Hey Fred Schneider, Why Are We Doing This?
- Thread starter John_Frusciante
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I taught some high school kids last year with IRCs Louie P and Ethan Kaye. That was my first introduction to Shay shay, Beastie rap, and Fred Schneider. I have to say, all three confused me, the rules, the counting, the reason for doing it beyond playground fun. This year we decided to drop the last two and are still doing shay shay but without the expectation that everyone should do it (like in hotspot, that's part of what's cool about it.) So it's just a "look at me" "support me" thing, which is fine, too. They're theater kids, get em out of their heads and let a few show off.
The kids of course had no idea who Beastie Boys or Fred Schneider were!
I think it's helpful to separate (as Will did) the two different ideas of what is preference for advanced players, and what is good for teaching or coaching. Of course grownup professionals are all going to just do what works best for them, what they enjoy, etc.
I always preferred warmups that are most like what we intend to be doing in the show, scenes and organic games and pattern stuff. But I liked best just having some quiet time in a corner or in tai chi horse stance, which can get you quickly focused and energized. Maybe some shared words or patterns, and eye contact. Followed by a quick beer, but that's more symbolic than medicinal.
I work with professional jazz musicians and some of them run scales before a show, look over the music, some hide outside until it's time to hit. Everyone's cool with what everyone else wants to do (and I think improvisers could be too without threatening the quality of the show, group mind is created on stage, not by forcing people to do things they don't want to do). I do know the band usually sounds much better when they've had some time together playing even half a song during a sound check, warming up by doing what they're going to do, listen to one another, get each other's vibe, know what they'll be dealing with that night as far as energy and personalities. But we have to force it on them call it a sound check or rehearsal...and that's why you have leaders and directors. But game-type warmups in that professional setting would seem ridiculous...if someone told them "everyone has to run scales togther" "trade off with that guy you don't really like" "you play a melody and then everyone else repeat it" "pretend you are a turtle", they'd quit. If they were students...ok.
I fondly remember Del scolding a new class because they asked to first do a warmup before leaping into a longform. "If you're not warmed up from life, you shouldn't be doing this work."
But I need some zip zap zop first!
The kids of course had no idea who Beastie Boys or Fred Schneider were!
I think it's helpful to separate (as Will did) the two different ideas of what is preference for advanced players, and what is good for teaching or coaching. Of course grownup professionals are all going to just do what works best for them, what they enjoy, etc.
I always preferred warmups that are most like what we intend to be doing in the show, scenes and organic games and pattern stuff. But I liked best just having some quiet time in a corner or in tai chi horse stance, which can get you quickly focused and energized. Maybe some shared words or patterns, and eye contact. Followed by a quick beer, but that's more symbolic than medicinal.
I work with professional jazz musicians and some of them run scales before a show, look over the music, some hide outside until it's time to hit. Everyone's cool with what everyone else wants to do (and I think improvisers could be too without threatening the quality of the show, group mind is created on stage, not by forcing people to do things they don't want to do). I do know the band usually sounds much better when they've had some time together playing even half a song during a sound check, warming up by doing what they're going to do, listen to one another, get each other's vibe, know what they'll be dealing with that night as far as energy and personalities. But we have to force it on them call it a sound check or rehearsal...and that's why you have leaders and directors. But game-type warmups in that professional setting would seem ridiculous...if someone told them "everyone has to run scales togther" "trade off with that guy you don't really like" "you play a melody and then everyone else repeat it" "pretend you are a turtle", they'd quit. If they were students...ok.
I fondly remember Del scolding a new class because they asked to first do a warmup before leaping into a longform. "If you're not warmed up from life, you shouldn't be doing this work."
But I need some zip zap zop first!
respect the needs of the group, give them the warm up or three they need to get synced.
respect the needs of the individual, give them the time and space to do what need to get geared for a show.
don't be a tyrannical dick and force folks to warm-up just because you're a bundle of nerves and need 30 minutes of warm-ups to "get on the same page"
don't be a selfish dick and arbitrarily veto all warm ups because you're jaded and cynical or "just don't need to warm up"
i'm sure we all slide along the warm-up spectrum depending on the group and the mood, but just like all good improv, it's all about give and take.
respect the needs of the individual, give them the time and space to do what need to get geared for a show.
don't be a tyrannical dick and force folks to warm-up just because you're a bundle of nerves and need 30 minutes of warm-ups to "get on the same page"
don't be a selfish dick and arbitrarily veto all warm ups because you're jaded and cynical or "just don't need to warm up"
i'm sure we all slide along the warm-up spectrum depending on the group and the mood, but just like all good improv, it's all about give and take.
My all time favorite version of this warmup, and it was done with much love, was in Auston at Out of Bounds this year. It was "Hey, Tom Booker, who's name are you dropping?". The other guy in my group does that version with his middle school students now. It's like the Del game, but without the drugs.
