The most idiotic comments at gigs

[diane-michaels]

Last night I had a gig in New York City.

[Christian Frederick]

Related subject, from another harpist.

We’re all familiar with those plastic sandwich bags that gut strings come in? Well, I once had a harpist tell me she/he saved those bags to divide and store cocaine. I guess she/he was spending a little too much money on that stuff rather than just buy brand new sandwich bags at Walmart.

Go figure……

[Charles]

Hi

[unknown-user]

Fairy, I’m in the same boat. My harp is more popular than I am here in my small Midwestern town. Many people come up to me almost speechless with astonishment at seeing and hearing the instrument. I consider myself on a mission to educate those in my area about the harp. And so I answer the price question, and I give my little talks about what the levers are for, and let anyone who is not stepping over my boundaries play the harp. I used to joke to my audiences about needing a husband to carry my harp but when someone volunteered, I stopped that!

On another tack, I play the Irish whistles. I was holding my Copeland low whistle and a little girl chewing on a burrito walked up to me and asked if she could play the whistle. I clutched it to me and told her that whistles are like toothbrushes. You don’t share. She understood.

[emma-graham]

Worst comment I ever had at a wedding was “is that brass?” It was said as the drunken git who made it swung his foot back and kicked the bass of my guilded Lyon and Healy. At the time I was speechless but I decided there and then to invest in a cheaper harp to use for background music. I got a fab second hand Aoyama Monarch. It’s guilded and sounds great and my precious beloved Lyon and Healy style11 now only goes to recitals and orchestral gigs where she is safe.

[mr-s]

i face many idiotic comments,i dont want to talk about it,sick of it

[Sarah Mullen]

Hi Charles.

[unknown-user]

haha, people seem to think the same way all over the world- even here in germany-i here that-“flute”comment ALL THE TIME! pretty annoying- but i heard that so many times now that i don´t take it seriously or personal-i simply answer: “guess how often i heard that one?” they usually laugh and stop commenting…
and here people ask usually how much the harp is, how i get the harp to gigs-that means that they are interested and i like that,although i wish sometimes a more sphisticated question comes along.
the most comments-besides the flut one- i get are like -:.are you a real angel?( sweet if that comes from a child who meens it seriously)-
it was bad when i had to go through i big crowd of people in my angel costume during the xmas season. people wouldn´t let me through( what people like doing here in germany-not polite at all in most cases)

[mr-s]

the most humilating thing is to put a big LCD tv screen in front of you directly in a small hall where you are playing,and switch it on,and the singers start to dance in a cheap way, how do you feel??????????????

[jennifer-buehler]

I used to work as a music therapist in the nursing homes and one unit in particular was difficult like that.

[mr-s]

someone stay in the hotel where i am playing,from Saudia,makes me very angry, tapping on the earth loudly,he confuse me while i am listining to my playing, didnt see him for a month yesterday he came back, i decided to talk to him and ask about my playing ,he said your playing is very beautiful, i answered but you didnt hear me at all,forgot to say he use head phones connected to a Mobile,and he is listening to a songs,what a damned songs i dont care,and he is tapping and getting the culmination with the song and does a lot of quick foot motions, but yesterday he started to sing with the mobile,i got so nervouse, but as they told me that the residence is always right,and no way to annoy him even he does noises,and the most idiotic when he said my playing is beautiful.

[unknown-user]

I suppose this idiodic comment is my own, but often when moving my harp with cover on people will ask, “What is that?”. I tell them it is a giant oven mit that i am using to bake giant cookies. :o)

[mr-s]

Hi Dear friend Julie,i miss your emails.i am so sorry i stopped first to write you.

[unknown-user]

Hey Basel, I’ve been wondering how you are doing. I will certainly email you soon.

I just got home from a marvelous gig, but did encounter all the comments. Here they are:

“If you played violin, you’d already be home.”
“What is that?… Don’t drop it”

It’s okay though, I get my satisfaction when I see the look of confusion an mild panic on their faces as they dodge out of my way as I forge through the crowd with my great big harp, streamrolling down the sidewalk with that steely, determined look in my eyes. :oO

[unknown-user]

I will add here that i don’t think people are typically being deliberately disrespectful with such comments. I think what is going on is that the harp is something that grabs people’s attention. Most people aren’t used to seeing harp and harpists. They take notice and comment. The exchange is usually so quick that they don’t put much thought into the comment. Those types of jokes are the most common and quick to come by. It’s just another way of saying, “Oh wow, a harp”. Doctors and lawyers don’t get the comments because their professions do not grab attention in the same way.

[Author]

Posts