For the kindness of strangers...

I know I haven't blogged in a while and this blog is not about my hypnosis shows, I'll write about my month of June later (I promise). This blog is about the kindness of strangers. This is the kind of story we should hear more about in our daily lives. And I could not be more greatful.

I did have 2 hypnosis shows scheduled yesterday, a 7:30 pm show at Normandy Farms Campground in Foxboro, Massachusetts and my last college orientation show at Becker College, scheduled for 11:00 pm. I left my house very early. I was going to take my time and drive up and enjoy the blue skies that finally arrived. If you live in Connecticut and New England you know about how bad the weather had been the entire month of June. As I was approaching the Foxboro exit I saw some very dark clouds overhead. I decided to stop at the Wrentham Outlet Shops before going to the campground. There was too much traffic at the shops so I continued to the campground. I don't know what made me look but I noticed needle on the battery gauge on my dashboard start to move down to the red zone. Not a good sign. As I drove on Route 1 I passed the street for the campground just as the rain started to come down in buckets. A little bit up the road was a NAPA store. I thought my battery was going dead, so I pulled in just as my car lost power completely. I bought a battery but had no tools to install it. The sales people were of no help at all. They just wanted to sell me the tools to do it myself. They suggested I try the used car lot next door.

Through the pouring rain, I ran over and pleaded my case. They were willing to help. One of the guys came back to my car with a booster pack, jumped the car and had me drive it around to the back of their lot. They had a single garage bay to work on their own cars. He open the door which let a flood of rain in to the garage. By now the rain was torrential and it was hailing big marble size hail. This was some of the worst weather I have ever seen. And did I mention I was soaked from head to toe. As he switched batteries he told me my alternator was dead. I would have to wait until Monday to get this fixed. I told him about how important it was for me to get to my shows. He called his mechanic, who was at a family event and told him my problem. The mechanic did not want to come but eventually agreed to. I went back to NAPA, which was closing up, bought the alternator and waited for the mechanic.

I knew I had to compensate the mechanic for his time but I had no cash. The guys at the dealership let me borrow a car off the lot, drive to a bank and use the ATM. Route1 by Gillette Stadium was flooded, bad. I got back and the mechanic showed up and fixed my car. When all was done I offered a tip to the guys from the car lot, after all they did for me, changing the battery, calling the mechanic and letting me borrow a car. They refused my money. I did pay the mechanic and it was well worth it.

Total time from driving into NAPA until I drove away was less than 2 hours. My 2 shows last night were terrific. My only regret about this entire experience, I did not ask the names of the 3 men that helped me out. It didn't seem neccessary as it felt like we were old friends. We did talk about many things during my stay in the car lots office, and this conversation seemed natural.

I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone who these nice people are:

Foxboro Auto Wholesale
130 Washington Street, Route 1
Foxboro, MA 02035
508.698.8888
www.foxboroauto.com

To these 3 men, this is a day I will never forget. THANK YOU so very much for your kindness.
I wonder what would my day have been like had I stopped at the outlet shops.

Steve

How to hire a stage hypnotist...

A comedy stage hypnosis show can be the funniest entertainment ever. But knowing how to hire the right one can be a daunting task... so here's some of my professional advise:

Okay, so you have an event planned and now you are looking into hiring the right entertainment. There are many options for you, one of which is a hypnotist. But who do you hire. There are quite a few in your area and most hypnotists don't mind traveling if they are outside your area. First thing you should think about is a hypnotist the right choice of entertainment? If this is for students in middle school, high school or college the answer is an astounding yes. Is this for senior center banquet, no way. Statistic show that people that might volunteer for a show average between the ages of 13 and 50. There are always exceptions. Most people over the age of 50 would rather watch the show than be the show. Also you have to think about how many people will be at your event. A good show can have as little as 20 but a great show averages 50 or more. Now that you think a hypnotist is perfect for your event, how do you find the right one to fit your audience.

If you have seen a hypnotist perform, this could be your first palce to start. You will know if this hypnotist is right for you. Second, do a Google search. Use "stage hypnotist", "comedy hypnosis" or words to this effect as your search criteria. View their entire web site. If you like what you see, make a note of this person. Don't forget a web site will spell out the virtues of this person and each web site will say that they are the one for you. Do more research. Check out YouTube and do the same searches there. This way you can see the hypnotist in action. Is the hypnotist a family-friendly entertainer at all times or does he alter his act to accomodate the client. There are many adult hypnotists shows out there. Is this what you want or do you want to take a chance on an adult entertainer toning down the show to accomodate students. Many hypnotist do this very well but again many push the envelope beyond good taste.

