Austin Improv

jillybee72 wrote:

Brad Hawkins wrote:I dislike Song Spot. It reminds me how few songs I know.

The other one is Fred Schneider, those are the two my brain reminded me I hate when I was about to say don't hate. The point of it seems to be to fit what you're saying into the meter but no one does it and no one notices that they didn't do it. When you ask them about it they say, "well it's just to loosen up and have fun doing a silly voice" and I would rather they do that in the car on the way over.

This brings up a point about warmups that require you to say something on the beat: I'm kind of a dick about enforcing that you have to say something, no matter what, right when it's your turn, because to me that's the whole point of the exercise. You have to say whatever's in your mouth right that moment, not the brilliant thing you're going to think of in a few seconds, JUST LIKE IN A SCENE. If people stand there snapping their fingers saying "uh, uh, uh, uh ... " there's not really any point to setting up the rhythm in the first place. </offtopic_rant>

I dislike (mostly*) song spot because it really puts me in my head trying to think of a song.

I like Fred Schneider because it really takes me out of my head.

*I like Song scene song because it lessens the requirement of a song...

*I like song spot if I can make songs up....

Brad Hawkins wrote:

Ryan Hill wrote:I can't think of any warm up I genuinely dislike, but I've only been at this for six months. I'm sure when I'm at 20 years like Asaf and some others I'll have things that annoy the shit out of me.

I dislike Song Spot. It reminds me how few songs I know.

I also dislike Bibbity Bibbity Bop due to my inability to articulate the words "bibbity bibbity bop."

Agreed Brad.

However, one thing I LOVE about Song Spot it that it's a great way to transition out of Bibbity Bibbity Bop when I get [quickly] bored with it. Just fail on purpose move to the center and start singing. "No, I'm not killing this warm up, I'm being organic."

gene wrote:"No, I'm not killing this warm up, I'm being organic."

Love it.

HOWEVER! When a warm-up is initiated I will play it and I will play it with joy and enthusiasm because I am a professional and also a member of a team and I know my mood impacts the team, and I know part of being on a team is not always having my stupid pouty baby way.

However, I would not transition out of a warm up until everyone who likes it has had fun with it. Too often, I've seen warm ups go on and on where most of the people in it are no longer having fun with it but are afraid to move on. Transitioning from one warmup to another is in itself a nice warm up.

At Show X we play all the warm-ups at once. You better be awake, kid!

I like Fred Schneider for a very specific reason. Not because it gets me out of my head or connected, but because I like the idea of Fred Schneider living this sad, washed up life.

"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm eating some tacos that I bought at the mall!
"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm calling my mom for the thirtieth time!
"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm brushing my teeth to a song from Les Mis!

and so on. It's like a quirky indy flick I can return to again and again. It just really amuses me.

Roy Janik wrote:I like Fred Schneider for a very specific reason. Not because it gets me out of my head or connected, but because I like the idea of Fred Schneider living this sad, washed up life.

"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm eating some tacos that I bought at the mall!
"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm calling my mom for the thirtieth time!
"Hey Fred Schneider, what are you doing?"
I'm brushing my teeth to a song from Les Mis!

and so on. It's like a quirky indy flick I can return to again and again. It just really amuses me.

Love it times 3. That is a great perspective on that game, and I'm happy to learn it.

jillybee72 wrote:

Brad Hawkins wrote:I dislike Song Spot. It reminds me how few songs I know.

I also dislike Song Spot. It's for show-offs. Go do some karaoke, show-offs. I'm trying to warm up. I think I might like it if the rule was the songs need to be improvised. If I ever teach an ongoing musical improv class I think I'll enlist that.

yeah, i'm a show off. fuck it. i wouldn't be performing otherwise. i'd love to see the game altered, though, to get EVERYONE involved and out there more. too often it just becomes the same five people rotating in and out while everyone else meekly stands around and chimes in on the songs they know. and if you ask them why they're not going out, most times they say "oh, i couldn't think of anything" or "i'd look stupid because i'm not a good singer." which are the things the game is supposed to be overcoming in the first place! so, yeah, if it's not accomplishing that, then the structure should be refined.

i think allowing and including improvised songs is one way to do that, but i wouldn't want it to be required...because, damn it, if someone's song reminds me of Renegade by Styx, then by God i'm gonna sing Renegade by Styx! maybe also having everyone take a turn around the circle and THEN having it be a free for all "whoever's got something" style. maybe...

trabka wrote:

Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell wrote:

trabka wrote: That must be nice.

it is. that's why i love it.

