Abby,

When I started off trying to be a folksinger, the first thing I discovered was that I hated it when I didn't get a really enthusiastic response from the audience--I finally discovered that for me, I could get a the kind of response that I wanted by writing humorous songs and parodies--and after a while, I developed an following and a bit of public awareness (some called it "notoriety", but what care's I for praise?)

When I moved out to the Bay Area, I discovered in very short order that the California audiences didn't respond to my stuff, and I died a thousand deaths--I finally ditched the folkie act altogether and started playing latin and jazz dance music, which gave me the party kind of feeling that I needed, but didn't leave me so vulnerable--

A friend of mine, who has a hugely popular death metal band, told me that, no matter how good you are, you never get the best response from somebody else's audience--you had to find your own audience--