I need some honest advice

Subject: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 10:52 AM

I am not a happy bunny at the moment, but I am going to have to bite on the bullet and find out where I have been going wrong. I got this cut of live footage last year, which I liked and thought was a good advertisement for what I do. I was clearly wrong. I have been sending this as a "demo" to potential bookers and not one of them has liked it.
There are some more experienced heads than mine on Mudcat and I am humbly going to ask your advice on where I have gone wrong and what I need to do to present my stuff better in future.

This is the clip.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:13 AM

IMO, it's good that you are promoting yourself however to the booker your package is probably just one of many he/she receives per week, month or year.
Patience required as your promo material will probably be well down their totem pole for the time being.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:25 AM

I realise that. I usually only send it to people whom I have spoken to on the phone first - otherwise there is really no chance that it will even be looked at.
I have booked people myself and I would always prefer acts which I felt could get audiences involved and possibly make them laugh. Somehow I am not getting that across, so I need to find out what is putting them off.
Thanks for your feedback though.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,punkfoklkrocker
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:31 AM

ok... as I seem to be amongst the first to see your thread ..
and you asked for honest... [I'll try to avoid brutal..]

That compilation clip is just bad on so many levels..

[bearing in mind the problematic bilingual nature of your show]

Objectively, on first impression, you immediately appear to be a very confident, experienced,
and well presented photogenic good looking fella..

That stands out clearly as probably the most positive aspect of the video
for potential bookers..

But in my opinion as a potential hypothetical audience member,
the fragments of your act are just unfocused and weak.

What you score on presentation, you lose on substance and dare I say 'trite' material.

I'd suggest the comedy is not funny enough by current adult UK standards,
and it's difficult to ascertain how good a singer you may be.

Scrap that compilation video. A definite better focused rethink is required.

Now you need the likes of Big Al, will and muskie to step in with positive constructive ideas & input
from a 'working' club performers perspective...

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:37 AM

btw.. I have a background in 'theatrical' comedic rock bands..
and am well aware how dated and crap a lot of our old songs are these days...

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:46 AM

Right. So it is back to the drawing board...I shall ask Big Al. Thanks for your time.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:59 AM

advice from me....navigation tips from the Captain of the Titanic! gotta go out at 6. i will look at it later.

the questions eternal are

1) what do you want to achieve
2) is anyone else doing it with any success
3) if they are - what are they doing
4) could I do it - if not, what can I do?

if you wanna talk about it not in public, my e-mail is

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 12:00 PM

Agree with Tdm, but as you invited advice, I tentatively, and admittedly subjectively, offer these thoughts. I certainly see you have a good stage presence, and get the audience involved. The succession of snippets certainly demonstrate that. However, as no complete songs were included, it is difficult to gauge the comedy content, if comedy clubs are your target.   There is nothing wrong with your vocals or guitar, best I can tell, but neither was I blown away by it.......much like my own abilities !.   So if you are aiming for general music, you are probably competing with a lot of other good and competent performers.   So, as above, patience and perseverance. Wishing you best, Alan.      Pete.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 12:01 PM

Thanks Denise. I shall get back to you.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 12:15 PM

I'm not a pro, but speaking from a consumer perspective I liked your material. In fact, I'm going to steal some of it (but only to sing at gatherings at friends' houses). And I liked the performance.

Trying to find something to criticize, I kept looking at your hair. It's a little unkempt. I'm certainly no one to talk about that. My own hair usually looks like part of a clown costume. But I think if I were going to try to get bookings, or go for a job interview, I'd have someone make my hair look neater and more stylish.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Fyldeplayer
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:17 PM

I agree that you have stage ability but the material seemed 'light' - the folk scene has many amateur participants who are very clever and funny, at a sing around recently a rendition of My Old Mans A Dustman in Dylan style was brilliant. Can you do serious as well?

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Musket
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:19 PM

It is interesting that I have been to concerts, thoroughly enjoyed them as a punter and noticed that bits have appeared on YouTube. Also, I opened for a band the other week who I had never heard before so obviously, YouTube got some hammer beforehand.

The common link is that YouTube didn't "do it" for me. Was that the same concert?? Is that the same band? Nothing whatsoever you can do about that in general, but getting a more polished set of snippets will help. Of course promoters and agents make allowances for bad videos, but where you made them?

