Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv

Ep7: Would the Perfect Improviser be a Mind Reader?

• James • Season 1 • Episode 7

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James horrifies Linda with the idea of the perfect improviser being a mutant telepath. Once she is able to overcome her shock, she educates James on how gifted youngsters who have psychic powers have no place in an improv troupe.

Have a question or Improv related topic you'd like to hear us discuss? Send a short email to LindaTellsJames@gmail.com

A new episode every Tuesday! 

SPEAKER_02

Look at the jumbo thing just realizes the club each truck and my energy has a little bit things in the village. Pretty much hello. Uh welcome to another episode of Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv. I'm James. I'm Linda.

SPEAKER_01

And yeah, welcome to our podcast, which add about improv, um ideas about improv, but also end up talking about wider, you know, thoughts, I guess.

SPEAKER_02

Wider thoughts.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, about life and wide things. Very, you're very wide things, very broad, very deep as well.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks for listening, folks. Uh yeah. We've we've got more to chat about, so getting rid of us that quickly. Although eventually I'll run out of things. Yeah. And then I'll just have to make stuff up. No, impossible. That's what improvisers do.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um, I have a statement. Ew. I have a statement that we can talk about. You can tell me I'm wrong about.

SPEAKER_02

Sure.

SPEAKER_01

I will. Um it's the name of the show. The statement is the perfect improviser would be a mind reader.

SPEAKER_02

The perfect improviser would be a mind reader.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So not no. Yeah, I know. So your face kind of just went like, I want to reject that.

SPEAKER_02

That sounds awful.

SPEAKER_01

I think a mind reader would be a perfect improviser because not a telepath, like not someone who, you know, like gives their thoughts to another person, but someone who could read someone's mind. So they know what they're trying to do. You know, that's like, oh, you know, they're gonna do a bit about, I don't know, Dracula eating garlic pasta or something, and like, oh, okay, I'm gonna have to serve them garlic pasta. So I think, yeah, having a mind reader, every if everyone you could see my face, folks.

SPEAKER_02

I can even feel that I can feel my eyes looking at James. Like, are you for real?

SPEAKER_01

You're physically distressed by this. Um, yeah, and then if you had a whole troop that were all mind readers and they all could just read each other's minds and like it'll be perfect. You basically, it's scripted, basically. Yes, which would be great.

SPEAKER_02

That's about exactly it. It would be scripted, everyone would know what everyone else was about to say, and they would already kind of plan what their response to that.

SPEAKER_01

But aren't you gonna be? Yeah, but aren't you doing that as an improviser? Aren't you aren't you kind of trying to anticipate what your other improvisers are doing?

SPEAKER_02

Oh no. Well you well, yes and no, because that's a difficult one because um in trying to anticipate what they're going to do, you're you're you're not it's it's just being in that thought process means you're not present to the moment. So you're trying to think about where we're going to be, the future, rather than where are we right now, and you don't know where you're gonna be in the future, and nor do you really want to steer it anywhere necessarily.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, but there is there is something to say about like picking up on uh subtext.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And well, I guess, and actually also playing the game, right? Like figuring out what the game of the scene is, which I know is you know for you a bit of a contentious thing, right? Is it if we end up you what it what is it about playing the game? Is it the fact that we kind of if we're only thinking about the game, it is kind of what you just said, where we kind of pull ourselves out of the moment.

SPEAKER_02

Um I think what is it that makes me cranky pants about it? I I don't think you're cranky pants, but I think I remember before you were you I think you would kind of been you were war you were being being you were warning about I think the pitfall of I can tell you what it is, um, and I would like to the thing about finding the game and playing the game of a scene is that for me is the I I really loathe the predictability of it. I find it so predictable and um lazy. It's like, oh this is the thing that we do, let's do this thing, and so because it's this this kind of formulaic approach to this will be funny or this will be good improv, it feels formulaic, so it feels really insincere, and and that's what I don't like about it. It never comes I I don't I don't like that it's predictable, I don't like that it's um I think it's also because I'm an improviser and I can see what they're doing, and perhaps an audience wouldn't be that um fussy about it, but uh yeah, I I just I'd rather um in a lot of ways that the I would rather see improvisers mess with that whole thing. That for me is fun because that's like oh you're gonna do the you're gonna find the game. Well, I'm gonna mess with you finding the game, or I'm gonna mess and this and it's the same thing applies to what you're saying. If you know, if we were mind readers, we'd be improvable be great. I I would be, or if you're setting something up for the future or anticipating where your fellow improviser wants to go for the scene, I I'm this is me, and maybe some people hate it, um, but I'm more inclined to mess with that. Oh, you think it's gonna go over there? Oh, you're feeling very I can and if I sit, if I'm with someone, particularly someone I've worked with a lot, yeah, and I can sense that they're aiming to go somewhere and they're feeling safe in that. If I feel that, if I feel like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, you're feeling safe and confident, then I I feel like it's my job then to completely mess with it. And that's not because I'm the reason why I do that is because I think oh it's more, it's it's exciting. I want the other improviser to experience it's exciting if you actually don't know where we're going and you actually have don't feel like you're in control of where we're going, because this then gives us the opportunity to be in a space where both of us are discovering as we progress in this scene.

