Tedster Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 There have been quite a few. One of the most common is to try to crack up whoever is singing a song. In an old band...we had a really good girl singer who used to do a great Ann Wilson...we did the song "Even It Up". I sang backups...and one night it occurred to me to sing "Heavin' it up" while acting like a dog getting ready to barf. She couldn't finish the song she was laughing so hard. Then there was the gig where our drummer put condoms on everyone's mics while we were on break. A buddy of mine (who's a great player, BTW) is one of the great practical jokers of our time, I do believe. Years ago, when Ibanez issued replicas of McCarty's famed late 50s Gibson solidbodies, a friend of ours ordered a "Destroyer"...a replica of a Korina Explorer. He waited weeks for it to come in at the music shoppe where we all hung out. When it finally came in, Greg (the joker) volunteered to go bring it out for Aaron (the guy who ordered it. Greg had to go up some stairs. Out of Aaron's sight, he took the case and guitar out of the shipping box...and walked to the top of the stairs with the empty box. Getting Aaron's attention, he proceeded to stumble and drop the box down the stairs. Aaron nearly pissed his pants...whereupon we all started laughing hysterically. I'll never forget the look on his face... But, I'm sure you all have some better stories. Let's hear 'em!!! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 I have a patch on my Nord Lead that sounds like electrical sparks/arcing. Every time we get a new band member and he reaches into the mixer rack to plug something in, I play a note. Almost hurt one guy though, he tripped over the floor monitor trying to get away. :p Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpaBobby Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 A girl that was singing for us years ago once mentioned during a rehersal that the lead break of the song we were working on(I can't remember what it was now) was actually done with a Kazzoo. We laughed it off. But the next gig we did, the drummer passed out Kazzoos to everyone behind her back. When it came time for the song, it went great until the lead break, when the entire band stopped playing and took up the Kazzoos for the break. Needless to say, the song ended there. The audience thought it was funny. She didn't! She never sang that one again. AaV My family "coat of arms" buckles in the back. Is that normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rold Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 (provided you're doing it to some other band's drummer:) Grease on the kick pedal :D :eek: meh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coren Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 a friend of mine used to work in a radio station in regina (thats music related enough, right?) anyways he disliked his boss, so he installed a horn in the bosses room that put out a frequency of 22KHz really loud. now you coudlnt hear it.. but you can feel it, even though you dont know its there. puts you on edge all day. why you would want to put an asshole on more of an edge is beyond me... :rolleyes: :eek: :D unrelated to music he had two other neat ideas... taking out lightbulbs, drill a small hole, fill with butane, cover hole with gum or something, plug back in. when turned on, BOOM!! :) he also opened other peoples hoods of their cars, took the spark plugs out of the engine, and placed them in those 1L carboard cartons of milk, with a bit of gasoline in them. when the car "starts" the gas goes off... no real damage.. i hope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franknputer Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 When I was an intern at a local recording studio, I was in one day when a group of new students had their first chance to touch the board. They were taking turns "mixing" for about 15 minutes each. The engineer had set up various effects for them to use, including an old Eventide harmonizer (with a manual pitch adjustment knob :D ) on the lead vocal. I was able to get about a dozen people REALLY nervous by casually reaching over when no one was looking & giving the pitch knob a quick twist back & forth. This worked about 6 or 7 times, until I couldn't keep a straight face anymore & copped to what I was doing. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 I've was told of a certain country artist who loves practical jokes. One night, they made sure the drummer of the other well known band was detained, and almost late for the opening song. He sat down, lights came up, and with the first snare hit he was lost in a cloud of flour or talc! They had spread it over the entire snare drum head. I mixed monitors for Lila McCann, summer of 1999, and we had a show with this prankster. The artist was headlining the show. In the middle of a slow love song, Lila persuaded the monitor mixer to let her feed Cartman's (from Southpark) voice, from a toy, into the ear monitor talkback mic! Eventually they had to stop the song, because the band was cracking up and the artist couldn't be romantic with, "You are so immature!" barking in the ears. As a mixer, I've been goosed several times by electric guitars, fiddles, and steel guitars that were convincingly immitating mic feedback while I set the EQ curves on monitors! :mad: Sends chills up my spine, everytime. Occasionally, a singer will pretend his/her voice is cutting out. (Like an intermittant cable.) This is a popular one. It usually stops when I say, "Let me turn it way up, cause it's probably dust in some circuit..." I've unplugged previously powered-up amps, or unplugged speaker leads to mess with fellow players minds, from time to time. I don't start it, though. ;) It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted February 28, 2002 Author Share Posted February 28, 2002 Neil.. Reminds me of a guy I knew back in Michigan. He could whistle and perfectly imitate feedback...would drive you crazy twiddling knobs etc...until you saw him falling on the floor laughing. Bastid. