Harris;

Children are taught from the beginning of school not to "eat the glue" if they ignore the warning and eat the glue anyway, it tastes bad and the lesson of not eating the glue is learned in addition to the fact that Elmer's glue will not harm you.

Then a magician performs a trick that looks like he is eating glue, the child already knows that eating glue is not good and will not go home and try it; and if they do they will then learn the glue does not taste good lesson.

In my show I perform the Sword Through The Neck routine; I have never heard a child say that they will try it at home; they know it is a trick

Teaching children that words like SNOT is acceptable in society is counterproductive to teaching responsibility & values.

It is the responsibility of a parent to bring up a well mannered child that will do well in the world; who wants an ill l mannered child around yelling out “SNOT NOSE” in front of guests? It is disruptive and annoying.

So you spend your time teaching your child to be polite and respectful and then a “storyteller” is hired to entertain your children and the “storyteller” tells a story that includes disgusting, unacceptable words that would embarrass you if repeated by your child in public.

In my opinion a storyteller is supposed to build up children’s imagination with positive imaginative stories that include happy ever after endings.

I see, Howie. You have the right to post without being questioned or lectured. But when others post you can raise silly and preposterous questions about their posts. I didn't realise that it was so one-way in Howie Land.

I would still like to see your clip of how to tell stories, just so that Potty and I can learn at your feet. It is fairly obvious from your posts that you haven't looked at my clip, but I will look at yours. Put something up; let us see the proper way to tell a story.

Tony;

As far as teaching Potty about story telling; I already know that Potty is a well respected performer and his posts on the Café had gained my respect many years ago.

Potty has posted that he knows his boundaries and I believe his boundaries are well within the acceptable limits of good taste.

About me posting a video; you will not get a video of me telling a story because I am not a story teller; I don’t profess to be a storyteller and my strengths are in performing magic.

Tony, I have viewed your storytelling video and I am of the opinion that you are not a storyteller.

Looking at the children sitting in the audience it looked like they were watching a ping pong game with more heads going back and forth with little interest in your story.

I can see why you called the character “Snotnose” the name received the biggest laugh almost every time you said it; it was the only laugh from the children in the audience the entire time you were performing; you did not for one minutes have the children engaged; I can see in the video that the children are just half listening and talking among themselves.

Since I am not a storyteller, and you insist on viewing a video so you can learn how to be a story teller, I took the time to locate a real storyteller on You Tube.

Tony, because you are in Ireland, I choose Michael R. Kasony-O'Malley, an Irish storyteller, he will show you how to tell a story.

From the first words out of the Michael’s mouth, the children were closely listening to his every word; he had the children fully engaged and participating in the story while hanging on his every word.

Look closely at 5:49 on the timer, the children are engaged, staring into Michael, drawn in to the story and carefully listening to his every word.

Tony, you may learn to be a storyteller watching Michael performing in his videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAUe1e1sHkY

What a shocker, Howie. You don't tell stories. Yet you come on here and lecture others on how to do so.

You are not a lexicographer, yet you lecture us on the meaning of words (meanings no one else has ever heard of).

How many other areas of non-expertise do you have? I am asking because I wonder how much more of your blatherings we have to put up with.

Sorry, I forgot. We are not allowed question you.

There are a lot of theories about kid issues.
From West Side Story- Officer Krumpke.
http://youtu.be/j7TT4jnnWys

One clinician I know has another theory. Part of kids issue, they state is not telling traditional tales that haven't been "civilized."

Traditional tales are not squeaky clean.

I'm open to continue hearing experiences.

Harris
Still too old to know it all

Tony;

You are still talking about the word BOOGIE and you are wrong when you say no one has ever heard of the word.

I only posted a link from a well respected website, Dictonary.com They know the definition, it's not my definition; if you have never heard of the definition, it's your lack of education; email Dictonary.com and argue with them; don't come blathering about it to me


Your blathering again about a lecture I never gave; I did not lecture you on how to perform as a storyteller.

You posted a video and asked me to look at it. I gave my opinion on the performance. If you can't take my opinion, don't post a video and ask me to look at it.

Comparing the two videos, I can tell the difference between a bad storyteller and a professional storyteller; IN MY OPINION, you are really a bad storyteller compared to Michael. Look at Michael's video.

I'll make you a deal, you stop blathering and I'll stop answering you.

