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by **screwystewie** » Feb 23rd, '11, 11:21

Dumpster wrote:Im genuinley undecided about this.

On the one hand, his act was terrible, dated, racist comedy told to an international audience. He told us how he was friends with more succesful comedians, his lovely villa in Tenerife, his 36 years of experience on the Queen Mary 2, and then repeated this information many times, without acutal jokes to go with it.

He made jokes equating sex with gardening, making innuendo about "flavoured gardening gloves" which, if they existed would have been a fun euphamism - but they don't so the act made no sense. I was surrounded by people from other countries in the crowd, and they were shocked by some of the anti-french jokes. When he asked a 75 year old woman how often she "trimmed her lawn", the audience started to slow hand clap, eventually causing the compere to announce he would not be doing any more jokes, telling us "I am a very good comedian", and he had 36 years experience of TV, Radio and cruise ships. He then left the stage to great cheers and applause, and (so I read) left the venue, leaving Tony Stevens to announce the acts from offstage, and the organist played music between acts.

Now, in my opinion, George was terrible. He did tired, sexist, racist material to a crowd that obviously were not interested. Then, after the interval, he did another 20 minutes or so, when he should have been filling time waiting for the next act to be ready. It was awful, awful stuff. But that's just my opinion and there were 3,499 other people in the audience, and I'm sure that there must have been some Daily Star reading, cheap cruise ship sailing people who liked what he was doing.

What sits badly with me is that the audience was supposed to be made up of magicians. These are performing people who should have an understanding of how awful George must have felt. He tried to carry on, but eventually had to give up and whilst I was personally happy to see him leave, I felt really uncomfortable in the crowd, and felt bad seeing a fellow human being put through that.

I did not join in the slow hand clap nor did I cheer when he left, even though I was happy to see him go. Afterwards, I felt uncomfortable having witnessed it, and wondered how the poor guy was doing. Remember, that this s*** comedy really does seem to go down very well with the cruise ship audience (google him, you will see people saying his gardening routine was excellent).

So what does everyone else who was there think?

I doubt George felt awful. The ones I've met like him have a skin so thick they probably wouldn't even have noticed the audience. They are up there to feed their ego, not entertain an audience. Same jokes for 40 years and not even realising the audience stopped laughing in the mid 80s.

It's the fact these kind of acts are booked for Blackpool that worries me more. And another reason why I prefer to fly over for MagicCon than go to Blackpool!

by **Shaun McCree** » Feb 23rd, '11, 12:05

My biggest gripe with George was his total lack of concern about the job he was supposed to be doing - MC-ing the show. I suspect that his question to the audience 'how many of you have been married for 30 years or more?' tells volumes about his usual audience - but even building in that he was completely the wrong choice, as far as a show of this type is concerned, there is still no excuse for coming out after the interval and doing nearly twenty minutes of stand-up before introducing the first act, moreso when the stage was bare but for two chairs where the volunteer spectators were already sitting. Getting confrontational with the audience and then threatening that the show wouldn't go on was just the final straw that showed to me he honestly thought that he was the star, not the prize winners.
Still, he may hold the record for insulting more segments of the audience individually than any other performer we've ever had at Blackpool, so he'll go down in folklore.... his line 'You've got to be PC haven't you?', whilst busy offending the gay community, just made me think 'It's a bit late for that now, George'.......
Oh, and we were watching the show with the tech guys and when the organist came back on to play to fill in the camera guy turned to us and told us he'd done a runner, so I think we can be fairly confident that's true!

by **magikmax** » Feb 24th, '11, 11:41

I was in the audience, and read all the stuff on Twitter afterwards. I think that King did an awful job as compare, however, I didn't know where to look, except at my feet, when the audience started slow clapping him.

As someone in the business myself, I could not believe that the audience, many of which who would be fellow professionals, would act that way towards 'one of their own'. I would have got up and had a quiet word backstage or something after one of his sets, but would never dream of interrupting someone mid-performance. I was ashamed to be part of the audience that night.

No excuses should or can be given for King's performance - his material was dated, poorly suited to the audience (given its international contingent), and reeked of someone who just didn't care what he was doing. While I agree he got what he deserved, I have too much respect for other fellow performers to ever slow clap someone off the stage. It really was toe-curling stuff seeing him dying on his a*se.

The whole incident somewhat soured the magic a little - Jann Fricsh was utterly fantastic, as were the French act with the floating box illusion.

The Sunday night was a completely different. Clive and Danny did a fantastic job, and well deserved all the applause and laughs they got.

by **crozboz** » Feb 24th, '11, 14:16

I agree completely with the verdict to clap him off.

I think he had outstayed his welcome, and the material he was doing was out of place.

He can't offend half the countries in Europe in front of a European Magic Competition audience - especially with his blantant remarks about France, when easily the best think about the convention was Yann Frisch!

