The Tailgate Entertainer | Performers | Performance Business | Creatives | Artists | Talent Buyers

Our guest is Louie Foxx, a comedy magician who discovered his knack for playing tricks when he was in kindergarten. It's the very first time in our show that a guest reads a long introspective entry from his personal journal. Louie read a lengthy entry and I'm thankful for his childish candor. In his journal, he admits to himself that he's scared of the audience, most likely, his audience's reaction. He also struggled to keep his speech slower and more coherent.  In high school, he got really serious about making people laugh. He built and carried with him a rickety table and rode the bus into downtown to perform magic tricks on the street corner and got paid by "passing the hat".  

In 1996, the Society of American Magician voted Louie as the Best Stage Magician and Best Close-Up Magician in Minnesota. He has also been featured twice in the prestigious Linking Ring magazine which is a magazine for the 13,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Louie has also written several books about magic tricks for professional magicians.

He keeps a journal about what he did, how the audience reacted and reviews it to figure out what worked and what didn't work. In addition, he and another performer watch each other's shows and exchange notes. He's come a long way since then. Today, his daughter Ella travels with him and lately also performs in his shows. He has appeared on New Day NW, Tru TV's Guinness World Records Unleashed, Otra Movida TV in Spain, the Nationally syndicated television show How 'bout That or on NBC's America's Got Talent. He is also a  2-time Guinness World Record Holder and has been on NBC's America's Got Talent, the nationally syndicated television show How 'Bout That, Evening Magazine, and New Day Northwest.

Louie is indeed living his childhood dream of being a magician.

Show Notes:

• What Louie's biggest challenge is
• How he keeps up with the competition
• How he keeps himself sane by just inventing magic tricks
• What he thinks is missing from the fair industry
• Why it's important for the fair entertainment
• We all need a variety of entertainment
• Quote: At the end of the day, we need to connect with people, not with the tricks. 
• Advice: Come up with as many original tricks as you can, invent one a day, be creative.

Resources

Website

Facebook:

Download Louie's One Sheet 

Wow! It's the 26th episode of Tailgate Entertainer! I've gone this far, more than halfway in meeting my personal commitment to the show. My personal commitment is to deliver a show every Tuesday of every week. It's not an easy task for a guy like me, 52 years old, who works 12-15 hours a day on my regular job; and I have to add more work hours talking to our guest performers and scheduling their interview, preparing interview questionnaires, setting up the hardware, recording the actual interview, editing the audio to be able to share with you the tips, advice, strategies, and secrets of talented performing artists in the fair & entertainment industry. At this point, it's not a revenue generator for me and I spend a couple of hundred bucks each month to produce the show so I can present the colorful lives  and career of fair people.  I learned I have been able to spend quality time and collect wisdom from them and how they succeeded in the fair industry; and I happily shared everything with my audience.  This is one way of contributing advice to the people who may want to enter the industry to preserve and perpetuate this form of entertainment for future generations.

In this episode, I share with you:

• The reasons I created this podcast
• My life history – the role played by my stepmother Irene in making me rethink what I wanted to become as a grown up
• Why I chose the fair industry in my podcast
• My role in the fair industry - What I do for a living
• My audience – approximately 30,000 kids attend these shows
• A new product that is coming soon which is actually a by-product of this show
• How much doggone work this podcast is-- I don't earn any revenue from it yet I spend about two hundred bucks each month to produce it
• Sometimes I go hungry or fall asleep with fatigue while working on the show
• The difference between a podcast and a live show – in a live show, I get instant feedback and see the immediate reaction of my audience. I know what they like and what they don't like whereas, in a podcast, feedback isn't immediate and sometimes I don't even get your feedback. I don't know if you like my show and what you want to listen to and know. Although the show is downloaded in 9 different countries, unless I get your feedback, I won't know how you like my show.
• Society has benefited positively from the entertainment provided by the fair industry –it helps build one's sense of self, country, belief system, and culture.
• Fair and circuses today present acrobatic performances and exhibitions of skill, strength,  and daring
• Fairs often require immense numbers of performers and even complicated and expensive machinery.
• The importance of the fair industry - Fairs are unique in our country. They are a reflection of our Communities--a place where people  can be entertained, educated,  and experience new things

• Fairs can teach children valuable skills, even life skills
• Fairs can teach children how to raise animals, care for them, and train them tricks
• The fair serves a great purpose-- a positive impact on our society, county, and state fairs
• I'm not quite sure I could continue maintaining this show but I do want to keep it going
• I love the fair industry for a lot of reasons. Do you?