Call the hypnotist. You can get a better feeling for this person with a real converstaion rather than through email. Ask questions, a lot of questions. Ask about their experience, their training and the specifics about the show. Most people don't realize that a hypnotist does not need any formal training or license. And a hypnotist with a degree in psycology may not be the right choice either. Many hypnotist call themselves "master hypnotists". There really is no such designation. Other say they are a "certified hypnotherapist". The hypnotist can easily be qualified as such just by buying a lot of books or tapes from some of the organizations that hypnotist belong to. Ask for these answers. Other hypnotist will tell you they have 'many' numbers of years experience and they are only in their early 20s. The good entertainers, and that's what we are entertainers, will have a comfortable combination of study and actual stage experience. And don't forget to call for referrals from past shows.

These are some of the ways you can almost guarantee a qualified entertainer for your event. I will say this, and this is not a popular staement amoung hypnotists, but is the truth: there are a lot of hacks out there. These are the ones that promise the moon. But remember a hypnotist is like a tour guide, we take you places into your imagination. We are not the stars of the show, your volunteers are. And they should be treated as such.

To close this, let me try and answer the question that is usually first on eberyone's mind. How much should a show cost? Prices like everything, has its ranges. What is a fair price in New England may be too expensive in Florida. Some hypntist charge very little and others will blow you away with their fee. Weigh the value you will get with the fee charged. If the hypnotist comes very highly recommended and has worked a lot or has lots of practical experience, you can be sure the fee you are paying is fair. I know, I evaded the question. You want a dollar amount... a show could cost a little as a few hundred dollars or a show could cost a few thousand dollars. The fee is uaually based on the show itself. How many people will be attending the event, what kind of event is it (a sweet sixteen party or a major fundraiser), where and when will the event be held and how long a show do you want. These are only a few factors.

Enjoy your show, laugh at the antics of your friends as they volunteer, and remember most of us do a great job. That's why we are in the business and why we have been doing it consistantly throughout the years.

Please go to http://knol.google.com/k/steve-wronker/how-to-hire-a-stage-hypnotist/3v7xpib0ho2uj/1#1 and write a review if you agree with my comments.

Here's hoping I have the pleasure of entertaining you soon.

The old compare and contrast story...

Two show in two consecutive nights and two different stories:

Night number one, last Thursday night, I was to perform at a high school in Rhode Island for the very first time. The student who took care of all the arrangements was very excited about me coming to perform. I had previously performed at 3 other schools in the state and the word spread about how much fun my shows were. She said she and her classmates wanted my show as a fundraiser for their class. I had suggested putting up posters in the school to advertise the show and adding a facebook event page to help spread the word. I have been using facebook events for the last couple of months with modest results, even though many students have their own facebook page. This she did. What happened over the next few weeks was astounding.


432 students acknowledged this event. 115 confirmed the date, 135 said maybe attending, 144 were not attending and 38 was waiting to reply. It didn't matter that one third of those aware of the show were not coming. They KNEW about the show. In fact 432 students KNEW about the show. How many students were aware of the show but don't have facebook and didn't figure into this equation. I am sure there were many. I am totally blown away with the effort that went into this simple facebook event notice. No school has ever had this kind of response. Great job everyone.

And now we come to the night of the show. 7PM start time and the kids were still lined up at the door to get in. $10 a ticket, too. Not only the students but parents and families as well. We waited until everyone got in before we started the show. When I was introduced, you could have lit up a small city with the energy from this audience. The sense that something special was going to happen permeated the air.

I won't go into all the details of the show, especially not Sara's wild dancing ;-) but the moment I asked for volunteers, (and there were many), to the final bow, this was a sensational show. I really had a great time. And I never expected this to be as it did. Thank you SHS!

BTW, as I write this, I have been friended by 46 of the students on facebook and their comments were very high praise. They posted many photo galleries and added many video clips on YouTube. I really hope we can do this again next year.

Then there was my 7PM show on Friday night...

