A little more rain...

I don't know if anyone has noticed this ... but I have. If you scroll down and look at some of the pictures we've been taking at Barefoot Landing, you might realize something. In each and everyone ... every single night ... there has been massive cloud cover! In fact, I don't think we have had a blue sky once this entire summer!

Tonight was no exception, not only were there clouds there was rain as well. We did some rain footage, one of the vendors was nice enough to hold the camcorder so we have some great footage of me performing in the rain. I really hope some of this is good enough to make the DVD - we haven't watched it yet, but I know there are some really good shots there.

After the rain, the people came out in full force and they were demanding entertainment ... we had some really good shows and I can't wait to watch the tapes. Until then, here are some more snapshots from last night - check out my kewl glasses:

-JoeJoe

JoeJoes Got Talent...

I've been watching "Americas Got Talent" ... I was offered an audition with them, but I knew it would turn out to be a waste of time. First and foremost, I have no desire to headline a Las Vegas showroom. Second, I have no desire to sign off the rights to my name and image to that English pr........ well, you know who I am talking about.

Watch this show and you will see that the established entertainment world has absolutely no understanding of "talent" what-so-ever. Just look at the rift between the judges and the audience ... David Snapplehoff even asked the audience "are you watching the same thing I am?". He can't even imagine how a person would be entertained by someone juggling - because he is looking for 'entertainment' ... not talent. The judges wouldn't know talent if it hit them in the face. The secret is simple: when someone has talent, the audience is naturally entertained. Here's a hint Dave: memorizing lines is not a talent (sorry).

I have faced the same challenge my entire career. While the House of Blues turns me down, and when the Palace Theater doesn't return my calls ... when the Dixie Stampede will not allow me to even audition ... the established entertainment world is constantly pretending that I have no talent. I remember about 10 years ago I auditioned for the "One" show at the Alabama Theater. They called me last ... these idiots actually started breaking down the video equipment as I started my audition! I was pleasantly pleased that after the first minute they were impressed enough to stop me, set the cameras back up, and have me start over so the producers would be able to see the tape.

That's because my act is good - solid and tight. You have to be good to street perform. Make no mistake about it - when people go to the Palace Theater, they will sit in their seats the entire time. It doesn't matter how bad the performer is, they will politely clap no matter what happens. I don't have that luxury! If I am not funny, people will walk away. If I do not deliver the goods, my bills will not get paid. If I do not entertain, my career is over.

It really doesn't surprise me to see the audience give a performer a standing ovation while the judges all X him off the show. That's how the entertainment world works ... I think I'll continue to do less auditions and more performing. See you on the boards tonight...

-JoeJoe

In the Zone (part two)...

Last night I couldn't get any further in the zone if I had wanted ... everything came so natural even I couldn't believe what I was doing. I must have spit out at least a dozen jokes even funnier than that dumb one the night before ... of course, I can't remember any of them! That's what being in the zone is like, you have no idea what you are doing ... you are just doing it.

Here are a few pics taken last night ... I am nearly surrounded here, that is a nice perk of being in the zone - huge crowds!

-JoeJoe

In The Zone...

I wasn't really on my game tonight, I wasn't "in the zone". When a performer is in the zone, everything just comes natural ... he doesn't have to think about what he is going to say or do, he just does things and the audience loves it. Oh how I love being in the zone!

Oddly enough, even outside the zone .... I did really well. While I missed jokes and skipped bits, the crowds were thick and the hats were full. I even pumped out a new joke (pure accident). I had asked a kid what his name was ... side tracked for a second, then asked him again - "what's your name Jake"?. I said to myself "duh!" as I listened to Jake laugh about it. I think I might do it again a few times and see how it goes over.

So it rained around 8:30, had to duck for cover ... the camcorder battery was dead, but I saw the shot I want - for the DVD. The DVD will have footage of me working the rain crowds, and I see the shot I want - one of the ending scenes. The next time it rains in the evening, we will get the footage of it. :)

Until then ...
JoeJoe

Off to a good start...

So far this summer, we are seeing larger crowds and fatter hats ... I must confess, I am impressed with Barefoot Landing this year. For starters, there is a big 'ol billboard right down the street from my house - there has been a lack of advertising for years, I'm glad to finally see some. There is also a new General Manager, I've seen him three times so far this season. I find that interesting, since I hadn't seen the previous GM one time in the three years I had been there.

Here are some more pics, we have adjusted the camera angle to get a new view ... but it seems to produce a lot more shadows so I think we'll look for a better one yet. But overall, we got some great footage last night - I'm positive some of it will make the final DVD!

-JoeJoe

When your good your good ...

I've been told by magicians for years ... it doesn't matter how good you are on a good night, what matters is how good you are on a bad night. Tonight was the kind of night they were talking about ... I went in with the worst headache you can imagine. I had to wonder ... would I be able to draw a crowd and pull a tip on a night when I really wanted to be relaxing in a nice cool dark quiet room?

I felt that under the circumstances ... the night went well. I was drawing crowds, I was making people laugh and smile, and even with a headache I myself was having a good time. When I got home, I was anxious to count the hat and see if I could pass the test. It was a nice hat ... in fact, I made more tonight than I did many good nights last summer.

I also tried out the camera again ... despite the broken door, it still records. I believe it is stuck in "auto focus" mode - which is what I always use filming outdoors anyway. So it won't affect filming at Barefoot Landing, but may cause problems when filming in my studio.

So here are a few captures taken with the busted camcorder ... I'm calling it a night ... night everyone.

-JoeJoe

Disaster Strikes!