SPEAKER_01

You're not executing something you've kind of already both of you have kind of um implicitly agreed upon.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I think it's exciting for the audience as well because uh I don't know, there's just there's a flatness that happens when everyone kind of thinks they know where something's gonna go.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Sometimes there's a flatness, but sometimes there's also um uh if it's for example you're doing a scene and it's about it's a meat cute, and and then you know but kind of by the end of it that the these two are likely to get together. Um that's a different thing because it uh it's you're setting it up and the audience have an expectation and and it's kind of fun to meet that expectation at the end. How you get there is the is the super fun creative part. It's like we're not gonna get there straight away. We're gonna let's see what other shit we can make happen.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, and and it's likely that we'll get there in the end, but it's not 100% guaranteed.

SPEAKER_01

Um so then how does then aren't you are you still yes anding if somebody's like, oh, look out, if you try and take that idol off that pillar, there might be a trap. I mean, and then you and then you know you you don't trigger the trap. I mean, is is that shutting down an offer? Like, how is that not you know you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Like if Yeah, uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or am I just railroading? I mean, is is our offers just railroading?

SPEAKER_02

You know what? If you said that, oh I don't know, if you said that to me, I would do it. I would take the idol and then would say, oh, well, I'll take it and let's see what the trap is, because there's still discovery in that moment. But if you said if you take the idol off the the mantelpiece, you know, we'll will suddenly, you know, the the whole building will will explode, or if you set it up so much that we knew what the outcome was, I wouldn't be as excited about it.

SPEAKER_01

Ah, because there's basically you just told me in the audience what's gonna happen. We kind of already there's no joy or discovery in the actual fulfillment of that. Because yeah, we already know exactly what's gonna happen. Whereas in that other case, there's yeah, discovery. So when discovery is gone, it's like that's the kind of full stop. Right, which is kind of why for you, a mind reader, there is no discovery. It's kind of the the the elimination of that, yeah. Okay, yeah, I I can totally um see your point there.

SPEAKER_02

If you were to set up the whole take this um trophy, whatever, off the mantle, etc., and I didn't do that, then yes, I think I would be blocking you, your offer.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02

Because the audience has all heard it, you've set it up clearly, I've heard it, and then no one touches the trophy on the mantle. It's like, oh, okay. That's a bit sad.

SPEAKER_01

I guess it's I guess it's kind of because it makes me think of I I have like the what the one kind of game I'm unable to kind of really I still have never really been able to understand is death in a minute. Um and I feel that I guess it has a similar uh thing to it where yeah, we we we know the expectation and the discovery is we don't know how to get there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But I guess I I guess I've never really been properly taught it or properly seen it. So I find it really hard to imagine how that functions without it being didactic, you know? Oh, here's the giant crusher that crushes anything that falls into it. Uh oh. And I'm just like, okay, well then that's it, right? Or is it just people just kind of mucking around for 59 seconds and then just then at some point somebody dies with one of the setups, you know? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Or is it you know when when have you seen it and it's been um fun and exciting for you?

SPEAKER_01

Never.

SPEAKER_02

Never okay.

