover stuff like that.


grrrr


my life is pretty good, don't feel too sorry for me. I have a hot girlfriend, my show is getting pretty strong, and even though my car leaks, it's really fast and fun to drive.... and the person who stole my wallet used my cards at an atm, so there is probably video of them doing it.

http://homepage.mac.com/globalevan/photo/PhotoAlbum29.html