Let's compare this to my last show. Those that came out, came out to have a good time. That's where the comparison ends. Let's contrast this . Only 24 students came out. I had performed in this New Hampshire high school for the past 3 years with spectacular results; really good shows. But this group just didn't do anything to advertise the show except put up a (meaning 1) sign saying: Comedy Show, May 8, 7PM, Students $5, Adults $8. That was it. In the past, they advertised this show on their local cable access channel, put up posters all over town and papered the school walls with posters as well. This time nothing. The students' advisor wondered where everyone was.

Anyway I still did the show. The audience had 24 students, the advisor and 9 adults from the community. Joe DiMaggio once said, "I give 100% every day because there may be someone in the crowd that has never seen me play, and that person deserves my best". Rules to live by. I hypnotized 11 students and had another good time. I do wish we had a lot more in the audience because they lost a lot of money on this fundraiser. They just made no effort to promote it.

After the NH show I had the first of this year's after prom party. The show started at 2:00 AM.It was a fun show even though I was totally exhausted after driving up to New Hampshire, doing the show, then driving back down to Tufts University near Boston. But I enjoy this school and the party they put on is a lot of fun. Good food too 'cause you tend to get a little hungry at that time of night. It was a long drive home in pouring rain. Got in around 6:00AM, and went to sleep.

Next weekend , I start all over again. I can't wait!

I need your opinion... please!

In quick response to yesterday's blog, which was written tongue in cheek, I now need to explain why I wrote it. Basically it comes down to this: I lost a booking because I did not have a moniker. I was asked by a potential client how she could judge me against all other hypnotists if I do not claim I am the world's best, funniest, greatest etc. My intitial reaction was, "Was this lady NUTZ?" She told me that last year she hired a 'hilarious hypnotist' who was not that hilarious. The group loved the idea of another hypnosis show but wanted someone better qualified. Rather than talking to other people that have hired other hypnotists and getting their recommendations, she was relying on the hypnotists themselves to qualify how funny they were. This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard.

I have reread the above paragraph a few times to make sure I got it right. I think I did. This was the craziest call I ever got. BTW, I did not book the show, nor would I want to perform for her and her group.

But it got me thinking...

I need your opinion... please!

Should I fall into the hype and add a moniker to my name?
Should I call myself Steve Wronker's Funny Business, the _____________ hypnotist in the world!

Fill in the blank with: funniest, hilarious, greatest, best or most entertaining or even add your own adjective.

I'm really joking. Please don't do this. I am happy just being me. Steve Wronker.

The Best, Funniest, Greatest, Hilarious, Most Entertaining... (yeah yeah yeah)

If you google "hypnotist" you get 2,080,000 results. WOW! There is a lot of us out there. According to Google, of these two million plus hypnotists, seven hundred fifty eight thousand claim to be the best, two hundred twelve thousand are the greatest, one hundred eight thousand are the most entertaining, sixty two thousand the funniest and ONLY fifty eight thousand two hundred say they are hilarious.

So how do I go about finding how to get into these elite groups. And who decides which group(s) I should belong to. I have been performing for almost 23 years and I have never been asked to join. Do I decide for myself which category. I will admit that my show (and most every other hypnosis show) is funny and hilarious. But is this a reflection on the hypnotist himself. Or is it is the response we get from our volunteers, the way they carry out our suggestions that make this show one of the most unique forms of entertainment out there. Most likely the audience knows or is very likely aware of one or more of the volunteers. And how they respond to the suggestions makes this personal to each member of the audience. That's when you can say the show is funny, hilarious, best or (add your own adjective here). Yes as the hypnotist we can interject humor before and after each routine or say something that might add to the humor of the situation, but after all it is not the hypnotist the audience came to see. It is their friends, family and acquaintances they came to watch. To watch act silly in circumstances they would never be in.

As I have said in the past, I am not the star of the show, but my volunteers are. They deserve the applause, the accolades, the adjectives. So I think I am going to start a new club. I will not call it "Steve Wronker's Funny Business, the (Best, Funniest, Greatest, Hilarious, or Most Entertaining) Hypnotist in the World" But I should call it 'Steve Wronker's Funny Business... the comedy hypnosis show with the Best, Funniest, Greatest, Hilarious and Most Entertaining volunteers in the World'. And I give membership card #1 for each of my many volunteers. I will gladly share duplicates with all my volunteers.

Wha' do ya' think?