SPEAKER_01

Um I mean sad for you too. I mean I haven't seen I haven't seen it a lot. Yeah, because what happens is what happens is people just will describe it to me and I'll go, okay, you've got 60 seconds to do a scene at some point somebody dies, but it can't be a murder or whatever. And like, okay, okay, can you can you can you show me? And then they'll show me and I'm like, oh what? You know, like it didn't quite, it's never it's never been like this light bulb moment of oh, that's how the game's played. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, well, I'm not an expert at it, so I can't tell you exactly how what the purpose of it all this time was. But I can't. I want your uninformed opinion. I'll give you my uninformed opinion. I want your non-expert opinion. Um incredibly opinionated as if everyone hasn't discovered that yet. Um okay. The the thing about death in a minute, the times when it's been kind of meah, is um if people have gone into a scene and and already planned or have an inkling of where you know this is where we are. Oh yeah, yeah, we're at worst. We're at work, we're in an office. Okay, something at some point I've got to, I've got to, someone's gotta die. So they play the whole scene thinking someone's gotta die some at some point, someone's gonna die. So the first opportunity we get, we're going to uh kill someone off, or I'm gonna die. So you can see them playing it um with that intention. Or there's the other option of where are we? We're we're family having a picnic. We're gonna play a family having a picnic. And at some point something might happen. Let's just see, let's see how we die. Let's see how someone dies. Oh, yeah. So playing the scene and playing the moment, um, the location, the characters, and then you're playing the narrative quickly, and then seeing if there's an opportunity for death to occur. Oh, okay. Do you know what I mean? That's risky though, because you've got to remember too that you've got one minute. Yeah. Um but it's so it's it's risk, but the the payoff I think is stronger because it means that no one in the scene really knows when someone's gonna die, who it's gonna be. But okay. But it's this thing of like, oh, let's see, let's see what happens. Let's see.

SPEAKER_01

But wouldn't wouldn't if they were all mind readers, wouldn't that be better though? Because then they could call it.

SPEAKER_02

If we're all mind readers, they probably wouldn't turn up to the show. Probably just go. Yeah, you know what? I don't think tonight's gonna be that great. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

They'll be off fighting the they'll they'll off be fighting Magneto with the X-Men, yeah. Um He's not a real person, James. He is to me. Um okay, but I mean like but isn't it but don't don't you end up running into like the 59-second mark and then just shoeharding something in?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, probably.

SPEAKER_01

But is that good?

SPEAKER_02

I don't know if it's good, I don't know if it's bad, but it's something that happened. Is it better than than or is it worse than seeing improvisers not uh not fully connecting and trying to achieve the the ultimate goal of someone dying? I don't know. I think Steam I think I think playing a scene and I don't know. I I kind of personally dislike the the the frantic craziness of people just playing a scene and then suddenly, oh shit, I'm stung by a bee. Death.

SPEAKER_01

Um you know but but surely a more satisfying scene would you know would do like a Chekhov's gun thing of I'm gonna like the very first second is I'm gonna open up the peanut butter, okay, Marjorie, and then at the end it's a it's a it's a peanut um allergy or whatever, right? Like wouldn't that be more satisfying? Like, oh my gosh, like they said it in the first second, and like it finally culminated in like the 59th second.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Imagine though if you were a scene where everyone, it was like the ending of pop fiction, everyone was facing each other with guns. You started off with that. We've all got guns, we're all about to shoot each other, and yet, and then the death was something completely, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it was like a yeah, like a brick.

SPEAKER_02

A dog uh yeah, someone trips over a dog.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, that's fun to me. It's like, oh, let's sit, what's the most let's set up something stupid.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yes, yeah, yeah, because it's kind of like well in the room, it's completely covered in nails.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Yeah. We're you know, we're on a table in the center of the room, and you know what happens is I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, what happens is they drink apple juice and it's chokes. They choke, kind of, yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we know we've already we've already oh peanut oh, it's a jar of peanut butter, oh, anaphylactic shock or whatever. Great, we already know that now. What's what give me something else?

SPEAKER_02

I think that's the thing. I think with all of these gate, all of the theater sports games, um there's always room to how can we have mess with it? How can we have fun within it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Rather than be strict about our interpretation of the rules and the and the our interpretation of the outcome. That's the thing. If you really start to um focus on the outcome and it and it uh achieving it in an easy in as easy a way as possible, then it stops being a joy for everyone, it stops being a joy for you and for the audience. And that's what the sports uh you know is constantly in danger of just being this predictable thing. You you gotta let loose the crazy kids, that's what I think in all aspects of my life.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, seriously, let loose the the joy and wonder within those games.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and the fear, right? And the fear.

