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Anyone else experience those singers (and even non-singers) that absolutely LOVE to hang out by the KJ.  Doesn't seem to matter that I've moved the set up a few times trying to discourage this, but I always get about four or five guys and girls who hover around the KJ area.  They know not to bring any drinks near the equipment so that's not a problem, but they tend to get loud making it more difficult for me to hear the singer on stage.  I need to hear the singer so I can make adjustements to the mix as well as set vocal effects.  In addition, it makes it difficult for others to turn in their songs.  I thought they'd get a hint when I moved the set up for the third time, even when I made a comment about not wanting to be blocked by folks standing around, but nothing has seemed to work.  The sad part is that it is mostly regulars (and pretty good singers at that) that I have the trouble with.  Got any ideas for me?

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All work and no play make Homer something something

flatulence

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I suspect that the only reason they are causing a problem is that they don't know there is a problem.  Tell them, don't hint, tell them.

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Okay, who took my pants?

curiosity is a wonderful thing. They're watching you, the equipment, the discs or computer... I STILL find myself doing it a bit with my fav. kjs!

Like the others, I'd recommend a subtle hint or two. Put down a drink or cigarette and mutter something about wishing you had more space, or feeling a bit claustrophobic.

The other thing to take into account is, it's sometimes a bit of star-struck mentality. You're the person in charge, you're the person on the mic, you're the person that's witty or fun... and they want to hang around people like that... One of my first years of being a kj I was hit by that... I used to get girls' phone numbers (where I really didn't have that happen before)...I wasn't prepared to be considered any kind of celebrity. Course after a few years, I managed to put that all into perspective...

It's because you kj's are such nice people to hang around w/!  :hi5:

Actually, I try not to do that too much.  I can see where it could be a problem, and I do have a problem sometimes with invading other people's "personal space".  So I try not to do that.  I do exchange friendly words with them, though.

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I love being a mom!

I get that with drunk cutries. They hover around like flies. Its sort of a DADDY complex with them. You the big powerful daddy(or mommy) figurew and they want to hog u up and have all your attention to themselves. Depending on the layout of the DJ area if they are gilrs they will try to come up behind u and mash theier boobs against you or the guys will try to crowd aroune. In any evnet they have to bwe told they cant stand around you as it is your WORKSPACE and you I have to have the room to GET MY GROOVE ON. Sometimes thay pout but in any event I give them a littlle pat an thier head and send them on thier way back to thier chair--just like DADDYS LITTLE GIRL!! The guys I just kind of ignore them until they get the hint that I dont have have to listen to their incesssant hyacking.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

'Preciate it y'all.  That's about what i figgered i'd have to do, but believe it or not, i don't like confrontatin!  (yeah i know really hard to believe!)  i'm also afraid if i tell them they'll feel like i'm just being a jerk.  again, hard to believe i know, but i can be a jerk sometimes.  
i was thinking about having the missus mention something to them.  think that will work or do you think they'll just blow her off?

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All work and no play make Homer something something

I'm assuming you're set up is on the floor, no stage? I hear your pain.  LMAO
I'm lucky enough to have a stage that creates a sort of barrier, but still on occasion will have a problem.

If it's usually the same regulars doing this I would take them aside and ask them for their help with the situation. If they are loyal regulars they probably will be flattered you asked them. Tell them you're are having problems keeping the area clear and if they could help make sure there is enough room for people to get through to get your help, sing or just simply be able to work your equipment without interference. Then if it happens simply whisper in one of their ears your having one of those nights can they help you. They actually might be the problem themselves  LMAO But it would be a nice way of making the situation positive by them thinking their helping you instead of you saying you're the problem.

I have a couple of very loyal regulars who will actually come on stage if they see I'm being bothered and ask people to get down because we need to keep the stage clear. Being a girl I'll get the random drunk guy that won't go away. Don't get me wrong I'm not afraid myself to take a hold of a person and escort them off stage if they're a problem, but it's nice to have backup.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Actually Babs, I have a stage, but I set up in the back of the room (other end from the stage) so I can hear the vocal/backing mix.  I never even thought about asking for the "help" of the regulars, making them feel as if they are helping rather than being the ones causing a problem!  I knew i'd get great ideas here, thanks again!