Some bits on YouTube I would happily pull down and sincerely hope nobody judges my performance by them, but as I didn't do them, not my fault. If I had though...

What are you billing yourself as? Folk? Comedy? Are all the songs funny ones? Your material? Traditional? Reworks of others' songs? What came across as good was banter with the audience, and that is important. But what else did you show? A couple of witty lines in songs or as part of the introduction, the ability to play guitar and I think physical presence came across. The vinegar test being, if I was at the bar before the concert, would I think "that must be the turn?" In your case, yes.

Longer cuts of songs, shorter one liners with the audience, slow fade between scenes and labels. If this is for business purposes, don't ever assume. A label saying "Some banter..." and "Funny songs," "ballads" etc etc may look corny for someone to just sit and enjoy the clip, but this clip is for other purposes.

Look for your unique selling point! We can all play guitar, we can all hold a note, we can all crack jokes and get a laugh, some can even have hair, (not in my gift...) but those who get booked have something that people remember.

What is yours?

Make sure you write the answer in the clip...

Good luck!

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:27 PM

I do very straight stuff too, like "East Looe Boys" and "Oh What A Life We Had". There are snippets of both songs in there. However, when we cut the video, we placed a lot of emphasis on trying to persuade potential bookers that I could quickly win over audiences to get them singing and laughing. I obviously need a rethink...

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Jeri
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:41 PM

My opinion, based on the fact I don't book acts and I'm not there, but I'm a pretty good audience member: the clip shows you doing what a lot of other people can probably do. You're competent, but a lot of other people are, too. Give them something they don't already have and really would want. Emphasize what makes you desirably unique.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Will Fly
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:06 PM

Alan - some comments from me - I do hope they're useful...

1. There's no doubt whatsoever that you can play, sing and entertain well (in two languages) - but where do you want your focus to be? As Jeri so rightly says, what makes you desirably unique - or if not unique (uniqueness is hard to achieve!), at least the owner of one solid area of excellence? That's for you to decide.

2. As far as the video is concerned, I think it rambles and repeats itself a little too much. I appreciate that it's put together from several live performances, but perhaps the choice of clips could have been edited together more precisely, with less repetition. I also noticed that the aspect ratio of certain clips was 4:3, and that of others was 9:5. Result - you look normal some of the time and emaciated some of the time - which is somewhat distracting!

3. The bilingual bit. I wish I could do that (perhaps I could in French and English), but if I did, I'd subtitle the German bits in English - and the English bits in German - just to be sure.

4. Shoot some more live footage, all with the same aspect ratio, and edit it together so that there's no repetition - which will give more dimension to your act.

Hope this is constructive and of some use!

Cheers,

Will

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:23 PM

Thanks Will, Jerry and Musket. I shall bear it in mind.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:28 PM

I agree with Musket re. YouTube clips not showing acts at their best.
There has been a couple of times when I've been pleasantly surprised with performers who were much much better live than they had appeared on YouTube when I previewed them.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Betsy
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 06:00 PM

Fair play to you - you've opened your heart . You're singer who sings in tune - very decent accompianment on guitar - and have received wiser advice than I can give. The formula which seems to work is to keep the patter funny BETWEEN songs , or sing a funny or a thoughtful song.
There ARE FUNNY Songs in the blues idiom (e.g. How long do I have to wait,) and singalong "blues" e.g San Francisco bay bluesbut.....
I bet you know hundreds of songs . Time to sit down and decide where you want to be , you speak some German, and get the odd laugh. In Germany they're quite passionate about all things Irish so think about That ( including all the English songs which are claimed to be Irish.
If you're going to do purely Comedy, step back - and get a stonewaller of a set - well-reheasered Ad-Libs et al.
Best of luck - tweak the whole set - dump somethings and import some things and take your time.
If a stranger at the bus stop, wants to tell you jokes you get a bit frightened - same with an audience , build up a relationship / bridge with them first.
Good luck Al., you love performing so and I hope it all works really well for you after you you've opened your heart.

