Mistaken identity, but who cares?

Well, after Fridays' show things could only get better and they did in a strange sort of way!
Booked through an agent for a football club night just outside Edinburgh, Gets there and it is a sell out crowd!
The organiser is so pleased to see me "AGAIN" tells me I have worked for him twice before and what great nights they have been! and how he is looking forward to this one!
I check with him and try to correct him as I am fairly sure that I have not worked for him before, but he is adamant.
Anyway, do the show and absolutely rock! Afterwards the organiser is telling me what "ANOTHER" great night he has had and he will be booking me again soon!
Then he tries to jog my memory and tell me about the last show I did for him and when I told his brother in law he was Skippy the gay kangaroo and I told him that his b**ls were on fire! He was still adamant it was me, so I thanked him said I looked forward to working for him again soon and left.
I assure anyone reading this that I have NEVER performed either of those two sketches in my life!
Just goes to show that people remember what we do more than who we are.
So forget the rest and book me instead, no one will be able to tell the difference!

Correction to last posting!

Hi
Since my last posting "The one and only* Chris James" has pointed out that although I mentioned him by name I did not give a link to his website.
I would now like to make amends, please find Chris James at www.chrisjames.info
* by the way "the one and only" does not apply to Chris James (of which there are several), it applies to the number of hypnotised subjects he favours to use!

Too hot to handle, hypnotist!

Well, one of those nights we all dread - arrive at the venue and get that sinking feeling, everything looks wrong!
Not very busy and the people that are there look all wrong for this type of show (about 20 or so middle aged, middle classed people who looked like they would have been there even if there was no entertainment on!).
Set up, doing my sound check and one particular group being very noisy and full of themselves and their 'perceived' own importance.
Also whilst setting up the manageress tells me they are having problems with the electrics and the lights and power in the building is going up and down at will.
Due to start at 8.30, manageress asks to hold till 8.45 in the hope more people will arrive then gets put back to 9.00 then 9.30.
Finally get to start the show and start getting mild heckling and attempted one-upmanship from the ringleader of the earlier boisterous group, but nothing that a couple of put-downs on mic did not stop quickly!
ask for volunteers and really struggle, eventually get a few, but included is the local village idiot who is so drunk that standing is as challenging as any sort of susceptibility test. I manage to get one lady into a very mild trance, but nothing you would want to attempt a show with!
Ask for a second set of volunteers, get three more, but before I can even start one runs off scared! leaving two!
Things finally start to improve, I get one under!!!
Although I hate doing a show with one person (unlike Chris James, It does not bother him at all!) I am now determined that I am going to make this work!
Everything is going fine, she is working really well, the audience is loving it then low and behold head prat from earlier turns up at the side of the stage and tells me that is his daughter and he wants the show stopped NOW!
Well, to take a positive out of it, I wasn't enjoying it much anyway and it got me an early night!
Now you would probably think that was the end of the tale, but oh no! there is still one final twist. I am getting changed and about to pack the gear away when they tell me there is a burning smell and the fire brigade have been called - I pack in a hurry!
I am just getting the gear loaded as 2 fire crews arrive with full lights, sirens and breathing apparatus, I depart and leave them all to it wondering if the venue is going to go up in flames and if anyone will really miss it if it does?

I'm Back!!!

Sorry, so easy to get out of the habit of blogging when you are busy! (Yes, poor excuse, I know!).
There has been quite a few memorable and interesting shows, since I last wrote and I will try and bring you all up to date over the next week or so.
But, Must start with tonights' show, read next blog.

20th Century fox promo

Back in September I was in negotiations with 20th Century Fox for doing themed comedy stage hypnosis shows at regional premieres of a new film they were launching.
Unfortunately it did not go all the way, but I was lucky enough to get a great DVD of the trial / pilot, maybe a little of this will go on the new website that I am building!

First ever Hypnotist at the Quartz festival

On the 8th of October I had the pleasure of being the first ever stage hypnotist to perform at the Quartz festival in Taunton and selling out!!!

Freshers week photos

Back in August I had the pleasure of doing a few colleges, I love doing them because the audiences are so appreciative.

One of the colleges has just emailed me some great pics!

long distance hypnotist!

What a weekend I've just had! Friday night was a Judo club 20th anniversary in Newcastle, Saturday was up to Edinburgh to do a surprise 40th birthday party then down to Poole in Dorset on Sunday for a staff party at a Bourne leisure holiday park!
One thing you can say about this job is it gets you around!

nice feedback! Thank you Suzie Gibb!

There are still nice people out there!
I have just had a few email conversations with Suzie Gibb, a lady hypnotist working out in Spain. She contacted me to pass on some great comments she had heard about my shows from some young Irish people who were out there on holiday.
Now, my view on this is that she did not need to do that, we all hear all sorts about other hypnotists when we are out doing our jobs and usually we do nothing!
It was very kind of Suzie to pass on those comments and she has made me think that next time I will do the same. Maybe this is just another step in breaking down the barriers between all the stage hypnotists in the UK and stopping it going back to the old ways of backstabbing.

The hypnotists hypnotist 2!

