Gameops.com: I
promised myself I would stay away from bird puns, but the
Cardinal Rule of Mascots is “No Talking.” I
have seen you give a few interviews, can you start off
this interview with your thoughts on doing interviews in
or out of costume.
The
Famous Chicken:
Well I do it to help promote shows and something to be
different. I see the Chicken as a cartoon character. I
look around and see Kermit the Frog talking, I see Big
Bird talk, I see Barney talk, so I figure the Chicken can
talk as well.
Gameops.com:You
have been touring now for over 25 years, what are the biggest
changes you have seen?
The
Famous Chicken: Oh, a couple of things.
The renaissance of the ballparks, especially at the
minor league level. Some of these are real small communities
really doing some kind of job using the ballpark as
a jewel and a centerpiece of the skyline and the towns.
Also,
I would say the tremendous awareness of sports marketing
at the minor league level. There was a time when a big
promotion was “Pass the Hat Night” or giving
away tickets at the 7-11. Now it is so sophisticated and
so up-scale.
"If
you can't stand the heat. Stay out the Chicken."
Ted
Giannoulas
on performing in a hot costume |
|
I
have been doing this since the 70’s, so I have seen
dust-bowl ballparks become jewels of the city. And I have
also seen real simple promotions flourish into major events
for teams. It’s been quite a metamorphosis, especially
on the minor league level.
Gameops.com:
You have created a cottage industry here as a mascot and
inspired a lot of performers along the way. Who do you
get inspiration from?
The
Famous Chicken: Actually I draw my inspiration
from some of the master comedians, like Peter Sellers,
Harpo Marx, and Jackie Gleason.
Steve
Martin inspired me as a stand-up guy how he thought outside
the box, even thought I am not a stand-up guy I was inspired
how he thought outside the box as a comic and introduced
something new as a stage act. So I think as a comic, or
a comedian. I just happen to wear more elaborate make-up,
a costume. But I try to be a comedian for the fans of all
ages, and appeal to all age groups when I am performing.
Gameops.com: The
biggest battle most mascots face is always coming up with
new material. You may have a different battle, as you have
so many classic routines that fans want to see. How do
you balance the classic routines with the new?
The
Famous Chicken: I try to do some old favorite,
because I do get a lot of requests from the fans. But
there is ample opportunities for new material. Towns
that we visit only once a year a are a little easier
just to do a few staples and introduce a few new staples
that I have tried in other towns. If I feel confident
I can do something different.
Sometimes
gags have a certain shelf-life and then they need to be
retired. I used to do a Michael Jackson imitation in the
80’s when he was hot. But that is pretty passé now,
and I have move on from that.
The audience
likes the mix of new and old. They want to see the old
routines, but they like to be surprised with new things.
They want to see the chicken babies and they want to see
Barney in a break dance contest, but then they want to
see something new as well.
Gameops.com: You
mentioned what the audience likes to see, but what do you
like to do most? The classic routines that people request
or the new fresh material?
The
Famous Chicken: I like what ever gets the
biggest laughs. It’s not about me, it’s
about the audience. Last night in Sacramento, and even
thought I was there the last 2 years, they went absolutely
nuts for the baby routine and the Barney routine. They
laughed at the other stuff, but they went into hysterics
for those two.
It’s
not about me. It’s about the audience I am playing
to. That should be the perspective of any entertainer,
to push that hot button of humor in your audience. Whatever
moves them.
Gameops.com: How
about favorite stops on tour. I heard you hit 46 different
states this year, so you have any favorite stops?
The
Famous Chicken: I like the Midwest quite
a bit, I think the best sports fans are in the Midwest.
Being on the road, albeit I am very partial to San
Diego. Excluding Sdan Diego, it’s hard to beat
the audiences in the Midwest.. They really like to
cut loose and have fun. Winning and losing doesn’t
seem to get in the way of having a good time.
In the
Northeast corridor (New York, Philly, New Jersey) they
have a lot more fun if the home team is winning.
Indianapolis
is my favorite city. Probably the most underrated sports
town in America. West Coast are also very good as well,
I must say, when the weather cooperates in the Northwest
they really let loose on the laugh quotient.
Gameops.com: How
about different sports, since they are so different to
perform in, which is your favorite?
The
Famous Chicken: Well baseball has the best
sense of humor of all the sports. Basketball lends
itself very well because the court becomes a stage
during the timeouts…but my personal favorite
is hockey, being from Canada. I love hockey and there
are things I can do spontaneously and improvisationally
in the context of a hockey game that seem to really
endear itself to audiences. But it is a horse of a
different color, you can’t do as many planned
sketches, but you can improve much better in hockey
based on the game: Who’s in the penalty box,
how many goals are scored, who hits the glass when
you are sitting there. You just have to think on your
feet a little quicker.
Read
Part Two of the Gameops.com Interview with the Famous
Chicken.