Betsy

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 10:18 AM

(note, I'm just a punter, not a booker & I'm English not German)
My impression with this video was that at ~25secs I was ready for about 60secs of proper singing, then maybe 20secs of banter clips then more singing.
In the 1:53 clip of the audience singing -actually they didn't sound very good singers/didn't know the words confidently! :( -Get a clip of a better audience or leave it out.
I think you look better without glasses.
For a promo the Koln stages looked a hell of a lot smarter than the Erfstadt one, so you looked better & worthy of a bigger fee.
The still at the end is good but I wouldn't mention that it was 2003 ;
I'd probably scrap the rest of that clip.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Morris-ey
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 11:38 AM

I also speak as one of the audience: I would like the video to show what a complete song/routine sounds like rather than (pretty much) the same clip repeated. It gave little indication of your range of material.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 12:20 PM

It looks like you can sing and play. Hiring a pro to shoot and edit a video for you might be money well spent if you're looking for paying gigs.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 04:38 PM

The criticism is good, I think. It's sound advice. Still and all, I enjoyed watching the video, and I'm sure I'd enjoy attending a concert of yours, Alan. Good luck to you.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 07:02 PM

EYIIIEEE.....where to begin....your presentation is awful.

1. Cut the hair (dead hippies are dead)
2. Toss the beanie cap (let your bald spot shine)
3. Lose 30 pounds (no-one can accurately access the strings over that large a gut)
4. Stop affecting the "up tone" at the end of phrases (UK lost the world, Tremeber?)

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

The times "they were a changing" unfortuately, you never listened .... IMHO - most pub folk prefer the "sounds of silence" and calmly listening for next clue in "a dangling conversation" sure beats the beats you have to offer.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 11:03 PM

very negative Gargoyle - where to start. not where you're at. your advice seems to be - be somebody else.

Alan is a well adjusted guy with many skills. i'm not really sure what he wants to achieve. i'm pretty sure he can achieve something pretty significant just as he is.

if you don't know that the first rule about being comfortable onstage is being comfortable with yourself - the way you are = just shut up - cos you don't know anything.

some people are lucky, like the beatles, or carthy and find their performing metier very early in life. you have to keep searching and re-assessing what you do Alan, and looking for opportunities. thats the only way. network. search the trade press. talk to other artists, see them work - see if theres anything you can steal to sharpen and maximise your impact. think laterally , think creatively - it maybe that theres another avenue that will liberate you as an artist. don't be frightened to leave that comfort zone, discard the props, try new ones....

above all never take advice from anyone who's never lived by their wits in this way. some arsehole who has sat at the feet of the great ones doesn't see the whole picture. look how MacColl is talked about as though he was some professor. no! he was an artist - trying all sorts of things and projects - ducking and diving in a way that would make Del boy's head spin. he was an artist through and through - and that's how artists live!

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: meself
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 11:41 PM

Excellent - that last paragraph belongs among the Mudcat classics.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 12:03 AM

Admittedly, Gargoyle is an acquired taste, but the camera eye is brutal, and he right about what it shows.

The video should show you at your best--best performance of your best material, in your best clothes, with perfect hair--

You were playing to the audience, not to the camera, and, though the audience liked you, the camera didn't. You need to make a good video..then people will start booking you.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 12:32 AM

Gargoyle didn't say "be somebody else." He said get a new PR agent.

Alan wears the beret in every clip, and the combination of the beret with the hag hair is a distinctive look. So it's a conscious PR device. But it's not a good look for a musician.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 04:08 AM

' You need to make a good video..then people will start booking you..'

this is advice from the totally unknowledgeable. were it a case of making a good video. we'd all just make videos and the world would become a bottomless pit of milk and honey.

its not a great video. but demos and videos aren't really where its at for guys like alan - whose talents are complex and many. when you have such diverse talents - you have to find someone whose needs you can fulfil with the small change in your artistic pocket. to earn a living you have to look hard.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Mr Red
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 04:36 AM

Humour is a funny business.
It is predicated on what went before and what comes after.
Compilations like the video cut across that.
It might be better to have a series of videos and let the viewer choose when to "cut" between them. If they aren't going to stay with you, they aren't booking anyway. Explain why you have several videos rather than a compilation. Mood!
I find songs where any word has to rush is ill fitting - if you are going to be laconic, be laconic. Rushed words have comedic value, but usually as over the top excess.
For the videos pick your material carefully.
And a lot of humour is of the moment. And that moment is in the club, not in aspic.