So I shameless say, hire me, even though I'm just the hypnotist, a guy who knows what to say and how to say it. But with me you get the best volunteers out there. They ARE your family, friends and acquaintances, people you know, maybe even you. And they make my show the best, funniest, greatest, hilarious and most entertaining show around.

See you soon!

Joining the ranks of 180 years of entertainers...

Last Friday evening I had the privilege of performing for the Littleton Lyceum in Massachusetts. What made this special for me was the fact that this Lyceum has been in existance since 1829. For those that do not know what a lyceum is; Wikipedia defines it as a "public hall used for social events". *Founded in 1829 when Littleton, MA was a rural farming community, the Littleton Lyceum is the oldest continuous lyceum in the country. Rooted in the past, with an eye to the future, the Littleton Lyceum adds to the quality of life of each and every citizen. With the financial support of regular subscribers, two endowments and many local businesses, the Lyceum brings affordable, enlightened entertainment to the residents of Littleton and surrounding towns. Although this show was performed in the high school auditorium, it did not detract from the notion of what history was taking place. Not that my act itself was historic but I was honored to continue the tradition.

What made this show memorable was the vast age difference of the volunteers, 12 years old was probably the youngest and a gentleman in his 60s was the oldest. (I hope I did not insult him with this guesstimate of his age. He could have been a little younger or a little older). Anyway I would like to thank all those that came out and watched, laughed and/or participated.

On a side note, being that I enjoy history, I was wondering what different type of acts over the last 180 years was hired to perform for the lyceum. I know there have been singing and dancing acts, poetry reading, lecturers and many type of variety acts and I am aware of other hypnotists, but coming from a background as a magician, I am curious to research what famous magicians performed for Littleton residents. I am very sure that during the early 1900's magicians such as Howard Thurston and Harry Houdini toured regularly on the lyceum circuit. I will research through magic history to find out.

To find out more about the Littleton Lyceum please visit their website at http://www.littletonlyceum.org/ and tell them Steve Wronker sent you.

The coming months of May and June have shaped up to be the busiest May and June in my 22 years of performing. May is a great month because it is the beginning of the all-night prom shows, campgrounds shows, senior week performances and at the end of the month the kick-off for the high school all night graduation parties. It's a really crazy schedule with some senior week shows starting at 8:30 AM and the graduation parties (a few nights 3 shows) starting at 11:00PM, 1:00AM and 3:00 AM. Yes you read that right, performances throughout the night. As each year passes and I get another year older, these shows are still as fun as when I started doing them in 1988. The only thing that gets to me is the drive. Some shows are a 3 hour drive each way. I do a lot of napping in my car. But boy do I love May and June.

I think I'll take a short nap now for practise... so until next week,

See ya !

*taken for the Littleton Lyceum website

Thanks Alex and a Sweet 16

This was a slow week with only 2 shows. Last Tuesday I performed at a high school , one of my favorite schools. This night was as wild as ever. Let's see; we had the 3 amigos Andy, Ryan & Mitchell, who kept falling from their seat, Lindsay who couldn't remember her first name but has a beautiful middle name Rose and then we had Haley who thought she needed her boyfriend's permission to be hypnotized. She got it. Alex thanks for being a great sport about all the teasing! And then we had the rest... they were all very animated and did a TERRIFIC job. Lots of photos on my web site and on my Facebook, page. But here's a few to wet your whistle.

And last night I had the pleasure of entertaining 14 young women during a sweet 16 party. Everyone knew I was coming but the birthday girl. She went nuts! Altho she chickened out to volunteers, 5 of her friends did and we had a great time. Especially as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I don't get to perform in this intimate of a setting as offen as I would like. These kind of shows can be ad-libbed and we all had such great fun.

Big show this week in Littlton, Massachusetts. See you there!

Driving home... I was feeling great !

Slow week for me, only one show and that was yesterday, Saturday night. It was a private party, a 50th birthday party. It was set at a yacht club on Long Island. The sunset was gorgeous as it set over the cove, an inlet to the Long Island Sound. I should have brought my camera, it was a perfect setting. Anyway, my show was after the dinner and birthday cake was served. Total number of people in the room: 17 family members. This small amount of people was a recipe for disaster for a hypnosis show as I am used to being in front of many more people. They invited me to eat dinner with them. This was very much appreciated and unexpected. Thank you very much. When it was time for me to start I was apprehensive but showed an air of confidence that we would have a good show. And boy did we ever.

