Swingers...

I wish my answering machine would talk to me.

Anywho, for those who may not have heard, Bizzaro will be invading Las Vegas in about a week's time. We are picking up shop and moving out to the desert to see what kind of insanity awaits for us. So if anyone has any advice, warnings, or hook-ups, lemme know.

This of course means posting will be scarce, but I will report when I have the chance and probably have a whole SLEW of new things to bitch about in the next few months. However for now I want to talk about This. Ever heard (or used) the line, "lemme see yer hand, no the clean one. Oh that was the clean one."? How about people saying you shouldn't use lines like that because it makes the spectator feel bad.

I agree that you should not attack a spectator head on with cheap shots. If you are going to insult an audience, do it to all of them. The problem with getting people up onstage is you are dealing with a crap shoot of possibly unstable individuals who could come up onstage with a fear or leave with a new one because of you. Having someone hold a prop, then having it collapse while they hold it can be dangerous. If they already have a low self image or feeling of being useless, and you get that one person, they could very well go home that night and hang themselves because of YOU!!

Handing a breakaway wand to a kid is funny...ish. Handing someone an object you claim to be very important and then it breaks is just poor comedy. If anything bad is going to happen, the performer should take it on because they have the ability to fix it (if they so desire). There is good-hearted ribbing, and then there is downright insulting. Some performers will NEVER say anything verbally off-key to anyone onstage... and those guys have some boring ass acts. Seriously tho', if it within the parameters of your character to be a bit of a dick to your helpers, and it works (Being the key element here) then go for it. Don't buy a prop that will get cheap laughs at someone's expense just because you aren't funny enuff to do it on your own.

Besides, the money you save today might save the life of some loser tomorrow.

Bizzaro.