You talkin’ to me?

Ah, Tim Rogers…besides being an awesome musician and lyricist, he handles hecklers and audience talkers with aplomb and creativity. “Does everyone here know each other? You must because I’m hearing some great conversations”, he remarked during what was to be a more intimate, quieter show. Alas though, quieter shows are destined to fall prey to audience members who think they can start up personal conversations with the musos on stage, or create more space for that one guy or girl who has spent too much time at the bar. “I can’t hear you and I’m not interested”, Tim replied to one back-of-the-room, would-be conversationalist.

It’s all part of the hard knocks school of live performing, especially in pubs where the drink and jabbering jaws flow aplenty - from being an unknown band that no one pays attention to and everyone talks right through your set, to the other end of the gamut of gaining unwanted attention from the failed comedians who some how think they should be on the stage with you and baiting you to respond. How you respond to these situations will be one mark of your professionalism (or lack there of).

Do you play on and ignore, do you respond, and if so, with humour, with anger, with nonchalance? Personally, I love stealing other people’s material, so if I hear a good comeback, I like to stow it away in case of future need. Another Rogers classic to a heckler: “Yeah, well your girlfriend thinks I’m better looking than you”. Comedian Colin Quinn to a heckler at a stand up comedy gig: “I would come down there and kick your ass but I don’t want to hurt the gerbil.” It’s a good thing my mates in Kang have a song called “Wish You Were Dead” which came in handy at the Annandale one night when they dedicated it to a heckler who was soon driven from the room by the faithful.

So what has been your best comeback? How do you handle “live audience” situations that are potentially distracting to your performance and the enjoyment of the other audience members? How have you prevailed in moments which tested your mettle and potentially affected (for better or worse) your reputation as a live act?