James Lee Stanley

Before the National Folk Alliance Conference, I was on the road for ten days in the Midwest.   Starting at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks for two nights, then a house concert for Jamie O’Reilly, followed by Shank Hall in Milwaukee and finally a Charlotte’s Web Presents concert at Katie’s Cup.

For the first set, I did the show that I have been working on.  All the songs from the Eternal Contradiction CD and the stories inter related and having an arc of their own.

What I discovered is that in an effort to reproduce the show, I have gotten into the habit of remembering it and retelling it.   What’s the problem, you ask?

Tho I enjoyed doing it and enjoyed the enthusiastic response, I wasn’t being there; enjoying it; riding it and seeing what spontaneously also shows up the way I would if I were winging the whole show.  I was faithfully reproducing every word every night.

The thought was that I would hone this show and make it the first act of a one man show, which is a great idea, but the danger here is reproducing it instead of living it.   

While the show was very well received in all the venues, during the second set, which is where I make no plans or set list whatsoever, I got my biggest laughs and most applause.

Something happens when you fly blind like that.  Spontaneity is something that an audience can sense.   They like the danger of it.

Of course the way to make it work is to be utterly prepared as a musician and performer and then take some chances, knowing that you can always fall back on your prepared material.

It’s what Robin Williams does all the time.   I did eleven dates with him and he was so wonderful as a performer and to me as the opener.   Gracious dude.

And what he would do is go out there, interact with the audience, be spontaneous while at the same time steering the bit towards one he had worked up.

I always thought that he simply made every single thing up himself, on the spot, but no.

He did fantastic shows all eleven day, and there was fresh spontaneous stuff in all the shows, but there were also the same bits that he had prepared.   They came out every night.

So I guess what I’m saying here is:  be utterly prepared, have a plan, a set list, whatever and then be able to abandon it  and pick it back up.  That way  you stay fresh, the material stays fresh, and the audience gets their spontaneity fix.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?   Sure.    Here’s my next instruction:   go get rich.