I found my very clever wordplay entertained the songwriter (me) but banana skins get the laugh.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 05:48 AM

I know you're 25 years older now, but just look back at your Linz busking video again. I was only having a quick shuftie but I ended up watching the whole thing. They were eating out of your hand, mate! That's clearly what you're damn good at. In your current clip there's repetition, colour-cast changes, aspect changes, nothing lasting long...it's as though you don't trust the prospective booker to have enough attention span to view your material, and that lack of confidence, illusory though it may be, comes across. You need a much better technical-quality video with just two or three substantial good bits of you. And the bilingual stuff is great. If you're a bilingual punter!

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 06:12 AM

if you want to make a better video - there are loads of colleges doing media courses where they need performers to perform whilst they teach students how to make videos.

i agree Steve ,he's got the busking thing - but he's also a songwriter of great depth and performs with intensity, his best chance of making an impact on the \English folkscene is getting one of his songs picked up by one of the big hitters on the folkscene. have you fielded The East Looe Boys to Show of Hands. maybe the Lakemans... all that west country lot

But making videos, demos etc is very speculative. your performing skills...there will be someone out there who will pay for your expertise.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 08:04 AM

There's been plenty of good advice already in this thread about what to sing, how the promo might be edited, etc, etc. My contribution is this wise snippet, told to me by an A&R man, regarding promotional material; video or audio: "If you haven't grabbed the listener's attention within the first 5 to 10 seconds, your promo is almost certainly destined for the bin."
       I wish you every success in your quest to further your career.
                           Nigel Paterson (Mandolin, 'The Halliard')

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Selby
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 11:00 AM

I have not looked at your video My wife and I ran a folk club for a few years what worked for us:-
word of mouth,
seeing new acts at singers nights at our or other clubs,
seeing people at festivals.

What did not work:-
pushy artists,
rigid fees.
Keith

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 11:27 AM

Keith didn't work?

Your Missus posting on your log in?

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 11:40 AM

one night i was in a pub in Matlock and this bloke from one of the big three folk agencies in the uk came in with a cardbord box full of cds and dvds - all of them still in their cellophane. none had been listened to and/or watched. he said to the assembled company - help yourself these are just taking up office space.

there was product from many of the major names on the folkscene - headliners you'd seen advertised on all the festivals and you assumed were making a good living.

the folkscene is in a hell of a mess. mainly because...who knows. just make sure you're not on the deck of the sinking ship. you can't predicate your artistic life onthe vision of a gang of middle aged myopics and semi pro dilletantes.

you have to find your own arena one where the crowd at least pays for your rent and food. how can it be folk music - if the folk don't value it that much.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 06:21 PM

Hi there

I think you might be slightly selling yourself short. It looks like you can actually play some pretty good fingerstyle guitar when you want to. I would concentrate on getting one good complete performance of one really good song, sylishly shot, with close-ups on fingers on fretboards, different angles, close-ups on facial expressions and profiles etc.

I'm not saying 'ditch the comedy stuff', or 'pretend to be someone you're not'. But I think you might be better off leading with a supposedly 'serious' performance, even if it's humorous material: one song that really gets you across as a consummate musician, and singer, rather than an entertainer who sings comic songs.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 08:55 PM

well what do you think Al. you think all the people who had made all those dvds in the cardboard box didn't do good performances.

you really need to think outside the box. the English folkscene couldn't be trusted not to piss on the crown jewels. half the people will be saying that you don't play real folk music amd finding reasons for looking down their noses on what you do - they lack humanity. they are not the folk any more.

you know what Oasis said, please don't put your life in the hands of a rock n roll band - same goes for the uk folkscene in spades.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: theleveller
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 04:51 AM

Hi Alan. I was in two minds about whether to send this or not as it might sound a bit harsh, but I hope that you may get something positive out of what I say.