Earlier that evening, I had twittered that the room was so small, no where to set up my sound system and absolutely no room for the volunteers to perform and I did not know what I was going to do. But when it was time to start, I realized I knew exactly what to do. And that was to be myself and put on the best show I know how. I talked to them a little bit about hypnosis and then asked for volunteers. I got 7 volunteers.

To make a long story short, they all passed my testing, they all got hypnotized and they all performed throughout the show. Not one woke up. I had no microphone so I had to talk very loudly, a small boom box that I hooked my iPod up to for music. I did my normal show and I had a ball. And so did the 7 volunteers and the 10 family members that made up the audience.

This show statistically should not have worked but it did, and to great success. The show was video taped and as I left, they all huddled around the video camera to watch the show again.

As George Peppard used to say on the A-Team TV show... "I love when a plan falls together!"

As I was driving home, I was feeling great!

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all!

Steve

ps... you can follow me on Twitter; search for SWFB

Small Town America Has Moxie

Another weekend of shows, another 600 plus miles on the car. My show Friday night had real Moxie. That's because the show was up in Lisbon, Maine. This is the hometown of the soft drink Moxie. (It's an acquired taste!) The show was a fundraiser for the middle school but what I really enjoyed was that the entire town was invited to attend. For a seven dollar admission you received a spaghetti dinner and the show. The organizers were surprised more people didn't show up. Maybe next year now that they know what my show was all about. Sometimes going into a small town, a hypnosis show can be daunting because most people have preconceived ideas about a hypnosis show. You know; how dirty and embarassing they all are. I'm glad that those that were there thought very different. The turn out was still pretty good and I know that those in attendance had a really good time. One of the things I really love about these open to the public town shows is the different age groups of volunteers I get. There were middle school students, high school students and quite a few adults. And these different age groups respond to suggestions differently from each other. I love that.

I really do hope we get to do this again next year. I know the turn out will be much bigger. Where else can you get a huge spagetti dinner for seven bucks. Here's 3 photos from that show.

My Saturday night show is always one of my favorite schools to perform for. Over the years some of the best groups of volunteers came from this school. Saturday was no exception. Especially since one of the stars of the show was the son of the person who hired me this year. Way to go Jonathan, you were TERRIFIC ! One of the biggest supporter of the athletic booster club could not be with us this year. He is deployed as a Department of the Army civilian in Kuwait. We missed you but send you our best wished to stay safe and be home soon. He has seen all of the photos from the show and has said how much he enjoyed them. I hope he will be in attendance next year.

Another fun item about this show. I have been creating a facebook event about each of my shows. This school had 254 RSVP's. Not everyone had said they were attending, but the fact that there were that many students responding was overwhelming. I hope this works for the rest of my shows. it is a great way to get momentum going.

Here's three photos from this show.

Well that's it for this week. All the photos from these and other shows can be found on my web site: http://www.swfb.net/ Take a look and give me your comments and reviews.

In the groove... or so I thought

Interesting week for me. Last Wednesday I was at one of my favorite high schools; Douglas High. This show was my 10th show for this school. I started out doing fundraising for the baseball team. Then the coach took another job and the fundraising went to the student council. Now this show fund raises for the all night graduation party.

Anyway the show was a fun as any I have performed there. We had some wild volunteers (I won't mention Brandon by name ;-) and as he screamed afterwards about being terrific, "THANKS, I KNOW !!!! The photos were fun to look at. And I want to thank the many that came up to me after the show to say how much they enjoyed themselves. I hope to see all of you again next year. Tell your friends what they missed and next year we can have a much bigger crowd. I am working on many new routines you won't want to miss.

Thursday was a show for a Rhode Island middle school. No photos were taken but I can assure you, those that came out were treated to a really fun night. I really like how the younger kids interprets each routine. From the smiles I saw coming from our clothes designer (um... I mean school principal), I think she had a great time as well. Not a big student turn out but many families. I hope we can do this again next year when the kids that didn't show up realize what they missed by not coming out.

I love perfoming night after night as I can get into a groove and the shows seem to get better and better. Most performers will tell you how they into the zone night after night and EVERY show is better than the last. But that is not always the case, as I will tell you. I am going to keep the details completely anynomous because I am sure other entertainers of all kind might have better success than I did. Okay here goes...

