Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

Prologue: Jim and I first met at the Kingston Buskers Rendez-vous in 1996 and I distinctly remember talking to him about this cool technology that people were starting to get into at the time – The Internet. We both went on to try and use the Internet as a tool and give something back to the community. Myself with a now defunct Performers Database and Jim with what has now become Performers.net. Jim was also a big part of the launch of Super Star Performer Cards as he and I ordered the very first cards for the 1999 season. Ah the memories…

Stats:

Name: Jim McCombe – AKA The Jim Show
Birthday: December 18, 1969 (Made it into the 60s by two weeks.)
Place of Birth: Salem, Massachusetts, The witch town
Started Performing/Working in the Industry: I did a magic show for my Grade 2 class at age 7. The next time I got on stage was in high school… From ’84-’87 I was part of a BMX freestyle team called Critical Mass. We traveled around New England and did demos at bike shops, camps and county fairs. I specialized in flatland tricks, but I was pretty good on a quarter pipe. I was also the team’s announcer, so when I wasn’t doing my part in the show, I would be on mic; cheerleading the crowd and explaining what the other guys were doing. I started juggling in college at UMass in 1988. I did a few little gigs in college here and there and made enough cash to buy lots of toys at Dube. Upon graduation, I moved to Boston and within a year I started street performing and handing out business cards for birthday parties and festivals. I’ve been making a living with my act since 1993.
Discipline: Comedy Juggler
Websites: http://www.thejimshow.com
http://www.performers.net
Video Link: http://www.thejimshow.com/video/
Venues Worked: A little bit of everything but circus, cruise ships and Disney! Hardcore street performing in Boston from 1993-2005. I had a busy college period, a busy festival period and a lot of corporate thrown in here and there. These days I do schools, festivals, corporate, “family theater” type events. I don’t really busk anymore but I do enjoy street performing in a festival environment.

Hot 10 Questions:

1. What’s your favorite color? • The rich, clean, vibrant green of a field of new spring grass. Think Irish countryside. That’s a color you can actually smell.
2. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream • I had Olive Oil ice cream at a Mario Batali restaurant in NY City and I have to say it was the best ice cream I have ever had. Sweet, salty, creamy, decadent.
3. Name one movie that would make it to your Top 10 all-time great films. • Seven Chances – Buster Keaton. – Sweet, romantic, clever, funny, impressive stunts. Perfect Keaton.
4. What was your favorite toy from childhood? • Is a bike a toy? The only thing I remember caring about from childhood through high school was my bicycle. I still have the bike I bought in 1985 with money saved from my paper route.
5. Who were your biggest inspirations when you got started? • It’s hard to say. There were a lot of great local acts in Boston when I was starting out… Peter Panic, The Airborne Comedians, Ken Zemach… but I didn’t see any real big “national” acts for the first few years I was performing. I didn’t meet or even see the “legends” (Checkerhead, Butterfly Man, Flying Dutchmen, Raspynis, etc.) until I had really developed an act.
6. From the world of animation what one character do you most identify with or see yourself in? •  The Roadrunner. And not because I’m really fast… just that I like to stay out of trouble. I try not to let things bother me; stay above/ahead of the fray.
7. Apart from the entertainment industry, name one other job you’ve had. • I think I can name every non-performing job I’ve ever had on one hand: Paper route, restaurant cook, book pubishing company warehouse shipper, ice cream scooper, camp “nature guy” (environmental educator).
8. What’s something you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try? • I am planning to learn how to make wine. But not just MAKE wine… I will be planting vines in spring ’09, growing grapes and then making wine about three years later in 2012. I’ve never done any of it before, but I’m hoping to get really good at it!
9. What’s your least favourite thing about being a performer? • Flying. Flying. Flying. I never get nervous before shows, but two days before I have to fly to a gig, I feel my blood pressure rise. Taking inventory, packing, double checking everything, lugging cases, taxis, airport security, baggage fees, and on and on… The whole rigamarole just sucks. I’d rather throw everything in the minivan and drive 8 hours.
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? • That’s a BIG “IF” man! OK, as long as we’re playing fantasy land, I’d love to hear God say: “Welcome, Jim… I see that Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra were just heading out to dinner. Would you like to join them?”

The Nugget:

Pick one nugget of wisdom you’ve picked up from your career in Show Business to share with the World.

When I was starting out street performing, I heard this nugget: “At the end of a street show, people don’t give you money because you just juggled 5 flaming torches, they give you money because they LIKE you.”

And that pertains to private gigs and every other kind of niche in this industry. It all comes back to likability. If you have the most unbelievable act in the world, but you’re a pain in the ass to work with or you make people uncomfortable on stage, you’re not going to go far. It doesn’t mean you have to be squeaky clean, just likeable! Butterfly Man is caustic, but likeable. Gazzo is obnoxious, but likeable. It’s an art. If you’re not born with it, it’s difficult to learn, but you will know it when you find it.

–Jim McCombe

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