I came across your post on a rare visit to Mudcat and clicked on the link out of curiosity. I don't know who you are, so what I have to say is purely based on what I've seen in your video. I want to comment from two perspectives:

Firstly, as a punter. Would I pay to see you, based on your video? No. In fact, I'd pay not to. You come across as an amiable but irritating buffoon. I've never been comfortable with the comedian/folk singer combination – for me, it seldom, if ever, works. Your appearance is that of an unsuccessful children's entertainer – maybe a Wurzel Gummage impersonator. Your jokes aren't funny, your material is banal and, to be honest, there are hundreds of amateur floor singers out there who can play and sing better than you. These days, for better or worse, successful professional folk musicians are generally slick, highly accomplished and have something unique to offer (I'll come to that later). I think you need to a bit of make-over.

Secondly – and this is probably where I can give some useful advice – as an advertising and marketing creative director who has created hundreds of commercials and promotional videos. Basically, from a production point of view, your video is a mess on every level. Pretty much any savvy teenager could create something better on their iPhone (do you know any savvy teenagers who could help?). My best advice would be to befriend a student who is doing a film or media studies course and persuade them (strong liquor is always good) to take you on as a project and use what they are learning/have learned to put together something that looks great and is maybe even a bit radical, and – most important – attention-grabbing from the word 'go'.

Next, to you and your material. If you're sending this video out as a promotion it must be what you consider is the very best of what you do. Really? No wonder it isn't getting much response. You need to look carefully at yourself and, if possible find a USP (unique selling proposition). What makes you stand out from the crowd? What are your really, really good at? It may be that you need someone to shoot some specific footage of you, perhaps performing one of your best songs that really showcases your talent. Your film student would be delighted to do this and make sure that the sound and visual quality are amazing. Think of yourself as a brand and decide what your proposition is, what your brand values are, and how these best come across.

Then you need to think about who you're sending it to. Do a bit of research on what type of artistes they usually book; do they like comedy; do they prefer traditional stuff; are they into singer/songwriters? Then tailor your video specifically to them – this isn't hard to do with today's digital technology and it may be that you just need to create three or four different versions of your video. Then – and this is the secret of good cold marketing – ring them up beforehand to introduce yourself, and ring them up when you've sent the video, to make sure they've received it and hopefully played it, and to get feedback, which will be more valuable than anything I or anyone here, can give.

Hope that's a little bit helpful. Best of luck.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 06:15 AM

You come across as an amiable but irritating buffoon. I've never been comfortable with the comedian/folk singer combination – for me, it seldom, if ever, works.

So you've never seen Vin Garbutt or Les Barker then. I do think you're being a bit harsh. Though I'll admit that there's often a fine line between the irritating buffoon floor singer who mucks about too much between songs to the annoyance of everybody present, and someone who has genuine, pithy comic timing. For my money, Alan is the right side of that line. Unfortunately, you have to look pretty hard through his promo video to see it, and I don't think most potential bookers would bother. I go back to that ancient Linz video, in which his crowd is absolutely with him. It's a shame it isn't a bit more recent, because in it Alan comes across as thoroughly engaging and convincing. Just a thought: in that video there is loads of footage of the audience having a whale of a time. Surely there's a clue there as to what a promoter needs to see to convince him...

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Musket
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 06:34 AM

The folk comics are the ones that spring into mind whenever I think of a bloody good night at a folk club. Comedy doesn't have to be the main pull and neither does seriousness.

Steve mentions Vin Garbutt. An excellent example of a writer of emotive songs designed to make you think but breaks the ice wonderfully between songs with well honed flippancy and engaging banter.

My heroes over the years have been the likes of Vin, as well as the late Tony Capstick, Bernard Wrigley, Mike Harding, Derek Brimstone etc.

If you feel you have that relationship with your audience, don't lose it. But at the same time, don't make it a one trick pony.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 09:26 AM

well i think the leveller makes my point better than i could. the folk scene is full of wankers like that.

he's never seen you but he dismisses you on ideological ground.

he's probably not fit to clean your boots.he's not comfortable with you.....

bloody right! we have tyo be comfortable with his ignorance and negativity about what you've done with your life.
I've shit higher forms of life.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 12:01 PM

alanabit - just curious, are you actually still posting out physical demo discs to bookers;
or emailing them links to your youtube videos ?

