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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
I just came back from a four day gig. I have been doing my show during the entire weekend and I am indeed very happy. My arms are bruised by chains, my ear is sore because of the SJ and my voice is gone because of the yelling. It was a crowded market - and I loved it.
My show ends with me in a SJ wrapped up in chains. It was the first time I used chains together with the SJ at a street performance situation and there was no problems at all really. And I got a vision. I would like to do a full view escape where my arms and legs - pehaps neck aswell - is cuffed and chained togheter. Then my entire body is wrapped up in about 60-90 feet of chain and padlocked together. I am now fishing for ideas. I have thought about some chain configurations descriped in Micky Hades Encyclopedia aswell as some different gimmicked padlockes. Perhaps a pickable just to be able to get out if the configuration doesn't work. Cuffs are a realativly new concept to me and I would need some help on this. What cuffs chould I use that is inspectable and posible to open quite quick? (Not bridge-jumper-quick though.) Happy for thoughts! /Ark
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Dr_Stephen_Midnight Inner circle SW Ohio, USA 1555 Posts |
Depends on what you mean by 'bridge-jumper-quick.'
An easy one to manipulate that doesn't just 'pull open' would be any of Ian McColl's ADA type cuffs. Steve
Dr. Lao: "Do you know what wisdom is?"
Mike: "No." Dr. Lao: "Wise answer." |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Hey Ark, is this supposed to be for a street show? If yes, then I have to offer my opinion that you are going to WAYYYY too much effort just to please your busking audience.
I can fully understand how high and encouraged you must be/feel after such a great weekend... but wait a few days and come back down to earth before changing your show so drastically. Sometimes less really is more. Chance |
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Kondini Inner circle 3609 Posts |
90ft of chain!!!!
Have you any idea just how heavy this is. 25ft max I would think,of heavy large link type so that the locks could be large (For presentation) As well. |
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
You're right Kondini! I am tired and did a slight miscalcualtion... (just a little one...) I meant 30 feet of chain. (We use meter system in Sweden and some how I figured 30 feet to be three meter - not ten which I wanted.)
I use a heavy link chain right now because of that very reason. *laugh* Yupp, 90 feet would be terrible to carry. /Ark
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pastorclyde Special user 576 Posts |
In my show Friday night I'll be wrapped in 50 feet of heavy chain and locked with the audience's locks. It'll be my first performance using that amount of chain.
Clyde |
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Kondini Inner circle 3609 Posts |
Good luck Clyde.
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Mick Hanzlik Special user Mick Hanzlik 588 Posts |
Clyde..you must let us know how it went. I figure that unles you've got a bunch of guys wrapping you in the chain, they'll get bored before they get to the end. This is obviously to your advantage, as I'm sure that is your reasoning!
I did it with about 25 feet of chain and went into a mailbag. I had a great job trying to keep the chain from slipping off before time! Everything was at my feet in the bag before they got the top locks on. Have fun!!! Mick |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
With all due respect for Clyde, Kondini and Mick, let me just say that when I started out busking (11 years ago) I used four -- count 'em -- four 25-foot chains on top of a SJ. 100 feet in total. Each chain got it's own padlock of course.
Today I use just two 20-foot pieces (just like in my signature pic). Like I said, Ark, sometimes less really is more! Go get 'em, Clyde! Chance |
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escapologist2001 Regular user Connah's Quay, Wales, UK 127 Posts |
Good luck, Clyde!
From your fellow pastor - escape artist ! Robin |
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pastorclyde Special user 576 Posts |
Thanks guys! I don't know if the use of 50' of chain is a good choice or not- guess I'll find out. They will be wrapping it on me as they desire while I stand on stage. They will then be able to apply their own padlocks to the chain with a couple of guideline rules. (gotta breath and can only lock links from chain run around a body part at least twice). My goal is to allow the sheer length and weight of the chain to do a lot of the work for me. I'll let you know how I make out. Then again, if you don't hear from me you'll know anyways. hehehe
Clyde |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Clyde, is that one continuous piece, or more than one? Either way, but especially if it is a single long piece, all you really need worry about is your ankles and your neck. A lock too near those locations could cause you lots of embarrassment. Locks placed anywhere else (regardless of the number of wraps) won't be any bother at all. As I said, I did 100 feet on top of a legit SJ for about 4 years -- and I just came home 2 hours ago from using 40 feet.
Good luck! |
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pastorclyde Special user 576 Posts |
Chance,
Thanks for the advice. I'll watch for that. I'm also doing my "Double Crossed" (basically it is chains in an "X") with borrowed locks. I am obviously stressing chains and borrowed locks for this one... its the third time performing for this group (all men) in the last year so it has to build on the previous shows. If I perform there again within 6 months and I'm to build on this show then I'll need to see Steve Baker to see if I can get some daredevil stunt drivers involved somehow! Hehehehe Steve would probaby come up with the idea too! Clyde |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
As far as "borrowed locks" goes, here's a story from the streets that I have never told anyone before now...
