MY BIG ADVICE TO JUGGLERS

by Pat Hazell

My introduction to the IJA was the Santa Barbara convention in 1982, and it was pretty impressive to me. I had come from a magic background and been to magic conventions, where they talk about what they can do but don't ever do it. But at juggling conventions they do it, there's no bluffing. Everyone accepts everyone at their current ability level and inspires each other further. It stimulates your com­petitive, creative nature to see people doing things you wish you could do. At magic conventions, they don't think about pulling in the hours, they see a trick and say, "That's a cool trick, I wonder where I can buy it."

I have continued to return to IJA conventions - Purchase, Denver, Baltimore and Los Angeles, and emceed the public shows in San Jose and Denver.

The one thing discouraging about juggler's conventions is that people are so strongly influenced by each other that many have no sense of identity. When you see something original on stage, you can count on seeing other people doing it a couple of years later. They say, "That's what works," and try to imitate it instead of asking themselves what works for them.

I'm impressed by groups like Airjazz, who spend a lot of time in the studio making stuff up. My big advice to jugglers would be to let themselves be influenced by other mediums, and not just other jugglers.

The people who really step out of the established boundaries, like Michael Moschen or Francis Brunn, don't listen to anything but their own creative whim. They let their own desires and thoughts lead where they may, and develop a re­markable signature style. Airjazz has been exploring movement and dance, focusing on what they like until it's great. I respect that discipline and ingenuity, whether it's the thing that will give them a big break or not. At least they're determining their own fate.

Learning the business, though it's greatly important, is secondary to having unique work that you're proud of. There are tons of people who can handle the technical side of juggling, but what people are missing is the overall package - the costume, the music, the lights, and fresh ideas - those things that make up a personal style. Most people stop thinking after they learn the tricks.

Style is the hardest to learn, of course, because you feel you have the most to lose from your choices. Most people want to hear that it's alright before they make that leap. You want someone to do the uncharted waters first. I'd suggest you just put yourself in a room with props and try to work with them in different ways. And why not forget about buying props from dealers at the convention, but rather buying them at a thrift store? Or look at something old and rediscover it. A lot of good things come from contemporizing old ideas, like Dan Menendez, who has modernized drum bouncing by doing it off a floor piano.

Ultimately you want a solid routine, but you have to have time for discovery. If you work only on a head roll you have only a trick, not a style. The tricks are attainable for almost every juggler, but you have to develop a personal style. Don't pick music because it's good juggling music, pick it because you like it and you feel good expressing you self with it.

Rehearse with a video camera going the whole time, or draw things, make sketches, jot down thoughts and feelings. Usually your instinct will tell you you're striking on a good idea. Then take the time to push yourself on that idea...

IT WAS SCARY, BUT I GAVE UP THE BRA TRICK

I was doing magic in public from age 10 on. It was OK to do goof-off things like magic as a kid, it's easy when you're young. And I had a bomb-proof act early on. That is to say, you could have plugged any magician into my place! But after a while it became embarrassing, because I realized it was the trick and not me. Probably when I decided I needed to make everything come from the core of Pat Hazell, rather than to just get a laugh for a trick, was my "lifting of a veil."

I used to do the trick where you tie two silks together, stick them down someone's shirt and end up pulling out a bra. It gets a laugh every time, guaranteed. It took courage for me to put that trick away for a while, but it made it easier to put away more and more standard tricks after that Now when I'm on stage the audience

has a sense of who I am, and so it doesn't  matter if I drop a prop or flub a trick. I've defined myself so whatever I say I'm acknowledging reality and the moment.

I'M INTO EXPERIMENTAL CROSS-BREEDING

Something I'm good at in terms of jokes is to look to the past. I do a lot of reminiscing about growing up. It rings true on stage because it was reality in my life. Other people didn't have a brother who got a raisin stuck up his nose, but they can relate to brothers doing stupid things

I also look for cross-fertilization of things from different fields - like grocery stores and politics. Taking those two as a for-instance, Dan Quayle is the assistant manager of the United States of America, he's nothing but a second set of keys wandering around the White House waiting to lock up! There are a couple of good books to get you started on this type of thing, "A Whack On The Side Of The Head," and its sequel, "A Kick In The Seat Of The Pants," written by Roger von Oech. No self-help book is a Bible to live by, but you need to stimulate your creative thinking process because it's a muscle like any other that needs exercise.

Many other things influence my work. Artistically I'm into doodling or drawing. I also write a lot. I'm big at writing things down and making lists, too.  Some people have a problem with writing things down because they think their ideas are bad. But it's just a tool of the trade. You might write down 10 stupid things and then have a hit on the 11th. And you'd never have gotten to that one if you hadn't worked through the first 10. I don't try to completely flesh an idea out, but just write two or three words. And then I go back later and expand on it. Or I might find a note months from now that didn't work then, but works with something I'm doing now. 

People tend to procrastinate, and leave routines hanging as just loose strands of ideas. I say, "Do it!" and if it fails you at least learn from it.

I think creativity is a discipline. It only took a couple of years until I realized I needed to create a volume on every subject. I'm going to have to keep having ideas for a long time to stay in the business. And once you you forgive yourself for writing down stupid things, it becomes an approachable, fun thing to do.