Re: talkative audiences

["max valentino" <ekstasis1@hotmail.com>]

I find it totally amazing how many people, many of them "musicians", who 
do 
just that: walk up and ask very pointed questions about what your 
footpedals 
are, how they work etc., right in the midst of a performance!  
Fortunately, 
with looping, I can, sometimes, let the loop run and answer their 
questions 
(they always seem to think the source is from the pedals...not my bass, 
not 
the rack behind me!)

Last year I did a show with Andre LaFosse and Hans Lindauer (post 
Loopstock) 
and a rather lovely, though completely inebriated, young lady walked up on 
the stage, sat in Andre's chair (he had left the stage leaving me solo 
looping), and proceeded to tell me, in superfluous detail, how beautiful 
my 
music was, how she always loved musicians...blah blah blah...and then 
asked 
just how I was doing all that.  This is while I was playing...improvising 
actually...with a rather dense and syncopated loop!  Quite amusing, 
really, 
if a bit of a distraction.  I seem to recall Andre and Hans having a good 
laugh over it all!  Though I must say it was quite nice to recieve that 
sort 
of attention, and positive feedback...maybe she could've waited 'til a 
break?

In addition to looping, I do quite a few gigs as a sideman.  Mostly jazz, 
but also some R&B, rock eeven country.  At every gig, and this is the 
truth, 
at least one person will come up and engage in a conversation, to request 
a 
particular song, WHILE WE ARE PLAYING!  They usually, for some reason 
unknown to me, pick the bass player for this rappor...probably 'cos the 
band 
leader is singing, and (maybe) they feel it would be impolite to interrupt 
him/her.  But this last wekend, while gigging with a jazz quartet, this 
happened to the singer three times....each while he was in the middle of a 
song!
The same thing happened to me...four different times...and, mind you, I 
was 
reading charts for the whole gig.  Very tricky to sight read "The Shadow 
Of 
Your Smile" or "take five", play, and acknowledge the presence and 
questions 
of a stranger at the same time!

Though rude, inconsiderate and distracting, it does keep you on your toes, 
and is always worth at least a chuckle from the rest of the band.

Max








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