When I left the house tonight there was an emergency broadcast alert for severe thunderstorms. That is really not a big deal here, they pretty much do one of those every day it seems like. And by now, you probably know that I don't mind working in the rain.

So we are setup, the sun is shining, we film a show, and everything is going just fine ... when suddenly the sky gets dark, the wind picks up. The camcorder is setup on its tripod when all of the sudden a big gust of wind comes along and actually knocks it over! It looked like the entire thing was smashed into pieces!

Upon closer inspection, it seems the door is broken off but it can still play and record. I apparently no longer have access to the control buttons which do things like focus the camera and things like that. I'm not sure how functional it is going to be.

So I just threw down a bunch of bucks on a new computer that would be capable of processing the video, so I don't know where the money for a new camcorder is coming from ... sigh ... just another small setback I'm sure, but an inconvenient one. :(

JoeJoe

More Film! More Pics!

Last year, we filmed the shows and threw them in a box ... then went through them all in the winter. As a result, we ended up with a box of tapes with bad lighting, poor audio, with very little usable footage.

Not wanting to make the same mistakes, we are analyzing the tapes the day after we film them. We have gotten a LOT better at filming - the camera angle is better and the audio is a major improvement. Plus, we have a camera man coming in on Thursday which will make a world of difference - when (if?) he shows up we will do straight magic with no balloon animals to get the maximum amount of footage for this winter's DVD. :)

In the meantime, here are some more still shots ... great lighting huh? And check out that hat and coat ... it was 98 degrees today, yet I was cool as a cucumber - it was specially designed to be cool even in the hottest of weather!

-JoeJoe

Sword and Rope Routine

This is just a quick video I put together real fast like, nothing fancy ... it is of an experimental routine I've been working on using a rope with my sword through body. I know I am not done with this routine, so maybe later in the summer I'll make a new one and everyone can see how routines get improved and upgraded and what not.

Enjoy,
JoeJoe

The show goes on ....

We are again filming this summer. Still without a camera man ... but we've got a good camera angle and have caught some nice shows on tape. I'm filming them, and Dana is watching them and logging them all. We hope to capture enough footage to do an entire performance DVD this year, but for now here are a few snapshots - I just love showing off my new jacket!





JoeJoe

The new week is a lot like the old week...

So my girlfriend calls, tells me it is going to rain all night. Suggested I consider coming home early. I looked around, figured we might get a half hour rain shower and it would pass.

So it rained ... it poured ... the parking lot flooded ... a transformer was hit by lightening and there were no lights. Kids were crying, and I was wet - and when I say "wet", I mean from head to toe! Not one piece of dry clothing on me what-so-ever!

I packed up everything into my truck in the rain, and gave a big sigh of relief ... wheew! Ummm ... ut oh ... the truck won't start?!? Nope ... the truck won't start! I was there another hour tracking down security ... got a jump start, and (finally) made it home.

Ladies and gentlemen ... this is another shining example of why I should listen to my girlfriend more often! Dana is always very supportive and deserves a big thank you ... she is always there for me, and really keeps me going. While I'm working my pitch, she is often on the phone with me - it can be a real advantage when doing a show, like how a newscaster has the little voice in his ear telling him what questions to ask or what the latest breaking news is. Dana is a big plus in my act, and I should thank her (Dana, thank you).



So I always try to stick to the positive sides of things ... and while I had a miserable wet cold night, I also met a 13 year old magician at the magic shop who probably owns more magic than I do. I shock his hand and commented on how I could be meeting the next David Copperfield. And I also got to talk shop with Chris (the new guy in Conley's shop) - he has a lot of talent for his age, working with Conley is a big break for him and I'm sure he is on his way to having a career in magic.

So I'm going to leave you with this pic ... it was taken after the rain shower, and before the rain storm. Again, I always try to stick to the positive sides of things and what could be more positive than a beautiful sight such as this:

JoeJoe

Tis The Season...

Last week was the first week of the Summerfest 2006, and it went well. Monday was a blast, everyone was all geared up for magic - it truly is one of the best nights of the year. The kids were out of school for the first time and the parents were all relaxed and everyone was out for a good time.

It rained twice last week, we did our best to stay dry and keep the entertainment flowing. At one point, a lady came to me and asked if there was anything I could do to get her daughter's mind off the storm - there was thunder and lightening and rain and they were stuck on the porch of the "Christmas Mouse". In a matter of seconds, the little girl's eyes went from pure horror to pure excitement - it was a magic moment for both of us. It is moments like this when I enjoy my work the most.

Sooo ... that last pic I posted came out bad I know, it was taken with a camera phone and the compression is horrible! Here is a pic of my brand spanking new tails coat ... custom made to be cool even in the hottest of weather, I really like my new coat! This one is a still shot from the camcorder, so while it's not a high quality pic it should be a lot better:



JoeJoe

Friday at the Flea Market

While most magicians like Chris Angel and David Blaine are trying to reinvent what a magician looks like and how a magician dresses, I have decided to embrace the public's perception of "magician". That's right, we're going old school ... I'm talking about wearing a tails coat while pulling a rabbit out of the top hat!

You can see my new threads in this picture taken today at the Myrtle Beach Flea Market where I made a surprise appearance ... if you missed the cameo at my old stomping grounds, don't worry! You can check me out all summer long at Barefoot Landing!

While I was planning on doing a show in a showroom this summer, Barefoot Landing offered me an incentive I couldn't refuse ...so now I'm contracted to appear nightly Monday through Friday from 7-10. We'll have some new tricks up my sleeves, so go ahead and plan to vacation at the Beach this summer!

JoeJoe