Jeremy: "Applause is very nice but it doesn't pay the rent." (Part IV)

Building a crowd is hard.

Say hello to Jeremy again!
I'm running out of good pictures of him performing.
Soon, I might have to start using all the ones where
a part of fingers covers the edge of the lens....

But if you have the guts to try street performing and the endurance to stick through it day after day, someone will stop at some point, and an audience will form. How often that happens may depend on how good you are... but, with experience, I think, you can figure it out.

Asking people for money though?

That's a different kind of challenge altogether.

One street magician that I met performing on the streets of Chicago explained to me that he never asks for money. It didn't feel right to him.

Another street magician told me that she felt weird asking for money when she only had one or two spectators in her audience. 

And when a relative saw some video of me street performing, which he insists I should post online (and I'll do so at some point!), and we got to my hat line (where I ask for money), he gave me a funny look and said: "You have no shame, Felice."

There's something about asking people for money that seems, as this relative pointed out, almost shameful in our culture.

If that's the case, how can a busker make a living? How do street performers get paid?

Especially since, as Jeremy says, the way to get paid as a street magician is relatively straightforward:

"You just ask them for it."

Jeremy acknowledged that there's some discomfort involved when you first start busking, but he says "That's just something you have to get over. That's something I've had to learn because at first you're just kind of awkward."

And the thing for Jeremy is that there's no shame involved because, as a street performer, he has to "establish some kind of value." He explained:

"If I have given them something, and if they’re decent people, well, it’s only fair to give something back. So you've got an exchange of entertainment, enjoyment for money, you know? So my job is to entertain them and give them a nice experience, give them something to take home and talk about to their friends. If I do that, if I then ask for money in return, I feel I'm not – I'm not begging, you know? This isn't just begging with a gimmick. I know street performers have been described that way before – begging with a gimmick. I don't see this as begging. And I only ask for money once I've established that I've given them something worthwhile. And for the most part, if people have received something that they think is worthwhile, they'll give you some money. It's not a particularly difficult, strenuous concept."

"I know – not blowing my own trumpet but because people have told me – I do a nice show. I give people a nice time. They enjoy it, so to say, ok. Now. Give me what you felt the show was worth. It’s not [an] unreasonable thing to do, so I'm very comfortable doing it. Asking for money is not a problem. It's not something I'm embarrassed or ashamed of, so I just ask. If you had fun, the best way to say thank you is to put money in my hat. 'Cause applause is very nice but they don't pay the rent. And you know, I think people realize that. I think helping them understand that this is how I make a living, that does help. I'm not a street performer because I love performing or I want the attention. I'm here because this is how I make a living. I can only do that if you think that's worth something, you know?"

So... it's just that easy? Just ask for it?

I mean... once you can get over any mental blocks that you have, how hard is it just to ask someone for money? Here are some of the problems I've encountered:

• I have a hat line that I've scripted into my show. The problem? What if they leave before I get to my hat line? What if they leave before I actually even put my hat down for money?
• What if they don't show up until after my hat line?
• What if I don't even get to do a whole show?
• How much should they be giving me?

What does Jeremy do?

Jeremy mentions money at least three (sometimes more) times in his show (and thus prepares his audience for his final hat line).

First mention of money: he borrows a signed $20 bill from a volunteer. This $20 plays a role in his grand finale. He makes a joke about people giving him $20s if they enjoy the show (along with the necessary gestures... the *nudgenudgewinkwink*). By borrowing this $20, he also traps this volunteer in place and forces him/her to watch the entirety of the performance.

Second mention of money: he has just finished the second routine of his show (the cups and balls). There is already an audience there. They just had a lot of fun (cuz, let's be honest, cups and balls are amazing). He sets up that first volunteer who had earlier lent him the $20 and has this volunteer stand nearby. Now he gives his main hat line (posted here with Jeremy's permission):

"Now before I do this trick, my friends, I just want to say two things. Firstly, I want to thank you all very sincerely for stopping to see this show. You didn’t have to do that. You did just give me a chunk of your life. You won’t get it back, so I hope it was worth the investment. The second thing I wanted to say, my friends, at the end of this show, I will put my hat on the table. I know you understand why I do that. This is my job. I’m a full time professional street performer, and I can only do this if you have some fun, and you’re happy to put something in here at the end to say thanks for the fun. So tell me how much fun it was by what you put in. If you had five dollars of fun, put in five. Ten dollars of fun, ten. Twenty dollars of fun – [he said to laughter as he nudged the volunteer softly with an elbow] – well, you get the idea, don’t ya?"

The audience just saw something amazing, and they're sticking around because of Jeremy's promised grand finale. They're not going to leave right now. He establishes that his audience "had fun" and they can "thank" him "for the fun" by paying him. This is also where he educates them on the kind of bills he usually gets: They should feel welcome to stick a "$5, $10, or $20" into his hat.

Third mention of money: Jeremy cuts open a lemon. He promises that the spectator's $20 will be inside the lemon. He opens up the lemon and holds the bill in his hand. He pauses here and tells everyone that this is only amazing if the bill is signed. And IF the bill is signed, and they had fun, they should tip the magician.

Jeremy is building up anticipation here. The lemon's been cut.
People are waiting to see if there really is a signed bill in that lemon.
So! It's the perfect time to mention money again!

Last mention of money: Audience is amazed by the signature on the $20. Jeremy finishes off his show by removing his hat and turning it over.

And if he doesn't get to do a whole show (because an audience doesn't build), then he'll end the show early, ask them for money with a shorter version of his hat line, and work on building up a new audience with new people.

The key? You gotta be good enough to actually entertain your audience, you have to establish that you have entertained them, and then you have to convince them that they can give you money in exchange for that bit of entertainment.

And... yeah. That's it. I couldn't think of too many cheesy jokes this time around. Posting everyday is a whole lot harder than posting once a week. But I've got one more post for you all tomorrow on Jeremy, and then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled weekly posts!

Next up: I'll be concluding my profile on Jeremy. But don't worry. Jeremy, like many of the other street performers, will pop up over and over again throughout my weekly posts.