First, Bad Data takes total blame for this thread as we introduced both Bad Rap and Fred Schneider to John. He hasn't harped on our default "favorite" warm-up, Seven Things. I'm not even sure if I like Seven Things. I guess I do, I actually just enjoy watching my team do it (especially Melanie, who will say at least one filthy thing) so I guess that makes Seven Things worthwhile.
I haven't done Fred Schneider all that much, I think just the one time, but a selfish little part of me doesn't like everyone thinking they can do a Schneider impersonation. I used to be special!
The only warmups I really like are the ones that devolve into group-mind-organicy-goodness. Bad Data did one before our Cage Match show, I think, that was like peeling back the layers of this insane alternate dimension that we just did naturally. Daddy did one of the best Seven Things ever when we included the team members that weren't there and rolled with it.
And well, nothing ever warmed me up quite like "Cowabunga, I Like To Masturbate." Thanks, Shannon Coffey.
I haven't done Fred Schneider all that much, I think just the one time, but a selfish little part of me doesn't like everyone thinking they can do a Schneider impersonation. I used to be special!
The only warmups I really like are the ones that devolve into group-mind-organicy-goodness. Bad Data did one before our Cage Match show, I think, that was like peeling back the layers of this insane alternate dimension that we just did naturally. Daddy did one of the best Seven Things ever when we included the team members that weren't there and rolled with it.
And well, nothing ever warmed me up quite like "Cowabunga, I Like To Masturbate." Thanks, Shannon Coffey.
For groups that have been together a while, I think many warm-ups (especially the Fred Schneider style ones) should be used as a jumping off point but allowed to evolve and turn into whatever sort of warm up the group feels like doing that week, especially by picking up on and repeating the naturally occurring patterns that develop in addition to the standard 'rules' of the warm-up.
I'm glad Will Hines has seen the error of his ways regarding the crappiness of categories.
I'm glad Will Hines has seen the error of his ways regarding the crappiness of categories.
I have introduced a new version to my kids at school to see if it makes more sense to me and now it does....because they don't even know who fred is.
Hey there ghost what are you doing?
then next round
Hey there witch what are you doing?
and so on anything that can have a fun voice attached and a character trait.
They really like this warm up and they get to say things a witch or robot would say but i should mention they are five to eight years old.
Not giving up all hope just yet.
Hey there ghost what are you doing?
then next round
Hey there witch what are you doing?
and so on anything that can have a fun voice attached and a character trait.
They really like this warm up and they get to say things a witch or robot would say but i should mention they are five to eight years old.
Not giving up all hope just yet.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. In my last newbie improv classes we used this game to loosen up and allow ourselves to say whatever came out of the depths of our psyche and realize that such nonsense could in fact work. It was a "relax and trust your personal oddity" exercise for me. I also learned from it that you can't spend all night thinking of the perfect Fred Schneider, then show up and deliver it as if you just came up with it - it just didn't work.
And not to disagree with the above poster - but I'm happy it was taught to us. That way we could use it to figure out our own personal group warmup. Might as well build a new wheel without having to reinvent it first.
And not to disagree with the above poster - but I'm happy it was taught to us. That way we could use it to figure out our own personal group warmup. Might as well build a new wheel without having to reinvent it first.
mike--czechslovakia might be my favorite warm-up, up there with ah gonzooga (sp?). i've always wondered where that one came from because i've only met one other person that knew it.
both of those warm-ups, and in some sense fred schneider, are great for energy, being physical, and provide a vocal warm-up which is important, especially for shows in larger spaces or with people more scattered out. it's a much cooler way to warm up the voice than "me me me me me me meeeee," or "do re mi," or "domo arigato, mr. roboto" (ok maybe not that last one).
ive found that certain warm ups also act as a trigger/pavlovian bell for me. if i do a quick thumb exercise and then czechslovakia, i automatically get amped for doing a high-energy show.
both of those warm-ups, and in some sense fred schneider, are great for energy, being physical, and provide a vocal warm-up which is important, especially for shows in larger spaces or with people more scattered out. it's a much cooler way to warm up the voice than "me me me me me me meeeee," or "do re mi," or "domo arigato, mr. roboto" (ok maybe not that last one).
ive found that certain warm ups also act as a trigger/pavlovian bell for me. if i do a quick thumb exercise and then czechslovakia, i automatically get amped for doing a high-energy show.
I'm going to guess that the Czechoslovakia warm-up originated in Chicago. I saw a Columbus, OH, short-form troupe open their show by doing that. The troupe was leaed by someone who had studied in Chicago. I had originally heard second hand that a teacher at Gotham City Improv, Lulu French, had invented it, but it must have been that she picked it up somewhere and brought it to Gotham.
Czechoslovakia is a playground game that's been around forever. I remember seeing them do it on Sesame Street in the seventies. I dunno who brought it inside though.
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FORD MODEL A (1903) HISTORY
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FORD MODEL A (1903) HISTORY
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