I booked a show Saturday night at an upstate New York Comedy Club. Someone there had seen me perform at Bayley's Camping Resort in Maine many times and thought this would be perfect for this venue. I thought so as well. Anyway, I get to the club early, as I was going to get something to eat before the show. I pull up at the address given me and all I see is a restuarant. I go inside and ask for dirction to the club and was told this is it. They hold shows in the back room (they call it a banquet room but my living room was bigger). I set up my sound system, set up the chairs for volunteers. I only had room for 5 chairs. The rest of the room was set up with those big round banquet tables and 10 chairs to a table. Not much room to breathe in there. I hope you get the picture.

As the 8:00PM show time was approaching I was getting worried as no one was seated yet. I thought maybe they were in the bar waiting for the start time. 8pm came and went. 8:10, 8:20, 8:30, no one. Then a group came in. 14 people to be exact. Then a server came in bringing 4 buckets of beer. The club owner came up to me and said I could start the show now. I asked if more people were expected and he said this was a big crowd for him. I started my intro and then I asked for volunteers they looked at each other, then me, then laughed. They must have thought this was the comedy routine they came in to hear. I assured them that without their participation there could be no show. Well guess what happened next... nothing! Not one person wanted to do this.

As I started to pack up, the owner came in and gave me hell for not doing a show. We discussed that without volunteers, what was I to do. He said this was a comedy club and go back and be funny. Those were his words... go be funny. I won't repeat what the converstaion was next. But after pointing out that my contract for the evening was for a hypnosis show and not a stand up comedy show, I fulfilled my part. He reluctantly paid me and I couldn't get out of there any faster. I later found out he never advertises but as he books an act he tell his patrons that this coming Saturday night there would be some kind of entertainment. Hellova way to run a business. He must make his money on his restuarant because dinner was delicious!

Here are some photos from Douglas High School:

I haven't had this much fun in a long time!

After each performance I usually receive a lot of comments about the show from those that attended or volunteered. Comments are left on my web site guestbook, my facebook page or directly with the photographs that were taken during the show. I also have people come up to me after the show to say how much they enjoyed it. The other night was no different... except....

I was packing up my sound equipment after the show and these 4 guys came up on stage. They all reached out to shake my hand and said the typical "great show!" Except for one of them. He held my hand just a little bit longer than most guys would do while shaking hands. He looked me directly in my eyes and said, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Wow! I usually never get this kind of statement from a guy and he had such convictions in his voice. This made me feel good knowing he definitely did not look the type to put his true feelings on the line.

We all talked about their favorite moments from the show and all 4 said they would like to try to volunteer next year. It was a wonderful conversation. They offered to help me pack up and load the equipment into my car. All this is not what I expected from this group. I guess the old saying is true; you can't judge a book by its cover. They made my night.

Anyway, I had three shows this past weekend, a high school fundraiser, a Catholic school lock-in, and a fun night for a middle school PTA (where entire families were invited to attend). It always amazes me that in these shows, I say the same suggestions during the show but get such different interpretations some of the time. And after all, the volunteers are always different so I should expect such.

Case in point: One of the routines I enjoy is when the volunteers don't remember a particular number. (See my video of this special routine on my web site). They count their fingers and end up counting eleven fingers. The look on their faces are always priceless. Then they count again, but this time they have 12 fingers. In my show last Thursday night, I had one of the volunteers stand up next to me and count her fingers. She got the same results, first 11 then 12. Yes she was dumbstruck but then boldly claimed she had "a friend with only seven fingers" The laughter from the audience was deafening. And she said this with such a straight face. I love when things like this happen. Not planned by any means but purely ad-libbed on the part of the volunteers.

So I agree with the sentiment said at the beginning; I haven't had this much fun in a long time! Anyway, not since my last show. I can't wait for my next one.

I hope I have the pleasure to entertain you soon

Steve

PS... And to Alan Brackett, the newspaper photographer at my Thursday show, many thanks for your kind words after the show. I never compare myself to other entertainers as we all are different but what you said to me was very much appreciated. Very much!

Here are a few photos from the last weeks' shows.

On the road again...

On the road again...
Just can't wait to get on the road again...
The life I love is laughing with my friends...
And I cant wait to get on the road again.