That rarely if ever happens for me, unfortunately. I love the idea of playing it with the rule that songs should be improvised. Much easier to support the middle because then no one knows the song.

i really enjoy the communal aspect of one or more people being able to join. and if they don't, that's fine too. i also don't think you need to know the song to support the middle. one word. that's all you need. and that word can be "the." not even a word. just whatever it reminds you of. we used to call it "Song Ass" in the Jury because it was just word association but with songs. doesn't matter if the word association makes sense, as long as the connection happened in your brainhole.

ratliff wrote:

jillybee72 wrote:

Brad Hawkins wrote:I dislike Song Spot. It reminds me how few songs I know.

The other one is Fred Schneider, those are the two my brain reminded me I hate when I was about to say don't hate. The point of it seems to be to fit what you're saying into the meter but no one does it and no one notices that they didn't do it. When you ask them about it they say, "well it's just to loosen up and have fun doing a silly voice" and I would rather they do that in the car on the way over.

This brings up a point about warmups that require you to say something on the beat: I'm kind of a dick about enforcing that you have to say something, no matter what, right when it's your turn, because to me that's the whole point of the exercise. You have to say whatever's in your mouth right that moment, not the brilliant thing you're going to think of in a few seconds, JUST LIKE IN A SCENE. If people stand there snapping their fingers saying "uh, uh, uh, uh ... " there's not really any point to setting up the rhythm in the first place. </offtopic_rant>

agreed wholeheartedly with this. even if it's just tongue tied gibberish, get it out there.

"cat." "blorg." "catblorg. da-da da."

I agree with Todd that Fred Schneider can really get you out of your head IF -- and I seldom see this done -- you strictly enforce that everything you say has to be in the voice. If people are concentrating on doing the silly voice, they're not concentrating on what to say, and that, for me, is the whole point of the game.

I played Fred Schneider for the first time recently. There were things I liked, and things I didn't. I didn't like it that people were obviously thinking of what they were going to say during the time others were saying their things. When it got to them there was not hesitating, or floundering, just this "Amazing" line. The ones I loved to hear most were ones that came out as obviously thought up right then and there. They might not have been soooper colorful, but they were honest.

As for bbb...i hate it. Actually, I hate most of the warmups because I am super shy, super self concious, super scared, super nervous....etc. Etc. But, bbb just adds to my stress of being stuck for all time and eternity in the middle. Reading what Karim, and Roy have to say, makes it less scary for me...so maybe next time it ain't be so bad.

Roy Janik wrote:I like Fred Schneider for a very specific reason. Not because it gets me out of my head or connected, but because I like the idea of Fred Schneider living this sad, washed up life.

Not only that, but he's still singing about it with the same enthusiasm and flare.

i'm worried that players who hit the eject button in warmups because they don't like it would do the same in a show in a moment of panic. yes, change it organically when you feel the group needs a change. bring it up in notes after the show that you're not a fan of whatever game and find out why others like it.
OR
dont put yourself in a position to be uncomfortable, i.e.: don't do anything outside your comfort zone. sometimes you gotta go to the scary place for the sake of the piece and your own personal growth.

for me it's big booty or any dancing game with an accompanying song that usually gets faster with repetition. they annoy me.

beardedlamb wrote:i'm worried that players who hit the eject button in warmups because they don't like it would do the same in a show in a moment of panic.

Yeah, I tell people that when they halfass warmups they don't like, they're basically announcing, "I will support your offers only if I find them sufficiently entertaining." If you don't like warmups, don't do them.

That said, you do have more options in a scene than in a warmup, in that warmup games generally have rules, and people can get stuck on that. I've seen an improviser literally stop everyone from continuing a warmup because someone was doing it "wrong" and it was apparently more important to correct the offender than to just yes-and what was happening. That doesn't help anybody get ready to play.