Well it's been another strange weekend in the life of Adam Night!
Last night I was performing in a gay club, nothing too strange in it's self as I have done many shows in gay venues in the past, but I had two other stage hypnotists in the audience. Both Kevin Starr and Paul T. Grant came along to say hello and watch my show.
Then, tonight, I was working in a local venue and in the audience were the parents of Aarron Lodge, another hypnotist (and former pupil of mine) and 12 trainee hypnotherapy students and one of their teachers! (I even hypnotised one of the students and made them the star of the show!)

Let's not leave it so long next time!

Hi
I while back I told you of a booking I had taken (they all come back eventually!).
Well I have finally done the gig and it went really well!
The Guy had booked me for his 50th Birthday party and had had so much fun that he booked me again for this one, his 65th and retirement party! (well it should have been, but he is not retiring now for another two years!).
I only hope he does not leave it so long before re booking me this time!

Stage Hypnotists please be honest!

Myself and a few other stage hypnotists have recently had a few bogus booking enquiries in an attempt to find out who we have FULL public liability insurance with.
These enquiries are usually fairly easy to spot and all they do is put our backs up. We don't like deceit and we don't like having our hopes of a possible booking dashed or our time wasted!
When I first started professionally in this business, 17 years ago, it was very underhand and backstabbing, recently it has been much more honest and open with hypnotists trying to help each other and passing work they can't do around.
Please, let's keep moving forward and help each other.
If you have a question, be honest enough to ask! The worse that can happen is I will say "NO" but I will probably try and help!

Lamlash Gala Week

I just recently got back from my first visit to the Isle of Arron, I had been booked as the closing act of the week long Lamlash Gala week.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people on Arron who organised the event and all the lovely people who bought tickets and came along on the night to make it such a great night!
I hope to see you all again soon!

Sorry, Nothing much to say!

Well I know I haven't written for a while but it's all been a bit same old same old...
All the shows have been good, but nothing memorable or outstanding (I guess that is kind of good in it's self!). Probably the one of most note was that I was back again at the Sargent major's summer ball in Harrogate and had another brilliant night (they love me there!).
Work aside I did have a very hard but very rewarding week on my own with my kids.
My wife was away, on a course, Monday to Friday leaving me in charge of the house and our three girls aged 4, 3, and eighteen months.
My first goal was survival, but I well over achieved! We all got to the end of the week having had fun and I did not break any of them!

Those who can't entertain complain!

I have just done a gig at a sports and social club on the outskirts of Leeds and I am disgusted with many of my fellow professionals that have worked there!
It was far from the greatest gig in the world, but the management are trying hard! It is a big venue and there were probably only about 60 in the audience, But I had a great night, the audience enjoyed what I did and it was a nice little show.
What did upset me was the graffiti in the dressing room dissing the venue and the crowd (it would appear mostly from bands). It was down right rude, crude and insulting.
I am a great believer that as a professional entertainer if the audience are not enjoying what you are doing then change it quick! they are the paying customers (no matter how many or how few of them there are!).
Don't blame the audience if your act is crap!

Absolutely No Trance!

I don't know about you other working professionals out there, but every now and then I get a funny feeling about some gigs before they happen!
Recently I was booked for a gig at a hotel north of Aberdeen, and this was one of those cases! On the week leading up to the gig I had this strange feeling, so much so that I confirmed it was on 3 times! even on the morning of the gig before I travelled.
Anyway, I drove the 360 miles there, set up and waited.
And waited.... and waited.... and waited.... The show was advertised to start at 8.30 pm at 8.30 there were 6 paying customers and 4 friends of the owner, we hung on until 10.30, it did not get any better so he paid me and I drove the 360 miles home again!

Too much entertainment!

I recently performed at a little pub in Sittingbourne, Kent. On arrival I found that the pub was tiny and as well as myself they had booked a close up magician, a stand up comedian, a psychic and two doormen!
They were doing the 'night of fun and mystery' as a ticket do at £12 per head, but only about 25 - 30 people turned up.
Lucky for them amongst those that did not turn up were the doormen and the Psychic! (I guess through unforeseen circumstances! "I've always wanted to use that line!") so their bill was not as bad as it could have been!

Group stop smoking therapy

I recently had an unusual request, I mostly do comedy stage hypnosis shows although I am qualified in therapy including N.L.P. (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and Thought Field Therapy. The therapy side of things I prefer to do on a one to one basis although I have done small groups before.
My Unusual request came from a pub in Elsmere Port, they wanted to do a group session for some of their regulars ( with the smoking ban coming in soon!), On the day 28 people attended and one week later 14 had stopped altogether, 6 were only smoking one or two cigarettes a day and not enjoying them, 5 it did not work for and the other 3 the landlady had not been able to get in contact with to find their results.
She has already booked another session for her other customers that did not or could not attend!

stage hypnotist or Voodoo man?

I recently performed at a rugby club presentation night in Taunton in Somerset. After the show I was approached by one young man who introduced himself and told me that he was over here as a player and he originated from Fiji. He told me that he had never seen anything like my show, "It was awesome!" he told me that in his country anything like that was considered 'Voodoo' and only practised by 'Witch Doctors!'

Back on the road again too!

Hi
you may remember, from earlier postings that I had my car stollen, well, I have finally agreed a settlement with my insurance company and got a replacement sorted out.
I have gone for another Chrysler PT cruiser. I like them very much, they are big, loud and American (I have nicknamed mine Sezles!).