My friends and I were so appauled by it all, we left at the interval. As it turns out, not a moment too soon!

by **TonyB** » Feb 24th, '11, 14:45

magikmax wrote:As someone in the business myself, I could not believe that the audience, many of which who would be fellow professionals, would act that way towards 'one of their own'.

The overwhelming amount of people attending Blackpool are not fellow professionals. They are rank amateurs with deep pockets and no talent. It would be interesting to know how many working performers joined in the slow handclap. My guess is very few.

by **grant_m23** » Feb 24th, '11, 15:02

TonyB wrote:
magikmax wrote:As someone in the business myself, I could not believe that the audience, many of which who would be fellow professionals, would act that way towards 'one of their own'.

The overwhelming amount of people attending Blackpool are not fellow professionals. They are rank amateurs with deep pockets and no talent. It would be interesting to know how many working performers joined in the slow handclap. My guess is very few.

A little too sweeping a statement, and a tad harsh perhaps?

by **TonyB** » Feb 24th, '11, 16:55

They get three thousand attendees at Blackpool. Do you really think there are three thousand working professionals in Britain - and that they all take off the weekend to travel? I believe you will find my figures accurate. Less than ten percent of the attendees are working pros.

by **user24** » Feb 24th, '11, 17:15

TonyB wrote:They get three thousand attendees at Blackpool. Do you really think there are three thousand working professionals in Britain - and that they all take off the weekend to travel? I believe you will find my figures accurate. Less than ten percent of the attendees are working pros.

There are 60 million people in the UK. Surely out of those more than 3000 are professional magicians.

by **mark lewis** » Feb 24th, '11, 17:19

I agree with Tony. In fact I think his estimate of 10 percent is rather generous.

by **mrz0mbie** » Feb 24th, '11, 17:23

TonyB wrote:They get three thousand attendees at Blackpool. Do you really think there are three thousand working professionals in Britain - and that they all take off the weekend to travel? I believe you will find my figures accurate. Less than ten percent of the attendees are working pros.

Perhaps your figures of less than 3000 full time professionals is correct, but many are semi-professional. They keep full time jobs but also do gigs of an evening and weekend.

But I still agree with what Grant said in your statement being both sweeping and harsh.

TonyB wrote: They are rank amateurs with deep pockets and no talent

Why did you feel it necessary to insult the attendees of the convention? Perhaps many are amateurs and maybe they do have deep pockets, but why then take your statement down to a level or personal insult.

Just seemed quite uncalled for and in my opinion turned a valid statement into an insult from somebody quite full of themself

by **Mandrake** » Feb 24th, '11, 18:36

Unfortunately George also made the assumption that the audience were all 'in the business' and he made that statement two or three times as though it were justification for his performance, " C'mon Guys, you're all in the buiness, you know how it goes' was the phrase which stuck in mind just after the first heckle.

I felt very awkward as a large group of clappers were seated on the row behind me and one heckler was just across the aisle. To clap the guy off meant those who did it had descended to George's level of bad manners but I can also agree that he was bad - he ought to have realised it himself and made necessary adjustments well before the interval.

by **Mandrake** » Feb 24th, '11, 18:38

PS If this thread is to continue can we now all move away from personal remarks and keep to the general topic as per the thread title? Thanks!

by **sleightlycrazy** » Feb 24th, '11, 20:11

From what I saw in the movie The Aristocrats, comedians use much dirtier material for each other than for their normal audiences. I didn't see his show and I agree that it would have been better for him to learn names, but it's conceivable that he used offensive material since he saw himself as working for a group of non-laypeople.

by **Mandrake** » Feb 24th, '11, 20:57

I think he did the right thing in not coming back on after the second half first act, the audience would probably have lynched him. As someone else said, Tony Stevens apparently did the voiceovers from there onwards, I've seen him do the job two or three times now and, as much as he probably isn't someone I'd go out of my way to see, each time he did a superb job and I'd strongly suggest he gets the booking next year.

by **devilstick Peat** » Feb 24th, '11, 21:07

lots of people who wern't there seem to feel the right to comment, and I'm one of them.
I'm more of a juggler than a magician, and attend many juggling conventions, where we have whats called "the renagade show"
It starts about 12 at night and no one gets up to perform unless they are to drunk to perform.
they dont show thier 12 club juggling show, they tend to do silly stuff, eg naked devilsticks (or so Im told). and they get heckled, but as its fellow performers its inteligent heckleing. Not "your **** get off, boo's" or slow hand claps.
But funny heckles that let the performer know he's bad in a way that amuses the crowd and keeps them happy. that way we remember the heckle, not the racist joke.
Personly I'd never slow clap someone as, weather we like it or not, there are people who find him funny, and they may well have payed good money to see him.
If someone offends you with thier show, walk away, or elivate the humour to your own level.

Lastly, it doesnt matter if someones a pro or not (thats just elitest ****) what matters is wether or not they are good, and (more importantly)wether or not they enjoy their art

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George King - Blackpool 2011- Was it right to boo him off?

Re: George King - Blackpool 2011- Was it right to boo him of

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