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikestr Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 LMAO!!!! There are some real good practicle jokes here! The one that I thought would be mentioned first is the old "have the rest of the band play 1/2 step out of key". For instance: tell everyone in the band, EXCEPT the one you want play the joke on, to play 1/2 step higher or lower for the next song. Almost immediately you will see some strange facial expressions out of that person. When he says "...whats going on here..." you say "is everyone in tune?" and procede to hit an open A, everyone is in tune. Shrug your shoulders and say take it from the top! You can keep this up for quite awile especially if that person is trying out a new piece of gear, or if they have been partaking in some recreational pharmacuticals. ikestr ...hertz down low.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted February 28, 2002 Author Share Posted February 28, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by ikestr: [b]LMAO!!!! There are some real good practicle jokes here! The one that I thought would be mentioned first is the old "have the rest of the band play 1/2 step out of key". For instance: tell everyone in the band, EXCEPT the one you want play the joke on, to play 1/2 step higher or lower for the next song. Almost immediately you will see some strange facial expressions out of that person. When he says "...whats going on here..." you say "is everyone in tune?" and procede to hit an open A, everyone is in tune. Shrug your shoulders and say take it from the top! You can keep this up for quite awile especially if that person is trying out a new piece of gear, or if they have been partaking in some recreational pharmacuticals. ikestr[/b][/quote]OHMIGOD! I FORGOT THAT ONE!! We got a gig like "Merv and the Merftones" at a supper club a long long time ago. We had a guy who actually played bass, but we already had a bass player, so he just sang. We did a bunch of campy old standards for the old rich drunks that would frequent the place, like "Release Me". We'd do it in G, give the singer a quiet G chord, whereupon he'd intro with pickup notes "I said ( G chord) pleeeeease release me" etc. Well, one night we followed Country Joe's advice, and instead of a G, we gave him an F. He sang the intro "I said" in the key of F, whereupon we came in in G. The look on his face was pained beyond belief as he struggled to find where we were at. Needless to say, we were falling over laughing... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 Ohhhh, so many times. My target is usually the singers. After a singer made a disparaging remark about my southern accent on stage I waited for my opportunity for revenge. It came when I gave her a reference note before she began a song that started with an a cappella passage. While the singer held her last a cappella note the entire band entered the song, one half step higher than she was singing. Her struggles to get in key sounded painful. She never trusted me again. The guitarist in the same band was also the band leader. He insisted on playing the piano part to Since I Fell For You. I finally got tired of it. During a concert he came over to my keyboards to take over. I had programmed the keyboard so that a simple tap on one of the foot switches would reverse the keyboard. Because he always started the song with both hands playing large cords he never did catch on to what was wrong. He only knew it did not sound right. Twice he stopped the song and called me over to check the keyboard. Twice he never noticed as I tapped the foot switch and played the synth with no problem. Embarrassed and confused he finally gave up and I played the song from that point on. The singer in a past band decided he was so popular that he should do entrances and exits from the stage during our solos. It was his way of keeping the spotlight on himself during our special moments. One night after everyone was on stage I moved the steps. When he started to exit the stage the fog machine was really putting out and he could not see. He missed the steps and fell 3 1/2 feet. I would have felt bad, but we all know singers are scum of the earth and deserve a good fall sometimes. :p Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 You're evil, Rabid! :D I'll bet this could help you make friends and influence people: If the singer likes to put his/her lips on the ball end of his/her vocal mic, put black food coloring on the ball end. The first time he/she pulls away from the mic they'll have a nice set of black lips. