Geez, I wonder why I chat with Payne after looking at the frightening charicature he uses for an avatar! (Just kidding ya, Payne ... but it does look rather crazed an menacing!)

Yeah, I think the details in this issue are being used to make a mountain out of a molehill. The age of the kids (both actual and mentally relative), the degree of gore, specific actions which may or may not lead a child to think it is OK to do something harmful. There are a lot of details here that I don't know, and I don't think most/any of you do either. This is a situation where Silly Billy and the Contracting parents have to make some decisions and only they have all the details one would need to have to make those decisions. In the end, Silly Billy has every right, both legally and ethically, to market this performance the way he has, and the parents are obligated to use what they know about their children, along with the information Silly Billy has provided, to decide if it is responsible to present this show to their children.

The kind of ethics some of you are trying to apply to Silly Billy here, is about the same as burning "Harry Potter" books.

I watch parents bring their kids to movies with horrifying themes (not just violence or gore) and then watch the news where other people's civilizations are being destroyed by invaders...

My favorite is the "power rangers" schema where children are encouraged to put on spandex costumes and then go out to have adventures with strange adults... and somehow on that show we don't see any families or parents telling the kids not to play with strange adults. Oh yes... they take their orders from some old guy in a test tube or a blue dog.

Natural Selection.

Not natural enough. Darwin is letting me down. Survival of the fittest is being destroyed by legislation.

The Nanny State is muddying the gene pool.

Dr. Blood is a great act, So was Dr. Shock on TV many years ago. I have played the part of Dracula, as well as werewolf many times in the past. Halloween clearly says a lot with what kids love and enjoy.

This is the second, and clearly becoming one of the highest money making events compared to all the holidays, almost surpassing Christmas.

It's like having your own live horror movie in your home, instead of watching a DVD. Even David's Ogg routine fits.

Having seen the act several times, it is a FAMILY type act usually done for the clients who have seen David’s party act and want something more exciting and new for their older child and friends. Remember this is NYC, not Pleasantville, USA

Also lets not mix "apples with oranges" Halloween is a USA event not a universal event. A children entertainer is really a broad word.

A entertainer who books a birthday party as a children's magician and then delivers surprise a "Horror Movie" show did not give the customer what they wanted. People who book Dr. Blood know fully what they are getting.

Recently, I watched an excellent lecture by Terry Herbert and he talked quite a bit on the proper treatment of children by magicians. Right after that lecture, Chris Caphart performed his live act. Many of the principles discussed by Terry were "violated" by Chris. After the performance Chris got a well deserved standing ovation.

If I was to copy exactly Chris' routine, I would not survive one minute with multiple PC persons lodging multiple complaints. Where is the difference? Quite simply, I am not Chris, in personality, in culture, in character, in belief systems, etc.

Right or Wrong, is a Black or white questions without any grey area. Can there be exceptions to the rule related to the original question.



This is not a wrong statement. It surely applies to Daycare, Elementary schools, and the classic magic show at a birthday party. Does it apply to a "Haunted House Attraction"? Does it apply to a parent who is throwing a Halloween party for their children? Again, there is always "gray areas". Clearly for some it is way out of their nature to do this type of performance, for others it is big business, and still others who enjoy delivering a requested service for a customer.

By the way, my favorite kid hero was the "Phantom" I even sewed sheets into a costume and pretended to be this guy. It lasted a day, but I was not stupid enough to lie on train tracks, play chicken with cars, or imitate dangerous stunts. (Well, I did give up my motorcycling days! "Flying" seventy miles an hour on open road believing I could not die or never get into an accident was a stupid youthful belief.)

Is anything really Right or Wrong? Is it right to shoot and kill people? Government's teach their military soldiers do it, and justify it.

HE IS AWESOME!!!!!

Different strokes for different venues.
I loved Dick Williums and I loved Savad.
I remember when we had trouble booking some shool shows in Reppel's backyard behind an acknowaged " Kid Show Expert" who shall remain nameless becouse I need him as a source of cloth coverd spring snakes,
used a Chinese Chopper one season.
You have to use you head, that's what grown-ups do.

Is anything really Right or Wrong? Is it right to shoot and kill people? Government's teach their military soldiers do it, and justify it.
[/quote]

I'm sorry Dennis, but what you wrote is pretty goofy. If I were to see you at a convention and walked up to you and slapped the p*ss out of you.... would that be right? Or wrong? Neither? Should a country have the right, or should I say be obligated to protect the citizens by force from others wanting to kill us? Justify it? Yes... to protect YOU! WAKE UP!

Sorry Dennis, did not mean to sound so harsh. But it hits me the wrong way when people say "there is no right or wrong" or "there are no truths" or other such popular "progressive" mumblings. Tell that to the IRS, or your bank teller.

Lots of interesting comments here about this one.

I have seen Silly Billy lecture last year and I am also a full time children's magical entertainer.

I can tell you right now that Silly Billy stated at his lecture that his Dr. Blood show is a specailized show for slightly older kids than the normal age range and he pitches it that way.

That show is not intended for the wee folk of 3 - 5 year olds. He knows his Manhatten market extremely well and has simply come up with an alternate form of "kids" magic show that will appeal to some and certainly not to others. He basically has branched out and expanded his entertainment services for kids.

From what he says in his lecture, (I have not actually seen the Dr. Blood Show), the kids watching it, just love it and he can actually charge more for that show because it is a specailized show.

What works for David Kaye may not neccessarily fit everyone's style but as he mentions in his lecture regarding the Dr. Blood show, it goes over great in New York.

I think that the ultimate "truth" here is that we are attempting to judge something we really know little about. Without the fine details we are left with too many variables. The Facts are as follows:
Silly Billy does a show with a macabre tone.
Silly Billy is shown to have had great success with said show.
Silly Billy has not, after what seems a long run of said show, been sued.

Those facts lead me to believe that whatever it is that he is actually doing, works and works well. The proof is in the pudding. As for future entertainers following a similar path, I would suggest it be followed with great caution. Seems a lot like lion taming to me, shouldn't be practiced unless you know what you are doing. The cost of error is quite high.

Good point, that. I have always shied away from dangerous things a kid might imitate, but lately have been wondering if I'm too conservative.

Two days ago I stopped wondering as I read about a local 5 year old who died in a fire he set with a bic-style lighter.

Seems Silly Billy has put together a tight show that works, but I know I don't have the skills to "follow a similar path"...

Jim

Not everyone is going to like Mr. Blood. However, David shows photos directly from his show and represents it clearly. So if you do not like it, do not book it. Not every audience is the same. I perform Magic for Older Kids and do not go as far as Dr. Blood but I also perform the Arm Chopper for older kids. With the right audience, I could see his Dr. Blood Show being fun just like Godzilla, King Kong, Monsters, Dracula, etc. Some kids love this. Cheers!