I could read at the early age of 4. When I was seven, my favourite thing to read was MAD Magazine. The first thing from that magazine that I remember is a drawing of an amusement park where one "attraction" was a place with pillows to hire, and a sign reading "Suffocate your sister". I laughed so hard reading MAD, and when I told my parents about it.....they started buying it for me every month. However, I did never try to suffocate my sister. Nowadays it is my job to stop people from doing that.

There are limits to everything, of course. If a grown up entertainer chooses to use the word snot in front of kids, of children of course they will think it is funny. Because it is. And maybe they will run around screaming "Snot" for a day or to after the show. And that is it. I haven´t asked that question to any of the "clients" I have met the last 20 years, but I am sure their problems did not start with a performer talking about things coming from the nose.

Surely you can have a wonderful and fun-filled show without any such words, and many have. Do what is you,

Håkan

I love "Officer Krupke" from West Side Story, sang in this show many years ago, and the lyrics to this song are spot-on!

I've been a fan and reader of humor, story tellers and comedians since I was about 3.

From Firesign Theater to Mad, to National Lampoon to Bob hope, Danny Kaye,to Tom Lehr.
Accidental gutter humor, such as the Tomahawk thrown by Ed Ames.
http://youtu.be/0L5QC9ZJkM8
I've never poisoned pigeons in the park, though I have used that slime product to imitate a booger dropping from my nose.
My taste in humor reading as well as the humor used in my show has changed. During the 80!s comedy clubs were popular though not as present as Starbucks is today
What I watch and what I turn off on TV has also changed.


Finding your niche in the entertainment world as well as current brand- Priceless.
To thine own comedy be true.
Now where's my Tu Tu.

Not for me for one of the baby puppets. She used to be called Baby Gaga.
I used to have one of the babies sing a parody of The baby blues.
Don't use the lyric -
Looked at my diaper
It's not much fun
Something's oozing out the corner
Like mustard on a bun
Though I did in my younger puppet years.
My wife hates that verse
Especially when I used it at our church.

Harris
Whose mind has been in middle school these last 15 years

Since my memory isn't as good as it used to be, I read the first page of this thread

In my library shows, I have referenced
Captain Underpants an epic novel &
This year I might even Charlie's SuperHero Underpants.

Harris
Still too old to know it all

My kids loved Captain Underpants. Hilarious stuff, Harris. Scatalogical humour at its best.

Did they like Walter the Farting Dog?
I'm also tempted to share his super power at this years library shows.

I'm amazed at the books read by teens. From classic literature to Sci Fi to books on real life experiences such as the high school "Bluford series" or Crank.

Harris
.. On his reading table Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock)
Batman, Superior Spider-man and The Bible)

They must have missed Walter and his farts. I will introduce them to him.

Teens have a great eclectic reading menu. My son reads everything except my books! My daughter loved my thriller despite it opening with a gruesome murder. Both go for very gritty plays. Kids books have also evolved to present a more rounded and less sanitized version of life. Great to see.

I think it was Jay Sankey who, in his book "Beyond secrets", said that he would love to see someone portrait the really angry magician. It would be great if someone pulled that off in an intelligent way - especially for kids. I am thinking Basil Fawlty here, and I don´t think that would harm any child. How I wish I was good enough to do that!

Håkan

Brilliant idea Hakan. I will be thinking about this all night!

That would be hysterical. There is a restaurant chain in the Us, where there whole idea, is too be rude, to customers(I'm not kidding). You'll say, "can I order), and they will say, 'when I feel like getting there, I will get there". They can be quite funny about it, and that's their whole theme.
The 'angry magician' would have to be so well established and branded that everyone knew what he was doing, or he'd lose a ton of people quickly, probably.

Don Rickles was very successful in attacking and embarrassing other people with crude remarks.

To be successful entertaining as an angry magician, it is important to posses the right facial expressions and mannerisms so people will laugh and not be insulted at the remarks.

It’s also imperative to have the talent and the ability to choose volunteers that will not become upset at your comments even if the comments are not directed at them.

I could not pull it off

Would this be a family friendly magician meets Sam Kinison
meets Andy Kaufman meets Don Rickles?

I think it's more like a family magician performs a magic show like Sam Kinison or Don Rickles would perform a magic show

I worked with a great UK magician who used to bill himself as the nastiest magician in the world. I remember him once saying to a kid who got too close to the stage: Would you like me to break your leg?

For over fives I reckon it would not be difficult to pull off.