[Dixielandjazz] Embarrassing moment on stage

[Gluetje1 at aol.com]

You have just posted my very favorite story I have ever read on  DJML!!!  
Hope that's some consolation.  I am laughing out loud.
Ginny--who likes to try and play banjo and now tries to teach some  
youngsters to do the same.
 
 
In a message dated 1/26/2009 11:41:31 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
JohnWilder at Comcast.net writes:

Katie  Cavera spoke of frozen fingers.  I've not had that problem, living  in
warm Sacramento, but it did remind me of an embarrassing  situation.  When I
was 13 years old, I was hired to play in a minstrel  show.  We all sat in a
semi-circle on stage while each person did his  act, so we were always on
stage.  I played banjo as a specialty act,  and I had special effects during
my number.  I played wearing white  cotton gloves (I did not cut off the
finger tips, I learned to play wearing  the full glove) because for part of
the song they would turn out all of the  stage lights and turn on black
lights.  The only things you could see  were my hands, my shirt and my teeth!
Then they'd turn on twinkling  multi-colored Christmas lights inside the head
of my banjo.  It always  got lots of applause, and quite often I got a
standing ovation for  it.



Well, one night I caught the tip of the third (middle)  finger of my glove on
part of a fret that stuck out slightly from the neck  and tore the glove
pretty badly.  After my act I went back to the  circle to sit down, and
people in the house were still applauding.  I  innocently decided to show the
audience that I had ripped my glove while  playing.  (Perhaps some of you can
see where I'm going with  this.)  I stood up and held out my middle finger
toward the audience  to show them the ripped glove, but the audience started
booing.  Maybe  they couldn't see the rip???  I showed it again, and  more
booing.  Finally I overheard someone who leaned over to the  director of the
show (who was seated next to me) and whispered, "Tell  Johnny to quit
flipping off the audience!"



At that very  moment I realized that the message I was attempting to send to
them was  quite different than the message they were receiving.  I worked  at
that theatre for 13 years, but at the last show I played there, someone  was
still recalling "when Johnny flipped off the  audience."

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