Longing for the day ...

Common problems for performers

It was interesting to read in The Weekend Australian an extract from Chrissie Amphlett's autobiography in which she wrote about her initial difficulties being outrageous on stage. The most interesting bit was the part about the difference between playing her own songs as opposed to those of other writers - she felt a lot more vulnerable and exposed playing her own songs, which were reflections of her own feelings. That's something I've heard from other performers and I know how it feels.

So, what to do for my shows?

I dunno. It's something that I know from my previous originals gigs is an issue. Even my darling wife commented on how different I was playing originals from covers. There's also a confidence issue in that, as much as I like the songs and feel that they're good enough, they're unproven. That puts a dampener on the performance, too. Only one way to turn THAT around, of course.

However, if Chrissie Amphlett can turn into that schoolgirl, I can become something else. The whole Huge persona is adopted to help with that aspect so I guess I just have to define the details. Not sure what form they'll take, though - especially for the Genre Benders, which is deliberately varied and various.

The other thing I want to avoid is the thing that brought Chrissie unstuck: retaining the persona off-stage. In her case this was helpful for her promotions but ultimately destrcutive for her career. Too many problems caused by offending fans and industry contacts through her insecure antics. I'm too old for second chances ...

Besides, I don't think I could adopt quite such an outrageous persona. It wouldn't work for my songs or my show. It's just not me and I think the crowds would see straight through it. Something more spiritual, perhaps ...

We shall see.