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cstreet_1986 Loyal user 263 Posts |
Hi,
I have read on this site that some of you load the hat with notes. If you do this, do you also wear the hat? Do you take the hat off at the end and throw a few of your own notes in, or do you just not wear the hat? Im sorry, the above could be a bit confusing, so I'll bullet it: 1) Do you load the hat with notes before asking for tips? 2) If you load the hat, do you wear the hat? if you do not wear the hat, why not? 3) If you load and wear the hat, do you put the money in just before you get the tips? |
ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
I think in this case the "hat" is simply the receptacle for money. Loading the hat ahead of time would work best if the hat were "passive" sitting in front of the performer. (I always loved Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" dropping a few coins in the hat looking around to see if anybody caught him!)
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
When I set my hat out, I talk about folks doing something like "this", and I drop a couple of decks of cards in my hat. I do this primary because my hat once blew away and spread my tip everywhere. But I also do it to show them what to do, and I don't think I need to Seed the hat with notes.
During my act, I think I have talked up the hat enough with jokes about the denomination of the bill, relating to the denomination of their religion, for example, the Baptists give fives, and I get a lot of ones from the Lutherans, but I have never had an Episcopalean give yet, so I don't what to expect from them, yada, yada.. (I talk religion all through my act, so I certainly don't worry about it at the hat lines either, although I am sensitive to whatever is the predominant denomination in the area. KIDS: Don't try this at home. You can either get stoned to death or burned at the stake with the wrong crowd! ) and I use a number of less controversial hat lines. So by just dropping the decks in, (they really don't see the decks anyway, as my whole hand goes into the hat with the decks), it reinforces the action that I want them to perform, and my hat doesn't blow away. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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cstreet_1986 Loyal user 263 Posts |
BroDavid, I don't quite understand what you mean. When you say you show them what to do in order to keep the hat from blowing away... how exactly can you load the hat without the tips blowing away?
By the way, in America people are born into a society that tips - in the UK, this is not so. People in the UK give their 'spare change' unless you give them an indication of how much you expect. I think this is why Gazzo went to America! It would certainly make sense! Cheers to both you and mandrake, Chris |
BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
Sorry if I wasn't clear. When I put the cards into the hat. That is to keep the hat from blowing away.
However, at the same time, by my hand going into the hat and dropping something into it, that is what they should do. So, I am demonstrating to them what they should do; Drop soemthing into my hat. They never really see the card decks as I drop them in, but they do see my hand going in and dropping "something". Now since I have built the desire to tip by appropriate hat lines throughout the show, they have a pretty good idea what I expect, and this is just a visual reminder of what they are supposed to do. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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RonCalhoun Special user Independence, KY USA 599 Posts |
I use to "seed" my hat, untill I realized the tip couldn't see inside MY hat. I don't think it's a big deal.
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Danny Hustle Inner circle Boston, MA USA 2393 Posts |
Chris,
I tell them how much I want. If I want fives I ask for tens. I do this in a very jocular manner though. I do not want to offend anyone. I also work for a flush. That is where I do the show and pass the hat. A lot of guys work for a trickle this is where you leave a receptacle out and people can dump change anytime during the show. I also never seed my hat. In my experience (and every pitch is different) a trickle earns MUCH less money. Your entire show should basically be a hat line. You NEED to mention during your entire show that at the end you will be looking to get paid. I have friends who are from the U.K. and work there most of the year. Several of them say that you should NEVER call them tips. Because if you think about it you are not looking for tips, you are hoping for a retroactive admission fee to your show. You are giving them the show and then hoping that they think your show was good enough for an admission price. If you approach your lines and hat pitch from this perspective you might find this method works much better in the U.K. There is also a third method or tip gathering that I have seen where in the magician works a trickle during the show and them passes the hat as well. The only description I have ever seen of it in print is in Garry Mckibbin's (Professor Gizmo) book on street performing. His book is a great little book that describes working a smaller close up table act. I have been meaning for months to write a review of it on my site but just haven't had the time. You can get that book directly from him. Best, Dan- "MT is one of the reasons we started this board! I’m so sick of posts being deleted without any reason given, and by unknown people at that." - Steve Brooks Sep 7, 2001 8:38pm ©1999-2014 Daniel Denney all rights reserved. |
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