Need for Normalcy

A week or two ago, I had an interesting coversation with a good friend of mine. We were discussing what it was like to travel with a person who is "always on, all the time". Or as my friend so aptly put it, "someone who does not have an off-switch"! Well, I have been in that situation in the past, and it is not an easy thing at all. Constant joking, pranks, or just general rambling by someone trying to be cute and entertaining, becomes very grating after endlesss hours trapped on a tour bus. Don't get me wrong, it can also be hard to travel with a moody person who never talks, or barely cracks a smile.

Which brings me to an observation about some of our most successful entertainers. Most of them have a completely different off-stage persona than their on-stage persona would lead you to believe.  People have even been disappointed in the past after meeting their favorite entertainer, perhaps because they didn't encounter the larger-than-life personality they saw on the screen or stage.Take Lucille Ball for instance. She was not known for being a funny person off-stage. The writers came up with the jokes and the gags, and she played them brilliantly, of course, but she was not someone with a natural talent for being off-the-cuff funny.

People I have performed with in the past, have remarked that I become a different person when I'm onstage. One person said it was like a switch flipped, and I came alive. But I almost always found a way to turn that switch off when the show was over. I had a drive to entertain, and be noticed. The desire for that kind of recognition has diminished somewhat in the last few years. But even at my most gregarious, I had a need for normalcy. There are just times when you need a break from it. From having to be "ON". Time to discuss something normal.

Most professional musicians and actors I've been around don't talk shop that much. They have hobbies and interest not business related - golfing, hunting, clothing, sports, kids, etc. I have never had that many hobbies, but I can relate.  With all the miles I have traveled, I am really a homebody at heart. I crave the comforts of family and familiarity. That probably kept me back from going a little farther than I could have, if I'd been a little more willing to put myself out there. But more likely, I just would've gotten myself in a lot more trouble!
So to sum it up, if you don't have an OFF switch, you might find your bulb burning out a lot faster!