Thank you for listening. Thanks for your time.  Please help support this podcast by subscribing to Tailgate Entertainer on Itunes . The show's life is in your hands. Do pick your favorite episode and share it with your family and friend. Send me your feedback, too. You can contact me directly at Tailgate Entertainer website.   Join our Facebook group: Facebook

Thanks again. :)

This week's guest is Karen Quest, a cowgirl performer born in St. Louis, Missouri, raised in Studio City, California, studied and taught in New York City, and now based in San Francisco, CA. After earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts from California State University at Northridge, she moved to New York City to join the No Elephant Circus and taught with Circus Education Specialists.  She continues to blaze a trail with her one-woman act which she calls "Cowgirl Tricks". Karen trained at the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theater, Ringling Brothers and Barnum. She is an instructor at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. She has performed to audiences between the size of 5 to 10,000 persons. Did you know that her grandma sent her to a modeling school?

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Where she had trained
• What tricks are included in her show
• What else she does while stilts-walking
• What she calls her 8-foot tall cowgirl (herself, on stilts)
• Why she is the perfect choice for your events – fair, festival, corporate, private,or special events

• Her age (yes she says how young she is)
• Countries she had performed in
• Movie stars she had trained
• Historical personality whom she would have wanted to meet
• Circus bands she had joined
• Characters she had portrayed on stage
• The book she recommends for reading
• The shows she recommends for watching
• Her tips to those interested in the same career
• The awards she has won
• Her secret dream

Resources:

Website Cowgirl Tricks 

Facebook, Personal: https://www.facebook.com/karenquest

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CowgirlTricks

 Email: kq(at)cowgirltricks(dot)com

Tailgate features Alan's best friend, John Dunnigan, a most amazing musician who is of the same caliber as the legendary musicians that generations have applauded.  He learned to play the guitar as a child because his dad played well and the guitar was always in a corner waiting for him to play it.  He writes his own fine music and keeps his albums acoustic and loose-sounding. The highly humorous album "Censored" has 12 songs of which half was written by John. He lives in Montana with his family and spends his leisure time fishing, his favorite pastime. He performs throughout Montana and the Northwest mostly at  fairs, and at corporate events, weddings, schools, and other venues.

His voice and his instrument blend in perfect music. Indeed, John Dunnigan can sing a song so beautiful he can make you cry; and he can blurt out a joke in another moment to make you laugh. His music can make you think, laugh, and sing or dance along.

 John has 5 music albums and he sang excerpts from about 7 singles in this episode. You'll love  the fine, heart-warming music of John  and more:   

• His humorous anecdotes
• Listen to him sing his fine songs
• Listen to him sing his humorous songs
• John shares his life with you
• John sings his cover tunes
• His hospitalization changed the way he played his guitar and music…but the quality never changed.
• His advice to fans: 1 ) Play the game a little bit, but be true to your own soul and your music, and 2) Work hard, stay late, but have fun doing it.

Resources:

johndunnigan.com

For the first time, we have a co-host-- it's John Dunnigan! Our guest is the only one of its kind, Eric Haines, a classic one-man-band entertainer, stand-up stilt walker, artist-illustrator, comedian, juggler, unicyclist, guitarist, and variety artist.  Eric has a bass drum slung on his back, a banjo over his shoulder, and plenty of bells and whistles everywhere else! Kids and adults have the chance to play along on maracas, spoons, and a special washboard equipped with a cowbell.

Eric began his career as a corporate entertainer in 1985.  Then he went full time as a professional comedian in 1995.  He now has over twenty-five years total experience working as an all-around entertainer, both as a comedian and in the professional fields of theater, children's theater, school assembly programs, fairs and festival entertainment, school workshops and corporate entertainment. 

Listen to Eric's  story, music, and comedy.