Do you have your own well designed website ?

or at least a page on sound cloud or similar musicians site ?

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 12:13 PM

I thought leveller was well OTT as well, but in fairness, honest advice was asked for, and his contribution did seek to be helpful as well, and I have found it best to use harsh negativity ....sometimes in past times given unsolicited !.....as a spur on to do better.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 12:41 PM

On balance I thought leveller was offering sincere constructive criticism, as alanabit requested...

Some might disagree.. but occasionally it might be very necessary to administer tuff love & harsh reality checks..

.. if it genuinely helps an artist to concentrate on their real strengths and self improvement.

I'd hope no one here is just inflicting gratuitous confidences crushing negative criticisms
just for the perverse sadistic pleasure of it...???


If I was to ever submit my own recordings for your feedback.
it would be on the serious expectation & understanding
that I might attract a full range of positive encouragement and insulting dismissals...

We're all adults, and this is mudcat...

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 03:51 PM

you miss the point. he is what he is. he's a good writer, and as a performer he's got bottle and good taste. he wouldn't outrage people like I and the late Mike Eliot used to. Dizzy Gillespie made a beret work - who knows if Al can - it how he feels comfortable.

the leveller is the sort of character who laughs dutifully at The Mole Catcher and The Tailor's Britches.

he is uneasy with humour that is actually funny. uncomfortable.

Al doesn't need a list of reasons why he's an asshole . At some level we're all assholes. that's the nature of original sin.

he needs some positive ideas.
lose weight, stop smoking, do exercise, and sing real folk music. ever thought of being a GP?

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 04:07 PM

Just watched the video and it didn't really do it for me: far too fragmented. As some others have said above, in a promotional video, I'd much rather have seen a couple of whole songs, perhaps contrasting in style, to show what variety you have in your repertoire.
I don't have problems with the hair or the beret or languages, but the frequent scene and clothes changes just made it very hard to follow coherently.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 07:21 PM

Gillespie made many kinds of hats work, but he didn't have giant clumps of ragged stringy white hair bulging out from under them. Even Gaddafi at least dyed his rag mop black.

The various attacks on Alan's performance are ridiculous. He sounds great, and you can see that the audience appreciates him. They don't object to his appearance either, and nor would I, but someone who's never seen him and is considering hiring him on the basis of a brief video is sure to be prejudiced by it. First impressions are important.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: theleveller
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 04:29 AM

Well, that rattled a few cages. As I tried to make clear, I was judging Alan purely on how he came across to me in his video. His lack of response from organisers suggests that they may have had a similar reaction and I was offering some advice on how he could make improvements.

Big Al, in his usual attempt to make every thread about HIM, failed to see this and wants to shoot the messenger. No, Al, the folk scene isn't full of wankers like me because I don't consider myself to be part of the folk scene. I got bored with it because it's full of wankers like you: whinging, bitter old men with huge egos who can't accept that it's the amateurs who are the backbone of folk and who blame their consistent lack of success as so-called professionals on the short-comings of others instead of taking an honest look at themselves (as Alanabit has had the courage to do) and realising that they are simply not good enough to make a living from folk music. Really, Al, it's time you called it a day, found something more rewarding to do that you're actually good at and spared us your interminable and yawn-making condemnations of the very business, and people, that you want to support you.

Steve Shaw - sorry, but the Likes of Vin Garbutt et al aren't my cup of tea. Just a personal thing - I know that many people enjoy them, probably because what they do, they do well.

Rant over. I'll now gratefully retire back to my Mudcat-free existence, happy that I no longer have to put up with losers like Big Al crying sour grapes from every thread.

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 04:31 AM

well i think we all agree the video doesn't do him a lot of favours. but perhaps this is all he's got!

however i know this guy is commercially viable. very talented.

lets face it none of the Carthy family look like De Caprio and Britney Spears.

the answer is not pulling the bloke to pieces. its looking at the major talent that he has - and finding interstices where it can make an impression.

and that is the answer for all people who are engaged in the arts - not wishing you were a great physical beauty.

listen again, and if you can help - let him know your idea. otherwise - belt up!

Subject: RE: I need some honest advice
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 04:46 AM

Why not contact Derek Brimstone he was a successful entertainer who might have constructive advice.