One of my favorite gigs ever was on Saturday nights, in a little restaurant/cafe that was in my very own apartment bldg. The audience were from the neighborhood, so had known many of them in a lot of different situations. One of the regulars was psychotic, a schizophrenic who lived on his own and wrestled with horrific demons--even still, except for the occasionally cryptic remark, his burden was never apparent.

There was another regular who had bipolar disorder, however, and could be very disturbing and, in an odd way, disruptive. Most of the time, she was "normal"-- quiet and mild mannered. On rare occcasions, she'd enter the room talking a little bit too loudly, with a manic edge in her voice. Even though she never did more than this, he effect was subtly and cumulatively unnerving. After a short time, the room was on edge. People who tended to linger would finish their meals quickly and leave, conversations were brief and muted, and when she left, both the wait staff and the cooks were drained.

For my part, it was all that I could do to play--I'd make a lot of mistakes, forget lyrics, and even which song I was playing, and my vocal cords would tighten and strain.

Peculiarly, I've played in hospital and extended care facilities and had my performances disrupted by all manner of behaviors--on more than one occasion, I've had to suspend the performance while audience members were restrained and removed--none of which were nearly as disturbing as the woman talking too loud and too fast.