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Hecklers
Friend or foe; a heckler can be either one. How you deal with a heckler being the determining factor. Yes, even an abusive drunk can become an asset to your show… all I had to do was drop my pants and sing Jambalaya with a wino in Halifax once; we killed ‘em.
The most difficult situation for me was getting heckled too early before I established my character and got the audience on my side. Actually, that wasn’t much of a problem either probably because I was always looking for trouble and more often than not, I found it.
Something about me just pisses people off. Not a great thing when you’re trying to win over a crowd. Looking like a bald Jiminy Cricket with two insects stuck to his skull does have its disadvantages. But look at it like I do, use your imagination and never look in a mirror. In my mind I’m a young Jack Nicholson who’s a great fukin’ juggler.
Hecklers surrounded me during my very first street shows in New Orleans and in some ways they became my security blanket for an otherwise rather banal juggling act. They breathed life into my show and made me who I am… the king of dicks (some say).
I never knew why I was so good with hecklers but it was probably because I like them so much. I treated them mercilessly; like I would my best friend… maybe that’s why I spend so much time alone these days. Aw, it’s probably because I live so far away… yeah, that's gotta be it.
Hey, like ANY volunteer, the secret to turning it all around with a heckler is to: LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY. If a performer can USE whatever the heckler says… well he, more often than not, turns that potential tragedy into comedy and, unless I’m mistaken, that's what clowns are supposed to DO, right?
Gazzo and I went head-to-head once in ’88 and his line “The best part of you went down yer fatha’s leg!” was countered with my, “At least I got a father and not 100 suspects.” Gazzo was left drooling and I’m not saying there is any connection here but he had a stroke exactly 7 years later.
Yes, I would’ve been nothing without hecklers. Think Rumble without his nose, think Martin without his wit, think Gazzo without his balls… wait, strike that last one, too easy.
The only danger, and if you are savvy, you can use that, is when facing your possible death. I picked on 4 badass guys biker guys one night and went though the first two before I looked at the third. The third had an American Indian looking head whose face looked like an LA freeway interchange of wrinkles and scars. I saw his alpha+ personality and with simply a squeaky “OK!” went on to the 4th guy instead. It worked; my proof lies in the fact that I’m still alive today.
There are a plethora of heckler anecdotes that swirl in my brain when I think about this topic.Someday, remind me to tell you about the guy who heckled me in Dundalk and the three days that followed. I still get cards from his girlfriend.Or, better yet, listen to others make up their own bullshit tales about me; even I don’t believe I did some of that shit. Of course, I did do a lot of drugs in the early ‘80’s and that's all kinda a blur… so.
I wrote a story once about being heckled by 40+ stand-up comics. It was the ultimate test for me and I passed with flying butterflies… in fact, the lines delivered back and forth that day were so memorable they could be put in a book.
Oh wait, I did that once. I wonder what happened to that.
It must be around here… somewhere.
The most difficult situation for me was getting heckled too early before I established my character and got the audience on my side. Actually, that wasn’t much of a problem either probably because I was always looking for trouble and more often than not, I found it.
Something about me just pisses people off. Not a great thing when you’re trying to win over a crowd. Looking like a bald Jiminy Cricket with two insects stuck to his skull does have its disadvantages. But look at it like I do, use your imagination and never look in a mirror. In my mind I’m a young Jack Nicholson who’s a great fukin’ juggler.
Hecklers surrounded me during my very first street shows in New Orleans and in some ways they became my security blanket for an otherwise rather banal juggling act. They breathed life into my show and made me who I am… the king of dicks (some say).
I never knew why I was so good with hecklers but it was probably because I like them so much. I treated them mercilessly; like I would my best friend… maybe that’s why I spend so much time alone these days. Aw, it’s probably because I live so far away… yeah, that's gotta be it.
Hey, like ANY volunteer, the secret to turning it all around with a heckler is to: LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY. If a performer can USE whatever the heckler says… well he, more often than not, turns that potential tragedy into comedy and, unless I’m mistaken, that's what clowns are supposed to DO, right?
Gazzo and I went head-to-head once in ’88 and his line “The best part of you went down yer fatha’s leg!” was countered with my, “At least I got a father and not 100 suspects.” Gazzo was left drooling and I’m not saying there is any connection here but he had a stroke exactly 7 years later.
Yes, I would’ve been nothing without hecklers. Think Rumble without his nose, think Martin without his wit, think Gazzo without his balls… wait, strike that last one, too easy.
The only danger, and if you are savvy, you can use that, is when facing your possible death. I picked on 4 badass guys biker guys one night and went though the first two before I looked at the third. The third had an American Indian looking head whose face looked like an LA freeway interchange of wrinkles and scars. I saw his alpha+ personality and with simply a squeaky “OK!” went on to the 4th guy instead. It worked; my proof lies in the fact that I’m still alive today.
There are a plethora of heckler anecdotes that swirl in my brain when I think about this topic.Someday, remind me to tell you about the guy who heckled me in Dundalk and the three days that followed. I still get cards from his girlfriend.Or, better yet, listen to others make up their own bullshit tales about me; even I don’t believe I did some of that shit. Of course, I did do a lot of drugs in the early ‘80’s and that's all kinda a blur… so.
I wrote a story once about being heckled by 40+ stand-up comics. It was the ultimate test for me and I passed with flying butterflies… in fact, the lines delivered back and forth that day were so memorable they could be put in a book.
Oh wait, I did that once. I wonder what happened to that.
It must be around here… somewhere.
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