SPEAKER_02

Well, what do you yeah? Well, well, I was gonna say that the the thing is that all of that controlled sort of um dynamic that you put around yourself when you're doing uh theatre sports games, particularly if it's competitive theatre sports, um, is is comes from fear. The fear of not doing well, the fear of um you know, bad players, your your fellow players, your troop members being disappointed in you, your fear of you being disappointed in yourself, the fear of people thinking that you're a shit improviser, the fear of the audience being disappointed, all of that is fear. And and the only way to overcome all of that is to hit it straight on the head and say, hello, fear, go to hell. Yeah um, you know, like not be afraid of failing, which is the thing that improv is supposed to teach you. You know, you've got to but you've got to be open to okay, I'm aware that I'm doing all this stuff to control my behavior within this scene. Um, I've just got to let it go and just just go go for the crazy.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think that's my fear with death in a minute, personally, of if I'm performing it, uh, how I had to have to perform it, because I'm like, I don't want to just shoehorn in, you know, something that's garbage at the last second. Oh, I need to plan it up ahead and oh, you know, so then yeah, I immediately go to scaffolding the whole thing. You know, what what what's there that's available in instead of actually like being open to just to discovery.

SPEAKER_02

It's also different if you're doing it say with with three or four other people that you haven't performed with before because they're already in a in a kind of yeah um a bit edgy because they haven't they don't know how you work, they don't know you know what um what you're wanting to achieve, and so that that's tricky. Then everyone gets it is works from a place of of scardy pants, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, you have safety control, yeah, mitigating whatever, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um I think then you really have to you don't really have to you don't really have to do anything, folks. But um I feel like when I'm in a group that that I haven't played with before, and particularly if they're less experienced players, if I'm gonna make the opening offer, it has to be I like to deliver it with absolute confidence, or the the impression that I'm absolutely confident with it. Yeah. So for me that means it doesn't necessarily mean I am absolutely confident with it by no means. It just means though it's a strong character choice. It's a strong big character choice. So they know, you know, I don't well, I don't know what's gonna happen, but this is my big character choice and it's gonna be okay. Yeah, and and hopefully that will calm things down, but also to show that well, I don't know, you know, that I'm happy to see where this scene goes. It doesn't always work, but I'm just saying I think sometimes we need to not make sure we're not being cautious about the opening of it. Yeah, trying to, what are they gonna do? What's James gonna do now? I don't know what kind of player is Nintendo. I don't know, let's cautiously walk around. Nah, yeah, don't do that.