These lyrics from a Willie Nelson song and many lyrics like this from other singers and groups have never held so true. I live in West Hartford but on any given weekend I jump in my car and head out for another set of shows. I travel constantly and love every mile of it; whether if it is to Maine or Massachusetts, New Hampshire or New York or any place in the northeast United States including my home state of Connecticut. I love to travel. On a good year, I can end up putting 35 plus thousand miles on my car. My car; sometimes it seems like it is my second home but I'm comfortable in it. I have my sunglasses, a cooler with cold drinks (even in winter), I have my XM radio and my iPod. What else do I need for my travels.


And the best part is I know where my destination lies. In a school auditorium, a VFW hall or outdoors in a family campground and many many places just like these, I know when I reach my destination soon I will be putting grins, smiles, giggles and laughter in the heart of my many audiences. What a great way to earn a living. Everyday I feel blessed that I can do what I love; entertain. And I love what I do.


Thanks to all that came out this Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights...

And here's to you...
I hope I have the pleasure of entertaining you real soon.

signing off... on the road again,
Steve

Respect is what it boils down to...

I have to write this follow up to my last blog. Last night I received a phone call from a high school parent who was looking to book my show. It seems this school had hired hypnotists (that's plural) in the past and was very uneasy with the show some of these hypnotists presented. The complaint was the show was not appropriate for high school students. She asked if my show was any different.

I asked her to describe the routines the adults didn't care for and if the students found it offensive as well. She said the students thought the routines were very funny but the teachers and chaperons didn't. She singled out a few specifics: one routine had a male volunteer give birth. He had his legs up in the air and the other volunteers were cheering him on to 'push' and 'breathe'. The adults thought about the epidemic of teenage pregnancy and thought this was entirely wrong. Another routine, used in the guise of prevention, had the volunteers drink imaginary beer and become quite drunk. The hypnotist said this was to demonstrate what an idiot looks like with intoxicated and you should not do this.

After hearing these and a couple other stories, I said that sometimes it is hard to imagine what will happen during a show. Yes I did say that my show guarantees not to embarrass, humiliate or degrade any volunteer. Those 3 words I use extensively in my advertising. I also said in my 22 years of performing I have always kept my promise. She said that is what "they all say". I told her I was very proud of my reputation and she could call any past client and ask for herself. I suggested she do a google search for Steve Wronker and look at past reviews. I also suggested to search YouTube and look at the videos. This is a great way to see what you might get as far as routines go from all entertainers you might want to hire.

Most hypnotists are tried and true professionals. But there in an influx of younger or inexperienced hypnotists out there. Although they are not all to be lumped into the same category, most just don't have the knowledge to understand what is expected of them from the client. They do the show for themselves, not the client. Do you homework. If a client wants an entertainer that performs adult shows (R & X-rated or suggestive material) than that is their decision to make. If you want a performer who who can distinguish when and where to interject adult material, then you should hire that one. Now I know I am going to sound egotistical but if you want a hypnotist that has never done any show but a clean show you should hire me. Yes there are others out there that fit this bill as well, but I want you to hire me not them.

Tonight I am performing at a local university. They have had many hypnotists in the past. One just a few weeks ago. But I was hired to perform a clean show. Not everyone wants to see an 'R' rated show, some just want to have good time, an old fashioned fun filled evening. I know that's exactly what they are going to get. No embarrassment... no humiliation... no degradation. And I bet I get a lot of volunteers who would never dream of participating in those other shows.

Remember, as the client, you dictate what you want out of the performer and the hypnotist should always respect your wishes. Anyway that's all for now. I hope I have the opportunity to entertain you soon.

Still ranting on... sincerely
Steve

And here they are... the stars of your show !

Boy was this a busy weekend for me. 5 shows. A really fun show Friday night that had all 17 volunteers remain hypnotized throughout the show. There are some photos on my web site. I had 2 Sweet-16 parties and they are always a blast to do. But the one I really got into was for the Water-Oak VFW. These type of shows are usually a hit or miss but this was a bull's eye. Bob and everyone at the VFW did a great job in getting people to this show. This was a fundraiser to help restore the VFW for the returning American Soldiers from Iraq. Well done Bob! Although the show itself was a lot of fun it was what happened after the show that I will always remember.
I was approached by one of the audience members after the show who, as we spoke about the show, gave me the ultimate compliment. She said she had always enjoyed watching hypnotism shows and went on to name a few other hypnotists that she had seen (all of which I know or know of). She had said she had seen me several times at a local campground and what made me stand out over all the others was that I was entertaining.

