Curious: How many of you folks also do ventriloquism?

Tab Tabscott · Post by **Tab Tabscott** » 2 Dec 2011 12:30 pm

I'm serious...

I've been a closet vent for 25 years, building my own dummies, etc., and after recently having some time off, took a serious look at the web pages concerning the art. Seems to me that steel players and the ventriloquists are cut from the same cloth. (wires, cables, wood, and wit...)
Some of the vent pages I've looked at are right up here with the Steel Guitar Forum (IMHO the absotively posilutely best technical and social forum on the web).

I heard on the radio last week that Jeff Dunham is one the most highly paid entertainers in the world.
He's like the PF of ventriloquism right now. Do a you tube on him and you'll see what I mean. The isolation techniques he uses on specific body parts closely mimic what we do on the steel. Seems like second nature...

Tab

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 2 Dec 2011 1:36 pm

I am sorta like a ventrickalist,my hands & feet move but the sound is coming from a recording.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 2 Dec 2011 1:40 pm

I aspire to become a ventriloquist some day but so far, I'm just your average dummy.

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 2 Dec 2011 4:30 pm

Your lips moved.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 2 Dec 2011 5:22 pm

I can drink water and play the steel at the same time. GURRRRRGLLLE....

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 3 Dec 2011 3:28 pm

Yes... but can you tread water & play steel at the same time?

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 3 Dec 2011 4:23 pm

On my steel gigs, I've ofter been told to "make that thing talk!"....right before they tell me to "make it say something else".

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 3 Dec 2011 6:31 pm

Tom Franke · Post by **Tom Franke** » 3 Dec 2011 11:27 pm

Tab Tabscott wrote:I'm serious...

Tab

Tab, apparently you are the only one so far.

I have no idea how many people try to learn ventriloquism, but I'm not too surprised that there isn't a lot of overlap with steel guitar playing. As I think about country bands, I can't think of any where the steel player was a key part of any comedy portion. Bass and banjo players seem to crop up most in that role. Maybe someone will think of examples that didn't occur to me. Also, I can't think of any ventriloquists who were not also comics. It is an inherently funny activity, don't you think?

It's a fascinating skill. I also think it's quite cool that you make your own dummies.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 4 Dec 2011 9:51 am

My Dad, Bob Damon (stage name), was a professional magician his entire life. I grew up watching him do shows for just about every kind of audience. For his last 20 or so years, he was obsessed with working up a vent act. It's one of my great regrets that I didn't encourage him more on that, especially when I found some of his practice cassettes after he was gone. It was some really funny stuff! I miss him and his sho-biz ways so much! People think that playing a musical instrument in front of an audience is brave...doing magic or ventriloquism is downright heroic!

Carl Johnson · Post by **Carl Johnson** » 4 Dec 2011 10:07 am

Tab, I have been interested in ventriloquism since I was a kid my dad bought us a Charly Mcartney dummy.I never was good at it (I didn't work at it very hard) a couple of years ago I built a dummy but it scared the grandkids so it's in the shed now.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 4 Dec 2011 10:16 am

That'll keep em outta the shed!

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 4 Dec 2011 11:37 am

All jokes aside that is a very hard craft to perfect,I too like many have stood in front of a mirror & tried to talk without my lips moving.Just couldn't do it,so I tried to become a musician,failed at that too so bought a steel guitar,now I'm a total train wreck.Keep up the good work Tabscott & sorry if I started the BS,but you have to admit it do leave a door open for the jokes.Spushly on a steel guitar forum.Course I know a buncha dummies that play steel guitar so maybe not so out of place.

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 4 Dec 2011 12:33 pm

Fellow forum member Ron Spears, is not only an outstanding musician (on multiple instruments) but he also does ventriloquism.

Here is his facebook pic.

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 5 Dec 2011 7:38 am

I have been accused of talking out my a$$ but I am not sure that that really qualifies.

Tab with as funny as you are I am sure you could make a living doing this, I know I would pay to come and see you. Maybe you could have a dummy and name him Bob and he could be a dobro player or something. Just a thought.

Larry Behm

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 5 Dec 2011 7:45 am

Rick Schmidt wrote:On my steel gigs, I've ofter been told to "make that thing talk!"....right before they tell me to "make it say something else".

They tell me to make it talk just before I'm told to make it disapear !

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 5 Dec 2011 2:31 pm

If you like ventriloquism, have you seen this.http://www.youtube.com/v/qNJ02rxaNrs

Wally

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 5 Dec 2011 4:35 pm

Thanx to the net I've developed a quasi-fascination with vents/dummies of the early 20th century, or at least the pix. Talk about scary!

Larry Baker · Post by **Larry Baker** » 24 Dec 2011 2:07 pm

I can make my wife talk without moving my lips!!! Does this qualify???

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 24 Dec 2011 3:12 pm

Only if she says what you want her to!

Larry Baker · Post by **Larry Baker** » 25 Dec 2011 7:53 am

That's just wishful thinking Ron.

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 25 Dec 2011 8:47 am

Here's Tab making his dobro talk. And if I remember correctly hardly moved his lips a bit.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 25 Dec 2011 4:26 pm

I'm a crepitator. Anyone else?

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 25 Dec 2011 5:53 pm

I get asked if I can "throw" the sound of my guitar to a different location like some can do with their voice. Trouble is, they ask me to throw it in the garbage. Sheesh.

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 26 Dec 2011 8:24 pm

I dabbled with it when I was younger, along with knife throwing, bull whip, rope spinning, archery, banjo, guitar, magic, and steel guitar. Magic won out and has been my full time profession since 1972. I never have been much into performing, but have been able to scratch out a living building magic props for those who do perform. Started guitar at age 13 and played in bands during high school. Took up the banjo in college during the Hootinanny craze. Banjo career was short, only a couple of years. Took up the steel in 1968 right after graduation from college. Never have been interested in any other instrument since.

I do know several Ventriloquist's quite well. Mark Merchant from Atlanta, Tim Harkleroad and Stephen Knowles from Pigeon Forge, Mark Wade from Columbus, OH and Bill DeMar from Evansville, IN. Never knew Terry Fader, but he won first place and a million bucks on America's Got Talent. then got a multi-million dollar contract with a Las Vegas show. I should have stuck with the Vent instead of the steel.

Here is a cute vent story: The economy has been so bad that a local vent was not getting any work. So, to supplement his income, he became a psychic medium. For $5.00, you could talk to a deceased loved one. For $10.00, they would talk to you. For $20.00, you could talk to them and they could talk to you while the vent would drink a glass of water.

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Curious: How many of you folks also do ventriloquism?

Curious: How many of you folks also do ventriloquism?

Re: Curious: How many of you folks also do ventriloquism?

ventriloqusim

Check out this ventriloquist. Good

curious: How many of you folks also do ventriloquism?