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All work and no play make Homer something something

You're welcome

Wow I feel great I could help. Just a little warning though. Be careful who you ask to help you. Sometimes they let it go to their head and want to be your personal bouncer.  LMAO Not always a bad thing, but if they aren't good with people they could start a fight.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Oh, trust me, I've had to back a few guys off from getting into fights around here.  Since we're also a pool hall and a "sit at the bar and yack" bar, altercations sometimes arise.  I've basically told them when it comes to any type of physical altercation, let me handle it.  one, because I'll will try to talk the situation down first (usually iunless I'm relaly p.o.'d!), second because I can handle myself and probably haven't had as much to drink as they have, third because i have been a bouncer before and have the combat background to hadnle a person much larger than me, and fourth becuase if the cops get called and i am invovled, i won't go to jail for fighting like they will.  usually #4 gets thier attention, however i DId have to pin one of my regulars ( a big 'ol corn fed boy) against a wall one night to keep him from "helping" me diffuse a fight.  That sort of got everyone's attention that I wasn't kidding about it, because this guy is about twice my size!

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All work and no play make Homer something something

I actually sit out in the crowd .. There are a few friends that sit with and take requests and enter them in the computer if Im busy with sound or something. The mixer is away  from the table so drinks could get spilled on it All we have on the table is a flat screen keyboard mouse ans announce mic abd the slips.

This aslo lets me mingle with the singers and audience. If I walk by a table and there are few empty beer bottles left I will pick them up and put in the beer case. Sat night I was roaming the crows with a laptop on wifi searching kjpro for folks wondering songs were availible Has anybody here heard of Oren Juice Jones?

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I can't beleive I missed this.. You got some really great ideas.. But I can tell you in two words why they hover around you... YOUR HOT!!!    :whistle:

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Steven, FLATULENCE?? Don't light a match bro.

Consider the hangers arounders as big fans.

Consider that it is cool to hang around near the kj especially if you have a friendly relationship. That kind of explains it. My proof fortwith is that so many singers hung out with me after a show and after i loaded up.

Don't you just hate what that happens !!!!!




,  Hey BJC !!   Each time I see you I recall our chat about the days of low tech fun when we had Stingray Bikes, Duncan YoYo's, played Handball, traded Baseball cards, etc..   Something nice about those days, even tube technology !  I guess I can't help but think our childhood WAS "state-of-the-art" regarding quality audio equipment, with Bozak speakers, solid McIntosh and Marantz tube rigs that sounded GOOD and were even made of METAL, I won't get started.. but we did have some decent stuff in those days that has endured the past 1/2 century and still works and is sitting on my shelves as we speak,  I doubt my fax, Dell system, or much purchased today will be around in 2050 !!

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I'm always amazed when I read comments like this.  What exactly is so confrontational or jerkish about asking people to keep a work area clear for you?  Why agonize about something that is so easy to fix?  "Excuse me regular patron, can you please not stand in this area?  I need to keep it clear to work and allow people to bring their songs up".  Is that really so hard?

You make it sound so easy. Yes a lot of the time being straight foward works.

Sometimes they just don't listen and are to drunk to understand that it is a problem.

I had this one regular who would use my book station for his personal table. It drove me nuts. I'd asked him several times not to because people need to get to that table. It would go in one ear and out the other. Finally I just started moving his stuff to a different area. He finally got the clue it was a big deal.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

You have security Babs, Why not warn people that you're willing to incorporate the force. Post signs around a barrier

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

When I started teaching women's saftey courses in the early nineties, one of the HARDEST things to come to grips was... I'm not a woman, smallish in stature, nor timid in my nature! heheheh seriously! I mean, I KNOW I'm not... but whenever I'd start to give advice about "okay, first grab their hand that's on your shoulder and step backwards... to give yourself space and extend his arm..." when finally one of my students said "You make it sound SOooo easy. If I could do that off the bat, why would I be investigating self defense courses???"

I REALLY had to step back and realize not everyone's like me. I also realized I needed to teach HOW to get that confidence to not be timid, and get into the mindset of not being a victim.

Now I'm not saying that's the same thing. Sounds like you eventually had to take steps and this idiot finally realized by going "hey, where's my beer?"

Jam, it's incredibly unfair to judge others by what comes naturally to you or me. I used to do it too. Still do in other walks of life, and have to remind myself occassionally about this lesson. I have a good buddy that just doesn't GET it. To me, you have to work. He's TERRIFIED of going back to work. He tried to get disability for his anxiety and physical problems... sadly, he probably SHOULD get some compensation, as he's just not able to handle the public on a working basis! Anyway, I kept going "Dude, this is REAL. Wake UP! Get with the program. Everybody ELSE works... so do you!" ANd the more I pushed, the more he retreated... I finally had to wash my hands like Pilate, and hope for the best for him.

What we have to realize is... nobody else IS you or me. Their experiences, confidence, aptitude, attitude and other things that make up knowledge and wisdom are uniquely theirs... and as such have to be respected.

I mean, it takes COURAGE to ask for help in the first place!! Babs almost certainly knew that this question, or any question, can set her up for a bit of scoffing. Many people DON'T know how to unplug and step backwards to their earlier experiences and know how to help others on that path.