Show notes 

• How Eric became a one-man-band
• When clients regard him as a great value,
• How he markets his shows
• That he becomes a multiple personality "disorder" when he transforms into multiple personalities by means of his various costumes
• He has hurt himself many times during his comedy shows
• His plan when he gets too old and weak to carry his 60-pound musical equipment
• When his body parts wear out for his physically-straining stunts, he plans to evolve into something else.
• Juggling is the most wearying
• What makes him different from the rest of the comedians
• He composes his own music and plays it while he's walking on his stilts
• He draws pictures of himself
• He has a very strong drive to learn new things, a strong compulsion
• His secret to being multi-skilled and multi-talented
• His advice to young people who want to follow his footsteps
• He has learned to package his art
• His biggest challenge is how to market his shows

Like Eric on Facebook

and browse his Website 

More entertaining podcasts on Tailgate Entertainer 

Welcome! My guest today has been a friend of mine in the fair industry for over 15 years. I've always been intrigued at the way Matt Baker dissects and analyzes his performance after every show. He never lacks the discipline and determination to improve his craft. His comedy stunt show is funny, original, and very impressive. Join me for a great conversation with Matt!

What you'll hear in this episode:

• From Eugene, Oregon to Western Samoa to Europe
• Performing in schools and then on the streets
• Matt's challenges at being raised as a conservative Mormon in a hippie town
• Rebellion, drugs, and living out of control
• Matt's terrifying experience at wilderness camp
• Living on the streets at age 15
• How Matt was hunted down by a bounty hunter---for REAL!!
• How Matt became a professional hacky-sack player in Europe—(yes, there is such a thing)
• Why Matt hates his shows and says they are horrible!
• Matt's struggle in the development of his show
• Matt's worst gig ever? A track and field meet in Midland, TX, and the death of many doves
• Why it's OK to say NO
• Why Matt lives with purpose and with NO regrets
• A big fear? "Am I making an impact?"
• How Matt is inspired by old vaudeville comedians, Steve Martin, and the Smothers Brothers
• Matt's favorite books? Born Standing Up by Steve Martin and Fields for President by W.C. Fields
• Matt's advice for young people entering the fair industry? "Practice your craft and be a student of your craft. Study others who are successful, but don't steal their material. Find out why they are successful. Don't be afraid of practicing. Continually create."
• Find out more about Matt at comedystuntshow.com.

Listen to more of these shows on 

our resource center:  http://www.tailgateentertainer.com/

My guest today is a super busy person from the management side of the fair industry---for her entire career! Judy Carrico knows the importance of developing business relationships and developing trust. She is the fair operations manager at the Alameda County Fair in California. Judy is also the author of How to Plan, Pay For and Put on a Wildly Successful Fair Without Losing Your Mind, Your Family or Your Friends. From her 30+ years of fair management, Judy has lots of wisdom and LOTS of great stories. Join us!

What you'll hear in this episode:

• How Judy stepped out of college and into the full-time fair life
• Why Judy followed a friend into the fair industry, leaving her dream of becoming a veterinarian behind
• The best ways to learn the fair industry
• Judy's job and duties: "I plan a party for 450,000 people and spend other people's money to put it on!"
• The biggest problem facing fairs? Funding for infrastructure for small and medium-sized fairs
• Why fairs are so important as a gathering place for communities and a way to preserve local history
• Competitive exhibits: they are what sets fairs apart from other entertainment industries
• Judy shares about the commitment to education and youth competitions at most fairs today
• In addition to the normal agricultural exhibits at fairs, engineering and robotics exhibits are skyrocketing in popularity.
• The NEW target audience for fairs
• "Alameda County's largest classroom"
• Commitment to funding
• The importance of collaborative projects
• Why fair managers need expertise in figuring out WHAT WORKS and what doesn't
• Why networking is the KEY!
• Judy shares some stories and experiences from her unusual career and with a unique perspective on fair life.
• Find Judy on Facebook!

My guest today is a 22-year old Cale Moon, a Nashville recording artist, singer, and songwriter. In 2013, his parents sold their home and hit the road to promote Cale's music. Cale's terrific support team went to over 300 shows last year. He has an inspiring story of perseverance and determination. Join us!