SPEAKER_01

100%. Um, it makes it harder. Um, I was teaching um uh acting last night, um, and one of the things I was uh telling people was um because we're kind of doing a viewpoints exercise where people kind of moving around and um uh moving based on their instincts as relating to offers from other people or themselves or the music. And um and yeah, they didn't know each other, it's only like the second session, so they are cautious. Um, and what I was trying to encourage was I was like, have an opinion on other people's behavior, like on the grid, you know, on in the exercise. Like, oh, this person turned around. How does that affect me? How does that feel? I don't care whether your opinion is right or wrong or good or bad or whatever, you just need to have an opinion because when you interpret that behavior, it allows you then to react in a certain way. Oh, they turned, um, it means they're antagonistic towards me, so I'm gonna crouch, you know? That's just my instinct, you know, or they turned, oh, they want to be friends, I'm gonna step closer, right? And the more opinions and the more um and the strong the opinions help stronger choices. And so when you make that initial offer, I think is such a strong opinion, it kind of forces everyone else to have an opinion as well, which gives them, gives you better offers back, right? Because they have an opinion on this character. It's not just, you know, oh, I'm oh, I'm Joe. Oh, okay. Well, I I can't get anything from you, so I just feel nothing. So I'm Sarah. Okay, what, right? Instead of bang, I'm coming in with this really big thing, and then everybody else is like, oh, okay, I either really like this or I really don't, but it it goes somewhere. Uh or I remember a director saying that, or no, I think it was an actor who was, you know, um, theater or film actor who was saying that the expectation for an actor is, you know, to come in, have their lines memorized, but also have an opinion. And it doesn't really matter what that opinion is, but just having a opinion or an opinion lets the director start from somewhere. Yeah. You know, you can discuss it, you know, um, even if it's you know the Even if it's a quote unquote incorrect take or whatever, at least then you can talk about it, you know? Um and then go from there. So yeah, I I yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I guess it's so counterintuitive and so difficult, but why is it counterintuitive? Oh, I mean, sorry, I mean, in terms of like the more um if you're coming into a place where you're like, oh, I don't know, I don't know these, I'm not familiar with these players. My instinct is to be cautious to just gently feel it out. Actually, the best, the safest thing you can do is to not be cautious and to just go big because then everybody else feels okay to then also go big, and the more offers you have, the more you get to work with and play. So that's what I meant by counterintuitive, right? Um with that open sense.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Um opinion is really interesting because am I gonna be wrong about this? No, no, you're not. I I um it's interesting only because of what that word brings up in people, and sometimes it's it's like, oh, I have to have an opinion. Um quickly, quickly. What's my what am what are you going to impose onto this? And it doesn't necessarily need to it's it's not that. It's not I mean it I mean it can be, that would still work, but it's it's funny because we were talking about even when you're looking at uh um Meisner's work and the and um what David Rosowski's uh uh teaching, which is that everything you need is in your partner. Your opinion isn't something that you've overlaid artificially onto this moment. Your opinion is something I saw in you has made me uh feel something, and this is what I think that is.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Um that's your opinion. And and I and if you're in your head, if you're thinking about the improviser and me the improviser and what me the improviser has to to say and do, then I'm not letting myself be affected, and I'm not then giving an opinion which actually turns out to be my character's opinion. That I know that sounds convoluted, folks, but it it basically means that when when I see James's face, or when I when I hear what he's care what his character has just said, I have an opinion about what you just said, or it affected me in some way. I'm happy about it, I'm sad about it, um, I'm annoyed about it, I don't understand, I'm questioning it, um, or I'm like, oh yeah, cool, that's fine. But and and that response isn't necessarily an artificial response. It's just I'm in the moment and I'm just responding. And then the response, if it's a if it's a, oh yeah, that's really cool, let's go and do that. Then I've already told and I've also told I've told you how I feel about you in that response. I've told me how my character feels about you, and then it's like, okay, this is my character now. I'm the I'm the sidekick who just is really supportive of this other guy.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I like the word you used um affected. Because I feel like maybe opinion opinion's more of like this the symptom or the end result.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, opinion is like a standing away from it, you're removed from it and you're giving a judgment of it. Judgment, yeah, I didn't a response.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's not the right word. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So you're affected and you're in response.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, what about interpretation? Like you like they do something and then oh no, I think you're right. Effect being affected by it is the best word, I think. Yeah. For me, it resonates more. But I I guess I was trying to encourage people to I guess because I'm thinking more like in a cognitive world rather than emotionally, but it either is great. But um But yeah, you know, kind of just yeah, you know, interpret their movements and yeah, in that moment, because their instincts are still being developed, um kind of pushing or forcing that kind of interpretation or opinion of you know, it's just a physical movement, it's meaningless, but I'm gonna impose this what how do I feel about it? And oh I don't feel anything. They just turned around.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but okay, we need a that and then that's always the uh that's often the response because we're so not used to um really looking at you know how it affects us and how what it makes us feel. We think it's supposed to be this big giant feeling, but it isn't. It's just like this inkling of oh, well, that was interesting. That's I mean, that's an app that's a feeling, that's an opinion.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Noticing, yeah, yeah, just being able to notice it. I mean, already I guess that's the first step, isn't it? Is the like you were saying, is that everything is available um to you from the other performer. And so just having that focus on the other person to actually even notice these things and then letting it affect or or register on you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And then and then using that as fuel for your your next offer or your next or however you wish to uh respond.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. You got it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. That's good. Well, what about well okay? So then if mind readers are not the best improvisers, they're terrible.

SPEAKER_02

They're terrible improvised improvisers.

SPEAKER_01

You've seen you've seen the X-Men improv improv players. And they and they weren't that great? No.

SPEAKER_02

No, they weren't. The fact is that they they knew they weren't gonna be that great before they even did the show. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, so they've they they can read the future as well. Yeah. Oh wow, that's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02

I've already read your mind. I know whatever you I know exactly what you're gonna do.

SPEAKER_01

So then what about the opposite? So then would it be better? I'm obviously being facetious here, but would it be better if essentially instead of so mind reading is like you know going all the way into somebody's brain? What if they what if they didn't even think about the other person? They just did their own thing.

