Creating a New Routine: Danger (Part 2)

Here is part 2 of the process creating a new routine for my College and University Stand up comedy magic show.

Putting it together

When you think about board games and Trivial Pursuit you don't think about danger but if the 90's taught me anything, it was to TAKE IT TO THE EXTREME! 

I know Harold and Kumar was released in 2004 but this scene is all 90's all the time. I mean check out the arm band tattoo.

And just because it is the best name for a character ever, "I know, Extreme Sports Punk #1."

So how do you make a board game more extreme? Add some consequences. When someone gets a question wrong you've got to bring the pain, or the possibility of pain. But as we saw in last weeks videos, hurting your audience members is highly frowned upon.

The Surrogate

I think I'm a pretty likable guy and I think that audience members don't want me to fail. So, I think if I put myself in harm's way they are going to do the best they can to save me? Or will they? 

The Rules

Four players are picked from the audience and each gets to choose an '90's icon playing piece. They can be a Grunge Rocker, a Cappuccino, a Dot Com Stock Certificate, or a Digital PDA.

A very sharp aluminum spike is hidden under a foam cup and mixed with three other empty foam cups. The cups are then numbered.  Unknown to the players each playing piece is labeled on the underside with a number.

Each player is asked a '90's Trivial Pursuit question. If they get it wrong, their cup is smashed. 

Will the right person get their question right? Will Edd go unharmed? 

About the Author:

Edd Fairman is a stand up comedy magician that performs for college and university events. You can find out more about him by visiting http://www.wizardofsorts.com

 

Hastings Nebraska here I come.

April 7 through 9 I will be traveling to Hastings Nebraska to perform my comedy magic show for Hastings College this will be my first foray into the Corn Husker State, only the second time I have flown with my show props and equipment, and the first time I have flown with the newest TSA rules and regulations.

Forget Carry on

If you think you have had trouble going through security imagine packing a brief case with among other things a bowling ball, 8 10 inch stainless steel rings, several lengths of rope, scissors, a knife, a gigantic deck of cards, all sorts of electronics for sound, and a kiwi.

The only things from my show I can actually carry onto the plane are my regular deck of cards, a clipboard, and my sharpie markers. I have one of those new awesome stainless steel sharpies and I doubt that could even be packed in a carry on bag. I can't even carry on my kiwi! I guess they are afraid I will assault the crew with high amounts of fiber and Vitamin C.

Which reminds me of a terrible joke

I heard this joke on Prairie Home Companion, a great source for wonderful, terrible jokes. A coyote is coming down the jet way to get onto the plane with a dead raccoon in his mouth. The flight attendant says, "You can't bring that on the plane." The coyote replies, "But this is my carrion."

I'm not sure how well that joke works in print but it works well audibly. I know what you are thinking. "That's terrible." But I know you will be telling that joke sometime soon! Don't deny it. Though I don't tell jokes in my act; I do comedy. So, don't worry, I won't be telling you about dead raccoons on stage anytime soon.

I just came for the pudding

I look forward for performing for the students of Hastings College and getting to visit the Queen City of the Plains.

About the Author

Edd Fairman, Wizard of Sorts, is a Chicago Magician who travels the country performing for colleges and corporations.

A big thanks,

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who worked on (and continues to work on) my new site: Karl Ziemer of Karfred Design, Amaris Granado of Amaris Granado Photography, Shawn Bowers, Gil Leora, and of course Erin Gallagher. Also the video that is linked on the site was shot by Malachi Leopold of Left Brain/Right Brain Productions. It's really great getting to work with talented people that you also like personally.

Erin and I have been talking a lot recently about who we would like to work on projects with, who we currently work with and who we have worked with in the past. As any business grows you will change clients. You will find new clients, old ones will move on, and most importantly you can move on from bad clients.

I used to work for an "agent" who would take 50% of the fee for the booking. She booked some the worst gigs, had the ugliest business cards and still did everything on paper. When I would complain to her about how much she took on each gig she would say that she spent over $2000 a month in advertising. I was flabbergasted. I spend a 1/10th of that. She had no idea that if she wasn't such a pain to work for she would keep good talent then she wouldn't have to spend so much to get new clients all the time. The only talent that continued to work for her were pretty awful. Anyone who was any good or had any sense of show business would move on as soon as possible. I was so happy the day I could tell her I wasn't available. I will say that it was great to get my foot in the door here in Chicago with her when I first moved here. But I quickly out grew her and was able to dump a bad client.

Erin and I have recently started working with some really awesome people. Of course they all know each other! I met Karl Ziemer of Karlfred Design (http://www.karlfred.net) via Erin's friend Erin Annarella (http://www.thesingingyogini.com/). We have also been working with Annie and Keith of Vaudezilla Productions (http://www.vaudezilla.com). Erin met Annie independently but then when we got to know them it turns out Keith works with my close friend Claire Wedemeyer (http://www.clairewedemeyer.com/).

This brings me to two points: 1. Good people are hard to find and work closely with each other and 2. don't tick anyone off because all of the other people will know about it. I used to work with an entertainer who was late for a few gigs and then didn't show up at one at all! Because what we do is so subjective the only concrete things a client has to judge you on is if you were on time and how much they paid. Everything else is just opinion. This entertainer had to work for a year or more for some agents and clients to hire her again. Other agents won't ever work with her ever again. Which is really too bad because she is super talented.

So, what am I trying to say? Pick who you work with carefully, be good to your clients, and don't work for clients (which include agents) that aren't good to you.

Big gigs everyone.