[Bards] Hello everyone!!!

[pubear]

1)  Yes, rehearse it a lot.  People understand, but hesitancy takes a way a
lot.  Those of us who do our own pieces have the advantage that if we screw
it up, the chances are that if you keep your head, nobody will ever know.
In my experience, anything that calms you down helps a lot.  If that's
rehearsal, or Zen meditation, or in my case, a couple of shots of whiskey
and a mug of thunder punch will do a lot for calming you down.  But be
warned, drink too much before hand and of course it gets tragic.

    -  And for heavens sake, do whatever you can to stay calm.  I get so
nervous sometimes, my diaphragm locks up and I have trouble breathing.  But
stage fright can be overcome.   Heck if necessary, if just picture that
furry viking laurel chowing down on lutfisk and yams.  Oh darn, my inner
monologue seems to be busted again.  Ulf, I read up what lutefisk is.
Yeeeeeeccccccccchhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   No wonder the Vikings were so
ornery, that stuff was awful.

2) Inspiration:  I never quite know.  Just two weeks ago, while gallantly
guarding my wife against the evil pitfalls of a golf course on the way to
the privies, I was sitting there looking at the beautiful stars, and just
started singing.
            Have you seen my lovely lassie,
            When I see her in my dreams,
            Late at night when thoughts are passing,
            I wake up to see her smile,

That just came out of nowhere.  I've been wanting a song for my wife for a
long time.  I will say this, a good time is to find a clear night and just
sit and watch the stars.  For some reason, when I think of the sca, I think
of a clear night and fantastic stars.

3) I got to go with Ulf on this one.  It's definitely the voices in my head.
I've actually gone into the last round of a bardic, and done a story for
which I'm not as well known, just to prove that I could do more than songs.
I lost, but sometimes it's not about the winning.  In fact everybody keeps
telling me that you shouldn't worry about winning any bardic competition,
and really, those are the most fun, and if you win, then it's more fun that
it might have been.

Bersi
AKA Pubear of Bjornsborg
"No matter where you go...  There you are..."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ulf Gunnarsson" <ulfie at mmcable.com>
To: <bards at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 9:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Bards] Hello everyone!!!


> Then Ryn gave everyone a straight-line with:
> > When you begin to prepare for a bardic session, how do you go about
> > getting ready?  Where do you go for you verbal art?  Why do you choose
> > the things you do?
>
> Tongue-in-cheek answers:
> --------------------------
> 1.) Tully's
> 2.) The comic book store
> 3.) The voices in my head...
>
> Laurel answers:
> --------------------------
> 1.) Zen meditation
> 2.) University Library, for starts
> 3.) Because they're period
>
> The real answers:
> --------------------------
> 1.) How? Zen Tully's... No, wait!  I run through the pieces in my head, in
> front of an hypothetical audience.  I try to picture different types of
> audiences and how each will react to particular parts of the piece.  And I
> drink a cup of black coffee, as it picks me up and cuts any phlegm in the
> throat.
>
> 2.) Where? I write most of my stuff, and that comes from reading other
> people's stuff.  The library really is the best starting place, even for
> vocal.  Don't look just for the source material, though, but look at
things
> that will talk about it.  I read a really interesting book once on why
jokes
> don't work across all cultures, and found great insight into what
different
> cultures consider funny.
>
> 3.) Why? The voices in my head... at least when I'm writing.  That's the
> catharsis, the poetic blitzkrieg of the soul, the... oh, you get the
point.
> As for any particular performance,  it's all about the audience.  The
piece
> is for them.  Now, some pieces are for their education and some for
changing
> the mood of a circle, but in the end the pieces are ones that this
> particular crowd will listen to willingly and even enthusiastically.
> Enthusiastic listeners?  Of course, if you are paying attention to the
> audience's needs.  That doesn't mean just give them the funny modern stuff
> just because it gets the biggest laugh.  These people joined the SCA
looking
> for something...  give them that.
>
> Ulfie
> ...looking for that Zen Tully's...
>
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