I was working Adelaide, Australia one summer. As a busker, you hope to perform several shows per day, which, of course, adds up over the course of 20 or 30 days. In other words many people get to see your show, and many of those folks are seeing you maybe even 5 times or so. And they get to see what your props look like. And they maybe get selected as volunteers one day. So after a show, as I went to break down and pack away, I couldn't get my key into one of my padlocks. The others were fine, but this one suddenly wouldn't accept the key! HUH? And then it dawned on me. One of my volunteers had come prepared for a switch-out. I never laughed so hard. (I only wished he had stuck around to offer me back my original lock. As it was I had to cut his lock off and buy a new one.) Clyde, you didn't say... Is this with chains only, or on top of something else? How will your hands be restrained exactly -- with the same big chain, or with something else? Because if your hands are exposed, I am sure you could have the entire chain off in 30 seconds (possibly even less) if you wished. Chance |
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
This post has turned out to become something different than what I asked for - but that's just fun. I love to read the stories from the streets. Chance; I would laugh my a** off. And I agree, less is more. I don't plan to do that escape on the streets. Just do do it, perhaps on a payed gig sometime. How much does your chains weight?
How do you avoid people from placing padlocks near your neck? I mean, if the chain gets wrapped around your neck and padlocked there you're in for a treat... or not. I tell them not to strangle me, but you could place the chain around the neck without risk for strangulation and then padlock it togheter. /Ark
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Ark, describing how to better control your volunteers over the internet is kinda like trying to describe what chocolate tastes like.
Some things just have to be experienced in person. Not everybody has the crowd control skills needed for the street, and this is ultimately what makes or breaks a busker. (I am not talking about you Ark; I have never seen your work. I am talking now in more general terms.) But crowd control and controling your volunteers is one and the same. Because they do come from the audience, right? And so, getting your volunteers to do what YOU want them to do -- even if they don't really know it is happening -- is an important key to how I have designed my show. In short, the chains go where I want, when I want, and how I want. Same thing for the padlocks, too. Because of this, I am never in danger of having my neck or my ankles restrained. But don't assume, however, that the escape is now easy to perform just because I am directing the motions of my volunteers. Quite the opposite actually. The thing is, what taught me to use such control, was that early on the escape were much too easy!! The volunteers had absolutely no idea what to do, plus they were nervous about being "on stage". So, many times the chains added nothing to the escape. This taught me, over time, to give directions to the volunteers so that the escape would be much more believeable. And it is. But because I know, in advance, where the chains are going to end up, it allows me the freedom to "sell" myself and my show. How's that, Ark? Does that help at all? If you need more, please send your specific questions to my private email address. And who knows? Maybe we'll meet later this summer.... Chance |
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
Chance: I really hope we meet!
And that post gave me some ideas. And about audience control, I couldn't agree more. I belive I am doing something right because my hats are quite big and I havn't got caught yet. Chance Wrote: "The thing is, what taught me to use such control, was that early on the escape were much too easy!! The volunteers had absolutely no idea what to do, plus they were nervous about being "on stage". So, many times the chains added nothing to the escape. This taught me, over time, to give directions to the volunteers so that the escape would be much more believeable. And it is." I have been thinking in similair terms after this weekend. When I quided the voluntair on how to use the chain, the escape went better. And when I didn't - well - all I had to do was to do a funny dance. Not much of an escape. (Still funny though.) I will think about what configuration I want on the chains. Thank you very much. /Ark
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
"...I will think about what configuration I want on the chains."
Exactly!! Now you're thinking!! The pattern I use is the same for every show. There are small changes that get included every so often by the volunteers; but no matter what, the pattern remains 95-98% the same for every show. Because it allows me to know the what/where/how of the chains before they are ever locked on, it becomes more predictable and safe. This is important when you want to keep the show a certain predictable length, and not have any nasty surprises along the way. |
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
I have some new photos from my last job on my homepage. If you're interested in seeing something from the weekend I mentioned earlier.
http://www.arkadia.se (only in swedish but you'll cope I hope.) /Ark
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Was that street show or a paid gig? (It looks like a ren faire from the pics.) (And some nice pics, too; some great facial expressions.) And I wish I could see the lock the one guy is holding. Only a small part of it is seen in the photo, but it looks HUGE. What kind of lock is it?
And finally, be careful about choking your chicken like that. People haved been known to go blind! Chance |
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