She went on to say that most hypnotic routines are very funny, some more so than others, but it is what goes on from the hypnotist between the routines that distinguishes one hypnotist from another. She said most hypnotists try and be funny but at the expense of the volunteers and/or the audience. Also, she went on, that a lot of the hypnotist believe they are the stars of the show. They take the applause for how the volunteers followed the suggestions. She felt the true stars are the volunteers, not the hypnotist. I could not agree more. If you have seen my show, you know the way I acknowledge the volunteers at the very end. Anyway, to sum up her humbling compliment, she finished by saying she enjoyed the way I treated the volunteers and the audience; with respect. And then she made me laugh by saying that I was 'a really funny guy.' I hope to see her at many of my upcoming shows. Thanks for the kind words.

On my way home from the show I started thinking about what she had said. I have heard these compliments before, in fact many times before. It made me think about my philosophy about my performances. I have always felt that since there are so many other hypnotists available (plus many other performers in other fields), I had to seperate myself from the rest. The basic concept of a hypnosis show is the same no matter who the hypnotist; we get volunteers to do silly things (or R-rated things if that is what the client wants).

So when I starting doing these shows 22 years ago, I decided to have a few ground rules for myself. I want to give a great show at a competitive price, and then give them a little more. I decided that since I come from a background as a family-friendly magician, that my hypnosis shows would be family-friendly as well even if the audience is entirely adults. I believe most people would like to experience hypnosis but have the fear of embarassment or in some cases total humiliation. I know there is a place for adult-humored shows and I have no problem with that. But I have always wanted the people that come to my shows to have no trepidation about volunteering for my show. So I have promised never to embarass, humiliate or degrade any volunteer. My show has been and always will be one you can count on to be fun without the typical misconceptions about a hypnosis show, whether you want to watch the show or be the show.

So I want to end this rant by again saying thanks for the compliment and please remember that at the end of my show I want you applaud really load because...

... here they are, the STARS of YOUR show !

please comment about my rant. What are your feelings?

until next week.. We'll do this again ! Steve

5 minutes to hide the money...

This was a great weekend for me. I had to rearrange the date from my Thursday night show and then the phone rang. It was someone looking to replace a hypnotist they hired who wasn't going to show up. I lose one show and gain another. WOW... even-Steven (if you know the expression). This show a private gig so I am going to let the details slide. Let's just say it was way cool.

Friday rolls around, I pack my bags and head out for Long Island. I took the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson. I really look forward to these trips to the island because I was born there and spent the early part of my childhood in Levittown. So anywhere on the island is home for me. Plus I'm hooked on White Castle hamburgers and have been since I was a kid. Before settling in my hotel I had lunch at a new BBQ place in Port Jefferson Station; Rib City Ale House. I highly recommend the baby back ribs. They were cooked to perfection. Stop by and tell'em Steve the Hypnotist told you to go.

Show time... This was my forth year fundraising for the lacrosse team at Comsewogue High School. Another great turn out and some really animated volunteers. But the highlight of the show just had to be this... (if you saw the show, you will know what I'm talking about). It comes time to hide the money. I say you have 3 seconds, that's THREE SECONDS to hide the money somewhere on you. So what does this guy do; he takes a real long time, approximately 5 minutes hiding what must have been to him ten thousand one dollar bills. In his shirt, in his shirt sleeves, in his pant legs, in his socks, his shoes and of course... in his... well, just look at the photo.

In all my years, all my shows, this was the longest anyone has ever taken to hide the money. And with each passing moment it got funnier and funnier and funnier until finally all his money was safely tucked away. I really hope someone in the audience got this on video. Please please let me know if you did. Anyway here are 2 other photos from the show. All 90+ photos that I took are on my web site http://www.swfb.net/ . I really hope to see you all again next year. A big shout out and thanks to Maryellen and all the volunteers who keep bringing me back. I do appreciate it and love coming out.

Saturday night I had the opportunity to perform at Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island. For my first performance in a school the turn out was impressive. This was a fundraiser with the profits going to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). I got a very enthusiastic group of volunteers and we had a blast. There are lots of photos from the show, again on my SWFB web site but here are 3 of the images I like a lot. From the responce I have gotten on my Facebook page it looks like and sounds like everyone had a great time. I hope I get a chance to do it again next year. Props to Laura and all her volunteers and to John for recommending me. Thanks all ! You were TERRIFIC !

TTYL...Steve