Post by Dave on Nov 21, 2008 22:49:51 GMT
That is the question, or it was for me one night when I had to make that decision. When I started out as an entertainer, I played good music from the 50s, 6os and 70s; I could play 300 songs on the keyboards without the music and could sing all the words too. I always talked in a posh voice, until one night I had 150 people from Yorkshire and I do not know why, but from the very start, I used my real Devon boy accent.
They loved it and unplanned I did a stand up Jehro type joke half an hour and so a new way of doing my shows was born. One that became my trademark for the whole time I was on the circuit.
Now there was a real top hotel I had been trying to get in for ages, then my agent phoned and said I got you in there, do a good show and the owner will book you for the whole season. I had no worries that I would not be good enough to play there, but after some thought, I decided to play the show really safe with the comedy.
I never worked to a set, I hate it when you watch a group, who play a song and then have to look at the list to see what comes next. With the amount of songs I could play, I was able to play to what the punters responded to best. First half went well and then onto the start of the second half. The good thing about being a keyboard vocalist was that if the jokes were not working, I could just go and get on with the music again.
The owner had stood by the doorway the whole time I had been there, but I grabbed my radio mike and got into my Jehro jokes. Well they were all nearly crying with laughter and then unplanned I slipped out of my safe mode. I just love doing made up comedy, where it comes from I do not know, but it can be risky at times and you sometimes need an escape route.
To my left I saw a dear old lady and man, they must have been 90 years old, they had been laughing so loudly, and that’s how I come to notice them. He had a walking stick in each hand; I put my mike behind my back and asked them their names. I walked back in to the middle of the room and said into my mike, in a real Jehro voice.
“Ladies and gentleman I ‘m pleased to announce that here in the hotel tonight we have a lovely couple on their second honeymoon, they had their first one here over 7o years a go. So a big hand for Jack and Mary. “ Then I went into the risky mode.
“Poor Jack and Mary have not had any sex for 25 years now, but Jack he got a Viagra tablet of eBay and he took it about half an hour ago. Can I please ask that if you see him shoot up from his chair, you make sure there is a gangway so he can get Mary up to the bedroom, this is important cause we wants to give her a good portion and don’t know how long the tablet will last.
Both they and the whole place was ringing with loud laughter and then I noticed some people on my right. Sat on a sofa like bench along one whole wall,the three biggest ladies I have ever seen. I walked to the doorway where the owner was still standing. “Do you have a cleaning cupboard nearby” “Yes that door over there, why?” “Don’t worry it will be OK” I said.
I came back into the room with three plastic buckets and walked towards the three very big ladies. Sorry girls I said but you see over by the door is the owner and he has just been talking to me. He thinks you are laughing far too much and he is afraid you girls are going to wet yourselves and flood the bloody place out. I got down on the floor and parted their legs one by one and put a bucket between each ladies legs, it was the best night I ever had for laughter.
I worked that hotel for over five years after my first show there, so sometimes playing safe is not always the best way.
They loved it and unplanned I did a stand up Jehro type joke half an hour and so a new way of doing my shows was born. One that became my trademark for the whole time I was on the circuit.
Now there was a real top hotel I had been trying to get in for ages, then my agent phoned and said I got you in there, do a good show and the owner will book you for the whole season. I had no worries that I would not be good enough to play there, but after some thought, I decided to play the show really safe with the comedy.
I never worked to a set, I hate it when you watch a group, who play a song and then have to look at the list to see what comes next. With the amount of songs I could play, I was able to play to what the punters responded to best. First half went well and then onto the start of the second half. The good thing about being a keyboard vocalist was that if the jokes were not working, I could just go and get on with the music again.
The owner had stood by the doorway the whole time I had been there, but I grabbed my radio mike and got into my Jehro jokes. Well they were all nearly crying with laughter and then unplanned I slipped out of my safe mode. I just love doing made up comedy, where it comes from I do not know, but it can be risky at times and you sometimes need an escape route.
To my left I saw a dear old lady and man, they must have been 90 years old, they had been laughing so loudly, and that’s how I come to notice them. He had a walking stick in each hand; I put my mike behind my back and asked them their names. I walked back in to the middle of the room and said into my mike, in a real Jehro voice.
“Ladies and gentleman I ‘m pleased to announce that here in the hotel tonight we have a lovely couple on their second honeymoon, they had their first one here over 7o years a go. So a big hand for Jack and Mary. “ Then I went into the risky mode.
“Poor Jack and Mary have not had any sex for 25 years now, but Jack he got a Viagra tablet of eBay and he took it about half an hour ago. Can I please ask that if you see him shoot up from his chair, you make sure there is a gangway so he can get Mary up to the bedroom, this is important cause we wants to give her a good portion and don’t know how long the tablet will last.
Both they and the whole place was ringing with loud laughter and then I noticed some people on my right. Sat on a sofa like bench along one whole wall,the three biggest ladies I have ever seen. I walked to the doorway where the owner was still standing. “Do you have a cleaning cupboard nearby” “Yes that door over there, why?” “Don’t worry it will be OK” I said.
I came back into the room with three plastic buckets and walked towards the three very big ladies. Sorry girls I said but you see over by the door is the owner and he has just been talking to me. He thinks you are laughing far too much and he is afraid you girls are going to wet yourselves and flood the bloody place out. I got down on the floor and parted their legs one by one and put a bucket between each ladies legs, it was the best night I ever had for laughter.
I worked that hotel for over five years after my first show there, so sometimes playing safe is not always the best way.