What you'll hear in this episode:

• How Cale is inspired by Roy Rogers
• Cale's team and the story of his music career
• At age 15, began playing guitar, along with singing and acting
• How guitar made him more of a people-person
• Learning to tell others' stories
• Hitting the road/lessons learned
• Cale's biggest surprise? "How much life on the road in a bus costs-just to keep going!"
• Satisfying life
• One of Cale's most important mentors? Marty Davis
• What Cale truly desires
• Sleepy Little Town—one of Cale's first songs
• Learning to market yourself at a young age
• Cale's advice to young performers: "Be humble, be approachable, and always be willing to learn."
• How young performers undervalue themselves and sell out for too cheap
• Cale's brand new song about a rare day off (Hear it here!)
• Why time management is Cale's biggest struggle
• Not allowing himself to get distracted and waste time
• Self-evaluating: Why it's important
• Find Cale on most social media or at calemoon.com. You can email Cale: cale(at)calemoon(dot)com.

Welcome to an episode I'm calling "Mid-Season Madness," because we in the fair industry are at the midway point of our season. Most of us have been out on the road, away from home, for a LONG time now. I'm currently in Missoula, Montana, after recent stays in Great Falls, Bozeman----and the list goes on and on. What makes it different for me right now is that I'm traveling with my son, which is terrific for me. Today's episode is a Tailgate Talk, which means it's just you and me, talking about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the fair life. Let's talk about some important refreshers---some things for all of us to remember at this point in the season.

Here are Five Tips to help you get through the rest of the season:

• What we're creating for fairgoers are EXPERIENCES
  • They are paying for wonderful, impressive experiences
• Give of YOURSELF
  • Magical things happen!
  • Do something out of the ordinary for someone else
  • Shhh! This is one of life's  secrets! (but it shouldn't be a SECRET!)
• Get a different perspective
  • Sit in a "different chair" and look around
• Have a little compassion
  • Help those who are a MESS
  • Don't make people feel STUPID
• Let life HAPPEN
  • Don't get frustrated with what you can't CONTROL
  • Your ATTITUDE is all that you CAN control
  • Attitude determines ALTITUDE
  • My personal story: Why I believe some things happen for a REASON

You can listen to more podcasts here: http://www.tailgateentertainer.com/podcast/

Welcome! I'm excited to introduce you to my friend, Mike Parsons. Mike has an authentic "rags to riches to rags to riches" story to share about his life and his work. I have a hilarious story to share about how Mike and I first became friends; it involves a joke I played on him that made him mad, but I soon gained a friend for life. Mike owns and operates Black Tie Extreme, a full-service professional DJ and Entertainment company. Join us as Mike shares his amazing story!

 What you'll hear in this episode:

• Mike's early life:
  • "The ONLY child of 11 children"
  • Working in construction at age 13, but laid off repeatedly
• The ups and downs of employment
  • How Mike became a medical assistant ($1200/month)
  • Becoming a DJ: making more in a weekend than in two weeks as a medical assistant.
  • Starting a custom closet company
  • Becoming a mortgage broker and financial success ($30,000/month!)
  • An upgraded lifestyle of unnecessary things
  • Losing it all when the banking industry tanked
  • A downsized life, washing cars for money
  • Back to working as a professional DJ
• Finding the fair industry
  • Working street carnivals with a gyroscope
  • Working fairs, sleeping in his car
  • Working as a fair vendor: What does that mean?
• What has kept Mike going through the ups and downs? "My wife and kids. I know there are many people less fortunate than me. I never wanted to be a burden."
• Mike's biggest mistake in the fair industry? "Picking the gyroscope to begin with."
• Mike's worst fair gig ever? "When a drunk gyroscope passenger fell out and got hurt!"
• Mike's biggest surprise? "The closeness of the fair industry"
• Mike's skill set in making money? "My drive. I want to be THE BEST."
• What does Mike do for self-improvement? "I go to church."
• The future for Mike? "Another 5 years or so in the fair industry, then building a house (with NO credit), and serving in missions."
• Mike's #1 takeaway from the fair industry? Honesty
• Words of wisdom from Mike: "Be honest, be nice, help others out, and you'll be taken care of."
• Find Mike at blacktie.biz.