We, THE PEOPLE

People: fickle, fun, grumpy, exciting, frustrating and inspiring.

People are great. People are crap. We are all part of one or the other, sliding along the scale as the events of our lives unfold. On good days we can be godlike, on bad, pick your own poisonous icon.

Even Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi had their flaws.

Just as we individually have positive and negative traits, our collective character can exhibit dichotomy or harmony. Where we land on that continuum is not fixed: it evolves as time progresses or situations occur. As world events grow more surreal, fractures in our psyches become more apparent in daily life.

If you ponder global chaos too long or too deeply, it is easy to slip into despondency. We minions are powerless on that scale, so it is more fruitful to look locally. Local might be your home, your city, your workplace. This is where you can do something to make a difference. Local can be on the road, or wherever the show is on today.

From ‘Hey, comrade’ to ‘Respect mah authoritah!’

Demarcation on show roles is often necessary because of the complexity and specialised technical nature of each domain. But using those boundaries as a competition between departments is childish; a puerile exercise in chest beating that only makes a difficult work environment even more so.

Shows where everyone works together, where everyone makes room for each other’s needs, always seem to come together so much more smoothly. Throwing a diva tanty because there’s “some trog shit in my way, and I only ever touch audio equipment, or I’ll catch a life-threatening pox” is never going to create harmony.

There is always enough space for every department to get most of what they need on a stage. If not, you are a rock pig trying to cram too much production into a venue too small while being too selfish to allow your fellow rock pigs to also indulge in production excess. I know this well, because I have both done that and been that. But always with courtesy. A little “hey, if you move that thing just 10 cm across, we can both fit all our toys in and not trip over each other. Waddyareckon, maaaaaate?” works wonders.

When egos are clashing, it is important to remember that lights, sound, video, backline, and numerous specialist segments are all there to enhance the same show. You know, playing for the same team and all that. No one person and no one role is more important than any other. Some tour managers or FoH audio engineers may beg to differ, but a successful show requires successful integration of ALL the parts.

Professionals who realise that they are not the centre of attention and only a cog in the machine will have a far easier time with the stresses of live event work.

They will also make more and deeper friendships than the hotheads. Their temperament will likely get them more gigs than self-appointed superheroes too.

Being a little humble, generally flexible, but standing your ground when needed, will gain much respect among team members. Of course, playing the class clown and having a lark have their places, turning long days of drudgery into laugh-fests. Do note: the fine line between playing around and bullying is easy to cross. Where it lies is up to your judgement, either crisp in 6B or blurry like crayon.

Structural organisation charts

Gigs are flattened hierarchies. There are a few versions. Version 1.0 has the artist at the top, management following, crew do OK, then: ‘oh yeah, we’ve got an audience’. Dreamworld, or not? Version 2.0 (the cynical one) sees management cream 90% of the coin, while flattering the artist before stiffing them and all associated parties, especially production companies. Crew get some warm beers left in the rider.

V3.0 is the best gig setup. Artists get management who care as much for the person as the money, crew are appreciated as crucial components of the experience (as human beings to boot), and no party gets treated unfairly. Most importantly, the audience enjoys the focus. Without happy punters, why are we doing shows anyway?

I’ve just finished a four-show run with a community theatre troupe. It was a stellar example of v3.0, with everyone pitching in to lift up everyone else. Above all, the audience left enraptured. That’s why I do shows.

A broader context

I also do politics, though that subject is far less savoury recently. Democracy might be the least worst political system we know of, yet it is showing plenty of limitations of late. Apart from a few notable collective outfits (here’s my Chumbawamba redemption arc), gigs are not democracies. But they don’t have to be fascist autocracies either; there are enough of those going on in the wider world already!

The trick is being mindful that, while we can do good things on our own, we can do greater things as part of a bigger team. It means being selfish enough to care that you do your job well, yet selfless enough to allow others to bloom alongside.

It is not woke socialism to recognise that working together lifts us all up. Step on your colleagues and they won’t invite you back. It is not PC madness to expect an inclusive workplace for all who enter. Fair cop and fair go apply equally to all. It is not the end of civilisation when a union-mandated safety feature means that you go home in one piece to your family at the end of the day. Or if you do get broken, that there are care plans and rehab readily available.

Real people give a toss about other people. Fakes care only for themselves.

Scraping the barrel

There used to be a morally dubious, trashy lads’ mag called People. It oozed with all the usual base-level boobs, bums and cheesy fnar, fnar lowbrow humour of the genre. Our newsstands were full of this bilge-like rubbish just a few decades ago. OG slop, if you will.

We don’t see many of those bottom-feeding (pinching?) publications now. For starters, newsstands are a relic of yore and the old grey mare of magazine publishing ain’t what she used to be. But more so, that low-rent garbage is now all over the internet instead, spreading like a psychic cancer across the digital mindscape.

The manosphere grift machine has tapped into the same market as those rags, just in a more contemporary format. The algos reinforce the same messages in a much more compelling and attention-grabbing way. Then, the more you watch, the more gets served to you, spiralling one crappy video at a time down murky rabbit holes.

Conversely, it’s possible to game the system a bit by actively seeking out more positive viewing, thus skewing your feed towards the good stuff.

Granted, it is not easy, but with careful curation and filtering, it is still possible.

There is a better way

The same approach can be taken to show life. There is no need to race straight to the bottom. Give some respect. Acknowledge the efforts of others. Know when to be profane and when to be profound. Both have their place. Help your work buddies; they will help you back.

Laugh at the situation, not the person, when someone has an off moment. Give them some space when the world is falling down around their head.

Occasionally, that person will be you and, at your time of need, you will be treated as you have treated other people.