SPEAKER_02

Oh no, it's oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So is there a middle, so there is there a middle ground? Is that what it is? The middle ground is you we do you just know you, and that's it.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, no. Say that again. So the opposite is I would have.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just trying to push it the other way.

SPEAKER_02

Interpreted it as the opposite being that you're not reading anyone else's mind, you're you're so self-absorbed that you don't you don't even think about what the other improviser is thinking about.

SPEAKER_01

You just you don't think about what the other or yeah, and you and you just deal with what they do. A normal person uh a regular human being who doesn't have the ability of a mutant, okay, you know, is kind of like clarifying is is like, oh, I'm playing with this person. Oh, oh, Linda looks like oh, she she might want to do this or go there or whatever. Oh, I can help, you know, build that. Yes. What if we take a step away from that and it's only like I'm not even gonna try and think of what the other improviser wants me to do, I am just gonna take them at the surface level. Because you know how like we talk about with yes and we're yes anding the improviser, not the character, right? Um so what if we just only yes anded the character? So, you know, if I came in and go, Oh, Linda, you know, not Linda, Abigail, you know, don't touch this big pot of soup. It's very hot and special, you know. And then you just instead of being like, oh, you know, the there's something about the soup we need to play with and try and think about what James is trying to, what the improviser, you know, wants me to do. And if you just went to the character and went, oh, I'm not gonna touch the soup, okay, great, let's forget about the soup and let's get away from it, you know, and just like have nothing to do with it. Is that better? Um some ways I can almost feel it is, because you're kind of taking the truth of the character.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but then nothing would be at nothing will get addressed, would it? Isn't it you're kind of you're you're kind of blocking?

SPEAKER_01

Kind of, I guess.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, nothing would be addressed. The other thing is also that not being concerned about where it is that your partner is le leading you um deprives you, it means you're constantly having to invent create things yourself, I think, in that scene. Because you are kind of, you know, you're leading me towards the soup. And um I I might even just shelve that offer and not address the soup or do whatever straight away. In fact, it would be probably more fun to shelve it. Um but I have registered it and I'm going to bring it back.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yeah, there will be some sort of fulfillment of that, but not necessarily in the way that we've expected it.

SPEAKER_02

Because also it's you know, I'm not a selfish person, I'm not a selfish improviser, and so I am going to listen to your offer and kind of go, oh great, James has got something with his soup. Let's well maybe he hasn't. He doesn't know what he's doing either. Yeah, yeah. So we'll just see. Yeah, let's just see. But for me to to not take any of that on board, it's it's to be a selfish improviser.

SPEAKER_01

But I mean, you could take it on board, right? Like even if you're not thinking what what is the other person want to do with this, and you're just going, oh, there's a big pot of soup.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Well, you're thinking, well, what is it that we can do with this? What is it that we can do with this? Oh, okay. That's a that's an idea James has given me now. What can we do with this? Does it does it rather than what is it that James wants to do with this? Let me try and feel my way around his thinking.

SPEAKER_00

Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Because that becomes dangerous if you're if you're thinking that the other person has a plan and you've got to try and work out what that plan is.

SPEAKER_01

And you're trying to predict.

SPEAKER_02

You're trying to predict. Oh man, we've seen so much of that. It's such messy play.

SPEAKER_01

I've done that.

SPEAKER_02

And it m yeah, well, so have I. And it makes, and also you then there have been awful shows for me because I walk off thinking, I don't know if I got it. Yeah. Did I get it? Is that what you wanted me to do, Jack? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then you say, I don't know, I didn't have any plans at all. And I've spent the whole scene trying to make you happy, yeah. And not actually being a strong character myself.

SPEAKER_01

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02

Um highly likely that I haven't made any strong choices because I didn't know what the choice was that you wanted me to make. That and that's all like, no, don't do that. That's not helpful to anyone, and it makes you feel like you're the worst improviser in the world.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, that's exactly the scene you you think you're basically practically exactly describing the scene I'm thinking of that I've done. Um, I was performing, and um the other improviser basically was doing something, you know, like was basically like, oh, I really hope this dam doesn't break. And then I came on and was like, wait, does he want me to does he want me to go like, oh, the dam's broken? But like then the scene's over or immediately. So do I jump to the conclusion? But I know what well we know what that is, so we should probably get there. But maybe the first bit I should delay a bit, so maybe I should come in and the dam isn't broken yet. Too much planning, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then yeah, you're right. I didn't do any strong choices. I just came on and was like, I've got an announcement. I didn't even do that character voice, you know what I mean? But yeah, it was just and then and then afterwards I did ask, wait, what did you want me to do there? And yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I also feel like we should avoid as improvisers doing that kind of um feeding. Well, he wasn't he wasn't he wasn't that soup. I hope this dam doesn't break. Yeah, I hope this box of knives doesn't land on top of me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's your railroading, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, don't don't do it, folks.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, I was making that more didactic.

