Chewing gum on stage

Subject: Chewing gum on stage
From: Wesley S
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:22 PM

I went a bluegrass concert the other night. Two very well known and highly respected bands performed. But during the opening act I was distracted by two of the band members chewing gum through their portion of the show. Am I wrong to think this wasn't professional behavior? I was alittle suprised that the band leader allowed it.

This wasn't a parking lot picking jam. Or a blues band playing in a honky-tonk somewhere. It was a sit down concert in a very nice concert hall. A "formal" performance if you will. One of the members even chewed to the beat. Very distracting. And downright odd looking. They were still chewing gum when they came back for an encore with the headliner. Both bands had a table with water bottles on stage so it wasn't like they were suffering from cottonmouth. Should the stage be off limits for gum chewing?

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Michael Harrison
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:42 PM

Wesley S - with all fun intended, are you a school teacher? I don't have a problem with it and do it quite frequently as it does keep the "cottonmouth" away even when water sometimes won't. Just for the record, I sing for a living and last week did a retirement home gig on Thursday, a pub gig on Friday, and a Celtic Festival on Saturday and Sunday - chewing gum on all stages. No, I don't think that gum chewing should be off limits; but, pit bulls wearing lipstick,...ah,...now, that's another matter.

Cheers,........mh

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Gurney
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:56 PM

Like Michael, I have no problem with it. We used to have cigarettes dancing on the loose end of the guitar strings, and that was slightly amusing, but gum chewing? No bother!

I could imagine a singer choking on it, though.

Passing a spliff around would be a bad look, and I have seen that.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:58 PM

No Wesley, you are not wrong. It is an insult to those people who have paid thier hard earned brass to go an listen.

Peter

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Sorcha
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:06 PM

I don't like it. Think it makes them look like cows.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:07 PM

Gum's fine. It's pissing on stage I can't abide.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: kendall
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:15 PM

Teenagers chew gum

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:19 PM

You don't want to know what teenagers do with gum...

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:25 PM

I saw a dobro player stick his foot into some discarded bubble gum on stage once. He turned it into a little bit of funny business during the show, though I'm sure he wasn't amused when he stepped in it. Thank God we don't allow livestock on stage...

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: PoppaGator
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:32 PM

Gum chewing never bothered me.

Smoking on stage grosses me out a bit, but then tobacco smoke has always sickened me. "Back in the day," many folk performers used to stick their stupid cigareets [sp. intended] in their guitar headstocks so we all could second-hand smoke together. I'm glad that's no longer quite so fashionable.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: CupOfTea
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:41 AM

well, it was bluegrass, whatdayaexpect?

(ducking)

The prejudice against obvious gum chewing really has stuck with me since youth - I mentally deduct assumed IQ points on anyone I see doing it. Yet, I'd prefer a discrete cud chewing dobro player to anyone who pops their gum, on the beat or not.

Are ya sure it was gum and not chewing tobacco (for an even more revolting thought)

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Acorn4
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 03:45 AM

Perhaps it's an aid to concentration or aid in relief of nerves.

I personally favour the Alex Ferguson chewing technique!

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Tyke
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 10:39 AM

It's all a matter of taste! Personally I don't chew Gum however if I was performing "I'm for ever Blowing Bubbles" I would.

I know one performer who sticks his Chewing gum onto his beer glass before doing his set. This simple act prevents other from accidentally stealing his beer and clearly identifies the glass as his. Who am I talking about! " Bernard Wrigley" who else!

I would suggest that whatever a performer doses on stage should be mirrored in the amount of applause that they receive.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Ernest
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:49 AM

...still wondering why nobody asked what instruments the chewers were playing...

;0)
Ernest

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:40 PM

Chewing gum ANYWHERE is disgusting. It is loathsome stuff.
I think it was wrong, even if they were playing an Overchewer.

JM

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:58 PM

The gumchewers were the guitarist and the bass player. The bass player is the one who kept chewing in time with the music. That might explain something. Both sang lead on several songs.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Tyke
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:38 PM

sex, drugs, cewing gum and rock n roll.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Peace
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:39 PM

"Chewing gum on stage"

Scrape it off!

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Becca72
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:04 PM

I work at a local hospital doing transcription for the Radiology department. If you think watching someone on stage chewing gum is gross, try having to listen to it through headphones through a 20 minute report. Bleck!

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:25 PM

Last Friday night we had our third - and very successful -annual ten-spot concert on top of a mountain, reachable by tram. I did the booking but I never thought about cautioning against the use of chewing gum. Should have, maybe. One headliner chewed his way all through his set. Although it could have been worse- he could have chewed during the singing lines, but he confined himself to between the lines.

Like the above, I think he may have been guarding against cottonmouth or maybe it was his way of dealing with nerves. For whatever reason he did it, however, it's distracting to the audience. imo

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:32 PM

Ebbie, maybe the guy was chewing gum to prevent his ears from popping at the altitude

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Tyke
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:48 PM

it could be that some people having stopped smoking have replaced one habit with another.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: open mike
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 01:26 AM

wrigley's is a chewing gum company--
http://www.wrigley.com/wrigley/index.asp
were you kidding about the guy's name who puts gum on his beer glass?

then there are the Adms and Beeman gum companies..
teaberry, clove, blackjack gums..


In 1879, Dr. Edward E. Beeman marketed the gum, which was made of pepsin powder and chicle, as an aid to digestion. It became a part of the Adams Company line in 1898...

.....Thomas Adams Chewing Gum company is now part of Cadbury-Adams Company.....

one of these gum company pages says: kids, if you need to write a report for school, find information here. (what type of report would be required? One like i had to write once, which was the equivalent
of writing on the board "I will not chew gum in class" or like being
punished by having to scrape gum off the bottom of chairs or desks...)

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 03:25 AM

Hi Wes!!!

HERE'S A THREAD I thought of as soon as I read your title. You'll see why within a few posts and then go back to Amos' first post and watch the great video.

BTW, you'll be happy to know that when I woke up just now to go to the john, Tristan was asleep with the Bluegrass Channel on his TV.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 05:59 AM

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor...?


:-P

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Tyke
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 10:06 AM

No not kidding about the cewing gum on the beer glass. The Pub Landlord told everyone that he was at Infants School with Bernard Wrigley but Bernard said that he was a lieing as there was no Fat Bald Headed Boys in his school.

Subject: RE: Chewing gum on stage
From: Kampervan
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 01:23 PM

Well for me, it's not 'whether' but 'how'.

I don't mind anyone chewing gum, providing they do it in a way that means that I don't actually SEE the gum that they're chewing.

The vigorous, open-mouthed, watch it roll around my mouth, chewing is disgusting to see; but someone gently masticating with a closed mouth is no big deal.

Alex Ferguson is a good example of how not to do it. (Chewing that is, not managing!)

K/van