(Absolutely terrifying. It's from here.)
One thing is true: I'm not a very exciting person. This is not meant to be self-deprecating. It's just a fact. I'm not high energy. I am not the person you invite out to get the crowd amped.
Have I ever mentioned this story before? It was a weird experience. I got a call one day when I was doing my radio show in Huntington. I don't know if I had ever gotten a call during my time there before. It was a woman who was asking if I ever did live events. Specifically, she wanted me to emcee a community event. I don't know now if she was calling me specifically, or the radio station in general, but she appeared to have heard my show before, & she told me she liked it in the follow-up call.
The day of the event - which was in my neighborhood, so my wife & I walked over - I had a hard time finding the contact person, & also didn't quite know what my role was. What I eventually discovered was that I would be introducing some acts for a talent show & reading information for when things like the raffle were happening.
What she didn't tell me is that I'd have a partner, a fellow who introduced himself as a poet, who was very thin & excitable, & who was really looking forward to reciting his poetry onstage. I didn't really have an opinion about how we should do stuff, so he went out first, bounding out & getting the attention of the milling crowd. He was the very picture of the emcee, asking for applause, & saying things like, "Do you want to hear one of my poems?"
They did. & they loved that his poems were about Jesus.
In fact, much of the performances seemed of a religious nature. Choirs of children sang Christian songs, dancers danced to Christian pop, & there were a couple of people - including my co-emcee - who really wanted everyone to know about their god & how this god worked in their lives & how this god had helped them.
What she didn't tell me is that I'd have a partner, a fellow who introduced himself as a poet, who was very thin & excitable, & who was really looking forward to reciting his poetry onstage. I didn't really have an opinion about how we should do stuff, so he went out first, bounding out & getting the attention of the milling crowd. He was the very picture of the emcee, asking for applause, & saying things like, "Do you want to hear one of my poems?"
They did. & they loved that his poems were about Jesus.
In fact, much of the performances seemed of a religious nature. Choirs of children sang Christian songs, dancers danced to Christian pop, & there were a couple of people - including my co-emcee - who really wanted everyone to know about their god & how this god worked in their lives & how this god had helped them.
When I went out, I read what was given to me & said a couple of things about the radio station I was at.
At some point - very early on - I realized I was redundant. The organization was a mess & the few acts spaced out unevenly so my co-emcee took that opportunity to recite (or probably make up) poems & testify about his religious conversion. I guess that's called witnessing. He had done lots of drugs. He had not been a good person. But now he had Jesus & also poems!
Please don't get the impression there was much of a crowd - I doubt more than a hundred people attended the event, there were other things happening, including some indoors at a community center, & in general the people at the makeshift stage only came to see their children/friends/family perform & then left. But my co-emcee enjoyed performing, & I didn't, & I figured I'd head home.
One of the reasons I did this is because my wife had walked me there, then walked down to her office at the university, & had returned. When there was another act on stage, my co-emcee came down & my wife told him how great he was. She said, "You're certainly doing better than Gary!"
He looked at me like I should be wounded that my wife would say such a thing. I said, "No, she's right." Then I asked, "Is it cool if I take off?"
This may have happened fourteen years ago, but if anything I am less inclined to be energetic or exciting in public. Therefore a show about excitement is, as it says above, way outside my comfort zone. Then why do it? Maybe I'll answer tomorrow.
At some point - very early on - I realized I was redundant. The organization was a mess & the few acts spaced out unevenly so my co-emcee took that opportunity to recite (or probably make up) poems & testify about his religious conversion. I guess that's called witnessing. He had done lots of drugs. He had not been a good person. But now he had Jesus & also poems!
Please don't get the impression there was much of a crowd - I doubt more than a hundred people attended the event, there were other things happening, including some indoors at a community center, & in general the people at the makeshift stage only came to see their children/friends/family perform & then left. But my co-emcee enjoyed performing, & I didn't, & I figured I'd head home.
One of the reasons I did this is because my wife had walked me there, then walked down to her office at the university, & had returned. When there was another act on stage, my co-emcee came down & my wife told him how great he was. She said, "You're certainly doing better than Gary!"
He looked at me like I should be wounded that my wife would say such a thing. I said, "No, she's right." Then I asked, "Is it cool if I take off?"
This may have happened fourteen years ago, but if anything I am less inclined to be energetic or exciting in public. Therefore a show about excitement is, as it says above, way outside my comfort zone. Then why do it? Maybe I'll answer tomorrow.
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