Thread: Inappropriate Audience Behaviour :(

Originally Posted by Millie Dollar

people can be quite dumb eh? i had two girls standing at the front of the stage recently at a gig blatantly slagging me off as they decided to have a problem with me. it was very annoying and just because i could....i whacked them "accidentally" with my fans.
obviously feathers don't hurt but i wanted them to shut the fuck up!!

Obviously jealousy! xxxx

I certainly do dispair of some audience member's behaviour .

I was at The Damned's Twisted Cabaret in Wolverhampton where the opening acts were a burlesque show featuring Kitten on the Keys , Missy Malone and MiMi Le Meaux .

Up til then they had had a tough time with some of the crowds as, lets be frank they were dealing with a majority that had never seen a burlesque show or indeed would even care to.

Throughout the ladies quite excellent performances there was a great deal of shouting and heckiling but nothing compared to the insults and downright vitiriloic and sexist comments made by a surly individual behind me.

In America I am aware of a term that can be used to describe this person, "Redneck" I believe it is.

This fellow thought it would be fun to shout in a voice that sounded like a hawk crossed with a crow that had been subjected to various torture devices then dosed with a healthy amount of helium and years of heavy smoking all in one. He insulted everything that was possible about these lovely ladies, not even pausing for breath, to a point that even his equally drunken crony told him to cease and desist.

During MiMi's wonderful act all that could be heard was his screeching of "Get yer TITS out you FUCKING SLAG!!!" This line was repeated without pause.

When MiMi did get her tassels out, he continued to bellow this line of charming instruction, to which my girlfriend whispered in my ear "He obviously has never seen a pair has he?"

Now I understand that burlesque is not an art that everyone will appreiciate but whatever happend to good manners?

DG

I just don't know, but I find girls to often be worse for disrespectful behaviour . I think it's because of the idea that stripping is somehow unfeminist and we're somehow letting the side down (yeah right, anyone tries to tell me that they'll get more than they bargained for!) I once did a very small show where most of the audience were lovely, except this very small group of girls at the front who sat with their backs to me, chatting loudly throughout the entire act. I wouldn't have minded too much, except they had actually helped to organise the night. Why help organise something if you're not going to like the acts? What was even worse was that the ringleader got up on stage at the end of the show and did this downright odd piece of performance art, which was obviously hilarious if you knew them, but was lost on me, but then discussed her 'act' with another performer who had been there (singer, not burly), and proceeded to tell him, in a very loud and disdainful voice, that she had wanted to be the 'anti- burlesque '. What was the point? As incidents go it wasn't too bad, but the sheer pointlessness of it just depressed me

Originally Posted by Fleur du Mal

I just don't know, but I find girls to often be worse for disrespectful behaviour . I think it's because of the idea that stripping is somehow unfeminist and we're somehow letting the side down (yeah right, anyone tries to tell me that they'll get more than they bargained for!)

I agree completely! Girls can be so nasty and bitchy! One of the girls I work with considers herself a "feminist" and is always making comments about other girls (in particular pole dancers/lap dancers etc) the only thing I can put it down to is jealousy because her rants are so venomous I can only assume she is bitter. Any girl who comes to our office who dresses nicely, wears makeup, short skirts, low tops etc gets commented on. She's forever saying that these types of girls must be desperate, attention seeking, low esteemed footballers wives (?!?!) It drives me insane!!!! (I'm sure some of you will have heard my previous rants about my colleagues!)

I've only performed once (last Friday!) and the audience were so supportive it really made my night and all the difference!!

Ugh I can't stand people like that. Maybe you could point out, ever so gently, that feminism is supposed to be about every woman having the freedom to choose how she looks and acts? And then point out to her how much attention she's seeking by being so vocal in her disapproval? Heheh that's the kind of thing that would amuse me, I have a bit of a mean streak at times ...

That's awful Daiquiri - I feel for you. It happens to us all at somepoint.
As a performer up on the stage, you always have to be able to deal with 'situations' such as stage invasion, DJ brain lapse, lighting malfunction, noisy inattentive audiences etc and, on remote occaisions, even abuse.

These situiations should ideally never come up and it is the responsibility of the event promoter to ensure your safety to the best of their ability and to gurantee appropriate conditions required for you to perform your job well.

Performing is like any job, there are always unexpected factors and unpleasant customers. The more able you are to handle these situations should they crop up, the more professional you can know yourslef to be.

If I were in your position (and jings, how I have been..) I'd do as you did - carry on regardless (unless I felt a physical risk) but then make a point of taking it up as a serious issue with the promoter (or in your case, client) afterward. That is, of course, after making sure your got your pay and all items back safely.

Did you have a contract in place to ensure your safety and respect were factored in? i.e. were there appropraite security staff on hand? If so, did they not act on your behalf?

On this note, i'd like to say Kudos to Frankie Sumatra (promoter behind Vegas!) for his valiant leap to victory in which he made a Bond style stage dive, kung-fu grapple and hurried dislodging of a glass throwing moron who had struck during a lovely girl's performance at his New Year's Eve Ball in Edinburgh. It was quite a spectacle to see.

Originally Posted by decadentgent

...
This fellow thought it would be fun to shout in a voice that sounded like a hawk crossed with a crow that had been subjected to various torture devices then dosed with a healthy amount of helium and years of heavy smoking all in one. He insulted everything that was possible about these lovely ladies, not even pausing for breath, to a point that even his equally drunken crony told him to cease and desist.

During MiMi's wonderful act all that could be heard was his screeching of "Get yer TITS out you FUCKING SLAG!!!" This line was repeated without pause.....
DG

That's beautiful Matt.
A rather moving tale, almost poetic -
some might say...

Originally Posted by Kittie

That's beautiful Matt.
A rather moving tale, almost poetic -
some might say...

It was the result of reading too much P.G. Wodehouse last night I reckon.

Perhaps I should take up writing very bad penny dreadfuls ?

DG

Originally Posted by BellaDona

Yuk, that sounds horrible! Did the rest of the audience just let them pester you? Were you not tempted to stick them with your pin if you were doing a baloon dance ? Not a good idea, perhaps, but tempting

I was too pissed off at the time, but believe me I thought about it afterwards! Perhaps I can incorporate that into the act if it happens again?!

James - re. Kittie at Vegas! that sounds dreadful. What an arse! Well, it is Glasgow I suppose, theye seem to have a weird notion of what is "funny" here!

Thanks for your concerns Kittie , it's nice to know you are there, a fountain of knowledge and advice! There was security there, but not in the hall where the performances took place. To be honest, I think the compere or organisers should have stepped in, but it was a learning experience .

I prefer performing at burlesque events, rather than other types of event anyway. With the former, the audience generally know what they're there for and you get a much better response. Sometimes at private parties, they just don't seem to get it!

xx

Regarding girls slagging other girls off and putting them down, no true feminist would do this anyway! The whole point is to have each other's backs and to help, support and protect each other; and accept each other's choices. After all, together we're stronger! :excited: