When is it Time to Get off the Stage?

[Paisley]

Does it depend on the type of music you sing or play?
When you reach a certain age?
When you don't have the chops anymore?
When you can't sell tickets anymore?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think it should come down to a question of -- are you doing a disservice to your own reputation by continuing to perform?

The example that comes to mind for me is Bob Hope. An entire generation only knows him as a doddering old man squinting to read cue cards on bad TV specials instead of as the sharp, cutting-edge comedian he was in his prime.

Contrast Hope's long, embarassing public decline as a performer with Johnny Carson -- who quit with dignity and stayed out of the spotlight for the rest of his life, letting us remember him at his best and not as a shadow of himself. A lot of entertainers today could benefit from that comparison.

 

[scotrace]

In the same spirit:


After William Powell retired, he was often sent scripts and got offers to make another film. He said "Why would I do that? So I can play Elvis' grandfather?"

 

[Bebop]

Tony Bennett has had the right idea for years. His son is his manager and Tony says he will retire when his son tells him his time is up. I suppose you should let someone close to you tell you to get off the stage.

I got off the stage when I found myself thinking about when I should visit my parents or if it's time to get an oil change on my car, while playing my horns. That was a sure sign that I was no longer passionate enough.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I got off the legitimate stage when I was in my late 20's, did not like performing, memorizing lines and no longer felt the need to portray someone else.

After that, I did performance art, could be myself and perform my own stuff, give readings, etc. I gave that up when I felt I was a bit too irrelevant to younger audiences. There comes a time when that happens, especially if you are doing your own stuff.

karol

 

[Tomasso]

Bob Hope. An entire generation only knows him as a doddering old man squinting to read cue cards on bad TV specials .

I often wonder how Hope would have fared had he not signed that lifetime contract with NBC in 1950. Milton Berle thought that it was a very shrewd move by Hope which served to extend a fading career and eventually boost him to icon status.

 

[Smyat]

Contrast Hope's long, embarassing public decline as a performer with Johnny Carson -- who quit with dignity and stayed out of the spotlight for the rest of his life, letting us remember him at his best and not as a shadow of himself. A lot of entertainers today could benefit from that comparison.

Aye and ack.

Carson was painfully shy and it took an act of will to go on stage each night. It was no effort for him to stop, and stay stopped.

We'll not see his like again. A master of the audience.

 

[Paisley]

I think it depends partly on whether a performer is up to a certain standard (and not going downhill) and partly on their material.

Something with a timeless, broad appeal like jazz or classical music or humor that most people can relate to, I think you can do it as long you've got the chops. (I think Frank Sinatra was one who should have left the stage before he actually did.) As for youth-oriented material, I'd rather hear recordings or a young guy covering doo-wop songs about young love than hear grandpas singing about it. I know a lot of people love to watch nostalgia acts, but they just don't float my boat.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Sometimes, if a performer sticks around long enough, his or her material comes back into style.

That happened, I believe, to Tony Bennett. And also George Burns.

karol

 

[Paisley]

Leave 'em wanting more

Our receptionist used to have a local TV show, which she did for ten years. She feels that ten years is long enough for anyone to be on TV, with a few exceptions such as Johnny Carson or a few outstanding reporters.

For rock bands, she feels five years during their zenith is long enough to give concerts, and when their popularity wanes, they should wane with it and let younger people take their place. (The Beatles, as a group, comes to mind.)

Most importantly, she feels that a performer should leave their audience wanting more.

 

[Fletch]

Jazz musicians have a mordent saying (most of our sayings are mordent [huh] )..."If you haven't made it by 25, you better hang around till 75." The jazz world depends on promoters who are always focusing on Young Lions and Elder Statesmen.

Doc Cheatham, a great section trumpeter in his heyday, had a whole new career as a soloist and singer mostly due to his unusual longevity. Similarly, there is a need for youthfulness in a music that perceives itself as aging out of the scene.

I've often felt there should be a competition and awards for the best jazz players over 30. But there are just too many of them. More talent than the market will ever be able to absorb. So mostly they're taken for granted.
Sour grapes? Won't say no.

So my answer is get off the stage if you mind being taken for granted while doing you thing. Labor of love, its own reward, never work a day in your life, yada yada yada. Be thankful for the chance to play anywhere. It's not about the fame or getting your ticket punched - tickets sell out early anyway. Most of us gotta crash the party, and there are ways, but be prepared to put in more time, effort, and disappointment than you think it ought to take.

 

[Miss 1929]

Chops aren't everything.

Billie Holiday had lost most of her voice by the end of her life, but nonetheless did some of her best interpretive work then.
It totally depends.
Personally, if I can't play anymore, I will want to die. So I plan to go on until I do. Or until someone kills me to put me out of their misery.

 

[Tomasso]

Or until someone kills me to put me out of their misery.

lol

 

[Chas]

I saw Lionel Hampton in 2000; that was well after his stroke, and while it was a thrill to see him preform, I would be fibbing to suggest that he was "on". The band was good, though.

Eartha Kitt should most definitely NOT quit. She's incredible.

There is a bandleader here in Vancouver that turns 90 this Jan, Dal Richards. He works about 3 gigs a week; an incredible achievement-keeping a big band together. Mind you, he has taken time away from bandleading since the 1930's. But he is very active, and doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing. I think "retirement" would kill him.

The same can be said for a friend of mine, Dr. Jeni Le Gon. She refuses to quit, even though she doesn't dance or preform any more.(for those who don't know the name) http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=798&category=entertainmentMakers

So it comes down to choice, and appropriateness of the act, I suppose. There's always something to do in show business, some sort of new challenge for those who no longer have the chops. I don't really believe in retirement, but there is something to be said for bowing out gracefully when one's time is clearly done.

 

[Fletch]

There is a bandleader here in Vancouver that turns 90 this Jan, Dal Richards. He works about 3 gigs a week; an incredible achievement-keeping a big band together. Mind you, he has taken time away from bandleading since the 1930's. But he is very active, and doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing. I think "retirement" would kill him.

Is Mart Kenney still doing it? He'd been leading since, like, 1932! That might be the record.