SPEAKER_02

Because it's also you're you're um you're feeding a joke, you're leading into a joke. Like I'm leading you into something. Yeah, it's like, no, man, take the put your ham back in your sandwich. Yeah. What? Put your ham back in your sandwich.

SPEAKER_01

At first I thought you said hand, and I'm like, ham in your sandwich? What?

SPEAKER_02

No. What does ham in your sandwich mean? Um, you're being uh I just made it up. Oh, but it will become popular soon.

SPEAKER_01

Well, it'll be on our t-shirt. It will.

SPEAKER_02

It means I think you're being a ham.

SPEAKER_01

I think you're being a kind of one.

SPEAKER_02

I've got an idea. Here it is. If in case you know, I'm making it really obvious to my fellow players and I'm making it obvious to the audience.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, I hope this box of matches doesn't suddenly fall into the fire or whatever. You know, you're saying wink wink at the audience. It's like no. Yeah, no, no, get over yourself. Yeah, get that ham back into your faccia. In between the cheese and the lettuce.

SPEAKER_01

And the and the maybe a bit of pesto and the pesto. Tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.

SPEAKER_02

Yummy yum. Um, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, great. So yeah, I think I I have been convinced I think there is no place for mutants in improv.

SPEAKER_02

I didn't say that.

SPEAKER_01

What?

SPEAKER_02

There's a there's a place for mutants.

SPEAKER_01

Oh. Well, I don't want the extra. We can be we can be judgmental to just the telepaths again. But if you have adamantium claws, if you can fire lasers from your eyes or control the weather.

SPEAKER_02

But I'm going to end a scene. Every scene would just end up.

SPEAKER_01

You're more than welcome.

SPEAKER_02

Death in a minute.

SPEAKER_01

That's the best game. That's the best the game they're best at, death in a minute. No, no. Xavier's gifted youngsters are doing death in a minute again.

SPEAKER_02

And then, yeah, I love you. Doing an I love you, Stein. I love you. I love you too. Everything ends with lasers. Ah, and on that note, should we call it there? Yeah, I think that was good. An end of an episode, folks. Ah, thank you so much for staying till the very end. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we did. Bumpy ride of thoughts. And we're glad that you did as well. Um, uh, we'd love to let you know that we have an email address for you to send emails to. Let us know what you're thinking. Um, also, but yeah, it was also if you have um questions uh or statements that you'd like us to chat about or investigate.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, or a topic or a thought or a thing you need some help on. Yeah. Write it, send it to us at lindatellsjames at gmail.com. Linda with an I, L-I-N-D-A tells James, J A M E S, at Gmail, G M A I L dot com.

SPEAKER_01

Mmm. That sounds right.

SPEAKER_02

Just say, hey guys, I have this thing that is worrying me. Also, if you like our podcast, why not leave a review?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, please. I've been told it's helpful.

SPEAKER_02

It's helpful.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, and if you don't like us, don't leave a bad review.

SPEAKER_02

Don't leave a bad review. Actually, don't be a poop head.

SPEAKER_01

Or uh or give us five stars, but in the review, write bad things. That's fine too.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, don't encourage this people. Why just want stars? Why be negative? Don't be a negative poo head. Yeah, but at least they can give us stars. Stars on everything, David. James. Which husband are you? James.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um, Dr. Ford, your slip is showing. Um, I've stolen that. Um, cool. All right. Well, yeah. And yeah, we got it with a new uh new episode every Tuesday coming out. Um yeah, that's it. So thank you very much, everyone.

SPEAKER_02

Um thank you, Nugget, for being the super excitable dog. Thank you, James, my friend.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you, Linda. Uh we'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Bye. I love you.

SPEAKER_01

Love you too.