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted February 28, 2002 Author Share Posted February 28, 2002 From a Todd Rundgren journal about his touring with Ringo's "All-Starr Band" "...smearing various substances ahead of time on the mic stand Burton Cummings licked during 'American Woman'" Don't see as many polarity switches on amps these days...but switching polarity on a guitar player's amp will give him a good zap in the lips when he eats the mic... Of course, be careful with that one. I've never gotten more than a zing in the chops, but it could be dangerous. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLsound Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by Rabid: [b]Ohhhh, so many times. My target is usually the singers. The singer in a past band decided he was so popular that he should do entrances and exits from the stage during our solos. It was his way of keeping the spotlight on himself during our special moments. One night after everyone was on stage I moved the steps. When he started to exit the stage the fog machine was really putting out and he could not see. He missed the steps and fell 3 1/2 feet. I would have felt bad, but we all know singers are scum of the earth and deserve a good fall sometimes. :p Robert[/b][/quote]That is a classic. Any member of a band that is full of himself/herself deserves shit like that. I know in the band I am in, if any of us gets a big head, we would become one big target. Jim http://www.artistlaunch.com/artist4.asp?artistid=3633 http://www.myspace.com/jlockmusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxTick Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 all of these are great! i did live sound for a band whos keyboard player had a bunch of "sixty cylce hum" and "crackle and pop" patches. he would patch those in when i was dialing everyhting in...it drove me nuts, i had to have revenge!! so, one time i secretly hooked up a "Big Muff" pedal to his rig, and purposly put a semi-dead battery in it. everything sounded terrible and it would proceed to get worse. (dying battery) he would look up at me and i would just play stupid and say something like "oh very funny, quit playing around" - needless to say he was scrambling about trying to find out what the hell was wrong, turning every knob and pushing every button. i just sat there trying to keep a straight face. i was suprised in how long it took him to finally find the pedal hooked up behind his rack :D 0096 2251 2110 8105 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not coaster MODERATOR Posted March 1, 2002 Share Posted March 1, 2002 Oh gosh this brings back fun memories How about the time we wired a 20,000 volt generator to the mic stand and the frontman got an unexpected surprise in front of 30,000 people! Then we told him "we're just kidding!!" And we put a little C4 wired to the standby switch on this fella's bass amp. We cleared out but got a great laugh when he turned on his toy! Then we told him it was "just a little joke to make people smile!" And let's don't forget that little bear trap we set under the drummer's kick pedal! We were pretending the drummer was a real bear trying to get it off his ankle!! We were glad because he made us laugh!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted March 1, 2002 Author Share Posted March 1, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by Cereal: [b]Oh gosh this brings back fun memories How about the time we wired a 20,000 volt generator to the mic stand and the frontman got an unexpected surprise in front of 30,000 people! Then we told him "we're just kidding!!" And we put a little C4 wired to the standby switch on this fella's bass amp. We cleared out but got a great laugh when he turned on his toy! Then we told him it was "just a little joke to make people smile!" And let's don't forget that little bear trap we set under the drummer's kick pedal! We were pretending the drummer was a real bear trying to get it off his ankle!! We were glad because he made us laugh!![/b][/quote]I can...hardly HAHAHA...type...(spews his drink through his nose...) hahaha...ohmigod...hahahaha...GEEEZZZ LOUISE...gasp! (eyes watering, face turning purple)...I'm freaking laughing so hard......SNORTTT... Dat's some funny sheeit, Cereal... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlChuck Posted March 1, 2002 Share Posted March 1, 2002 Once I was in a band in upstate New York and we had a gig (for which we unceremoniously bailed on another gig, a reglar one, and hence lost it) thatwas a complete disaster. The club was empty -- they catered to emergency workers and there was a train wreck that night so [i]nobody[/i] was there. The owner told us we could leave after our first set was over. In the middle of the set, the crossover in the PA speakers caught fire, our guy had wired it backwards. So before packing up we just got silly and played a completely free improv. You should have seen the mortified looks on the faces of the three or four patrons in the bar. All I remember was playing the melody to Beethoven's 9th (the "Song of Joy" part) while two others were blowing across the tops of beer bottles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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