Like I told her earlier... you HAVE to sometimes not be the "nice guy". And like your comment of "exuse me BUT..." shows, that's nice to you, but direct. Some people have a bit of difficulty getting their minds around that fact... which is easy for the likes of you and me!

Excellent points Matt !   In addition even though I personally am FAR from being xenophobic, MANY that have little "fear" of others and find it easy to give advice regarding this, in a similar situation might not find it quite so easy when it's them that finds themselves in an exact situation (depending on who it is getting into their space).

While it MIGHT be easy for me to take such a perspective in certain cases:


It doesn't have to be overtly "confrontational" at all. To a person you say this to it VERY easily might be perceived as personal rejection, ESPECIALLY if the individual has seen those you like close to you, and others up close to you.  Wouldn't you perceive it as such given this scenerio ? "Please don't stand there" ?  What are you saying to the person ?  Regardless of reason you ARE rejecting them.  Would you say that if a supermodel was close to you (assuming the supermodel was the opposite gender and you didn't have a spouse who'd chastise you for this?)

Fact is, Others have feelings, and often a person is around you for a reason. They might be gravitating towards you and your setup because they don't feel comfortable in other locations, and wish to be away from rowdy kids in a very crowded small area.  They might truly be interested in what you do, and unless you have little concern regarding what to some might come across as blatant rudeness, a message construed as "get lost buddy" is how this easily will be interpretted.

Tact is VERY important as an entertainer, you are often on-stage or in front of a crowd, so you often take on a type of celeb status . To wish to know a polite means of dealing with this is an EXTREMELY common, and good question for an entertainer to ask, but never an easy situation to remedy depending on "who it may be" that is in your space. In the past I actually have been threatened by drinking individuals who felt I was telling them to F.. off, my reason for asking them to get the hell out ?  They were spelling sticky drinks on me, my equipment, and falling on me.. It sucks, but even drunks have feelings, and often won't react rationally. This question has *A LOT* of merit because all performers and entertainers  have a responsibility to understand aspects of crowd etiquette, and REGARDLESS of whether or not YOUR reason for asking them to not be in your personal space is founded or not, THEY ARE being asked to move further from you, it is at least a TYPE of rejection.  Ideally an ENTERTAINER should give a positive vibe, you aren't a "bouncer", MANY in bars are there, but they don't feel comfortable in other locations of a room because not all setups are conducive to the loner drinking by himself.  Bars are often small, some are almost trying to get a breath of fresh air and just inadvertently "too close", others LIKE you, who knows, REGARDLESS THEY TOO have feelings. To most individuals, "Can you please not stand in this area" *IS* rejection.  Consider the message it's giving when tact isn't applied !   You are loitering like a bump on a log, you are a loser,  you are bugging me,  You aren't "worthy", or basically,  Go "hangout" elsewhere, etc. It doesn't make sense how this can be perceived as such when abruptly stated ? To me it does, because when young I was often the individual "hanging too close".  Many of us were !  If not done tactfully it's condescending. A waitress can bring it up sure, a bar employee can, but I would not have an easy time mentioning this WHY ?  Because others have feelings, and you after-all ARE rejecting a person who's "in your space". I don't like to feel slapped in the face, and, I'm not the only person who bruises when hit.. Maybe the person standing "too close" also wishes to be in a mellower area away from rowdy kids..

Many of us during my day requested the waitresses made the statement, because we felt that would be less offensive.  All depends, but people do have feelings.  If I were female, what Matt states has LOADS of merit too..  Worst thing an attractive female can sometimes do is get a drunk that has a crush on her angry, hurt his feelings, belittle him. It might set up what can later be a parking lot rape.  She can become more vulnerable in a dark parkinglot at 2 AM.. One never knows ! Sick people exist... The guy might wish to say..

"Your real cool when in front of a safe group that'll protect you, eh sweet ?  Well how do you feel about me being "In your space' now ?"

One never knows !  This type question is interesting, and should never be minimized IMHO.  We are talking "bar", "Alcohol", and who knows what.. But alcohol doesn't remove individuals feelings of aggression and "hurt"..

Either way, people DO have feelings. Although I don't have the experience Matt his in this area of safety,  Isn't the reason for rape often, "Male wishes to knock female off've perceived pedestal"?.   Well if a female tells a guy with a crush "get out've my space", and he perceived it as "You aren't good enough for me". This MIGHT turn ugly assuming guy feeling rejection is just the right type of sicko..

While aforementioned example IS extreme, bottomline is others DO have feelings, and entertainers have a responsibility for being socially adept, and understanding or having a rote for aspects of psychology. You DON'T go around giving an aura to your audience that they are royal pains in the a$$.  Not a smart thing. Granted we have to at times, but it's not first choice means of handling situations.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".