Heckler Smacker – Know Your Audience 3

The past two months, were brief stories about experiences from past gigs that had a lesson to be learned. This month is yet another. The lesson is still about knowing your audience. In this case, I happened to have an audience that was pretty laid back and fun, and so I knew that the subtle simple line would be just fine without causing as stir. However, in another situation it may not work. Think about your venues and audience. Would my “line” work in those venues? If not, what would?

There is nothing more satisfying than casually and subtly nailing a heckler… well almost nothing. I mean it’s hard to beat taking a bath in a tub full of chocolate milk while midgets feed you chocolate chip cookies. But besides that, nothing is more satisfying than a good “gotcha” with a heckler.

Case in Point:

I had a gig not too long ago that was a strolling corporate function. It was up in the mountains at a beautiful campsite right here in lovely Utah. With each group that I approached I opened with a variation of Jay Sankey’s “Die Hard Opener.” The basic premise is simply that a card is chosen, shuffled back into the deck and then you cause “their selection” to fly out of the deck into the air, and you catch it.

However, when you show it, you’re “wrong.” It’s not their card… just a magical phrase like “top change” and suddenly it is their card. It’s a very good opener, and the psychology behind it is brilliant. I’ve always loved this effect.

So I’d successfully performed it about 15 or 20 times without a hitch… the timing was great. Right about when they were thinking, “crap… did he really screw up?” The card was changed and I was Mr. Miracle. It was like that time that I was fishing in a lake of diet coke catching fish with meat hooks and chicken beaks for bait … ah good times.

But I digress … The point is this: On the 21st time I performed it, when I got to the point where the card was “wrong” some smarty pants guy said, “They actually pay you for this?” I had just done the switch right as he said that. The magic happened, and I showed the selection, and simply said, “Yes, The DO pay me for this.”

It was Awesome. The guy’s jaw dropped, the audience laughed and cheered, and he even sort of apologized by saying, “Wow. That was good.” How sweet is that. I mean it’s not as sweet as a forest fully of hollow chocolate Easter Bunnies and sour gummy worms being eaten by invisible insects, but still it was sweet!

I gotta go. I can hear someone playing Stairway to Heaven on the Banjo.