What Do Buskers Mean By Roaches, And What's A Roach Show?

-how to work the hard pitch.

Well gather around kids and let grandpa tell you a story.

Over the years I have been asked to write about this. I have been reluctant to talk about this subject, because Roach is a derogatory term used secretly amongst performers.

The term Roach is a special type of saboteur within the audience.

I have always felt uneasy talking to students about Roaches and how to squash them, because it can create a bad state of mind for the beginner. After all, our goal is to spread love.

Nevertheless, Roaches are a reality, and are one of the things a busker is subjected to when they go out there. So, finally, against my better judgment, I'm going to take a stab at this.

This shouldn't have to be said, but never call anyone a Roach, when performers talk about it, they wisely talk about it amongst themselves in secret, with low voices, because it can be construed, by the general public, in many ways disastrous.

With that said.

The most important thing one should understand about a roach is that it is a term directed to a behavior, NOT any one group of people in general.

In fact, Roaches come from all walks of life, rich, poor, educated, ignorant, any language, any creed, even male or female, they run in groups, or they run alone.

So what is a Roach?

A Roach is a type of extreme heckler, but with a special motive.

A Roach is a person who needs your show to fail, who is hostile to your show and confrontational, always rushing you and trying to catch you, trying to show others your show is a waste of time, yet they stay the whole time, relentlessly trying to think of ways to trip you up.

They are not a Heckler, they are something more.

They tend to show up in close up shows, because close up shows can feel more interactive to the spectator.

Lets unpack this.

Why would a person stay the whole time and watch something they believes sucks?

Because they know it doesn't suck, they just don't want to pay you, and they need an excuse not to look like a bum when they don't tip you.

The first goal of a Roach is to devalue the show.

The second objective, is to gain the center of attention, and then break up the crowd, so they don't have to pay.

The Roach assumes he has a stronger personality and the performer is weak, because he doesn't believe a street performer could be any good.

You see the Roach is doing a magic trick too, they are appearing to be a person who is dissatisfied with the product, so that they can get it for free.

You'll know them by their aggressive behavior.

Over the years I have interviewed Roaches about this and watched their behaviors, and they have assured me, that this is their motives and their beliefs.

Sadly yes, I have done the research.

Once one knows their little secret, it can be turned around on them quickly. Strangely enough most Roaches are fair and play by a rule, that if they are exposed to the whole crowd, they will stop.

When you turn the light on in a room, the Roach knows the jig is up, and there's nowhere to run.

The performer must be very careful not to lose the crowd when doing this and the Roach knows this, and is figuring there is nothing the performer can do.

Prove him wrong, hold your crowd and shut him down!

Another method which is different then the first, is to try and keep upstaging the Roach, I think this method works sometimes, depending on the endurance of the Roach, but I always feel bad about myself at the end of a long day of Roaches, I don't suggest it.

If the performer finds themselves on a pitch infested with Roaches, the first plan of action should be to leave, and run like the wind. If this is not possible, one can shift gears and do a Roach Show.

THE ROACH SHOW-

This is a loud show. It machine guns, rapid cutting patter and strong manipulation tricks. One should use a lot of nervous sudden movement around the pitch. This rapid pace, and erratic behavior leaves no room for interruption. And it is all ended abruptly by asking for money, with very direct language.

In the show you will need to show no fear, and have a bit of a dominant personality, don’t let them push you around.

If a Roach interrupts in any way, expose him! Simply give him the option to tip or remain silent and watch. After the interruption you must continue immediately with the show. The mood of the show, if one can imagine this, is to be stern, fun, direct and to the point with no lulls.

If your show is too long, you'll know it. Cut it down to avoid any openings for the Roach.

If this is done right, you can win the respect of a Roach, and yes even get paid.

Depending how well you earn their respect, they can even be generous, because they feel you understood them and delivered on their expectations as a real Magician. And yes, I know this is a hustle, and it's not a real way to present a Magic Show, but why do you think they call them Roaches.

I've seen Pros do Roach Shows, and make huge money. while the others bombed out with zeros. Sure, Roaches are tough and it feels like combat, and it's not art, but if you have bills to pay, and this is your only option, you better learn.

After all, this is the life we chose, right?

Lets say you're on a pitch, peppered with Roaches, and you see some "Citizens" out there, well, you can purge the Roaches to get to the good people.

PURGING-

Purging, is where the performer does the reverse, they slow way down and waste time and wait out the Roaches to leave, purging them from the audience, (Roaches hate to wait) this leaves the performer with the good qualified people who are willing to wait, then you can slow it down and do a civilized show, and the Citizen will appreciate this and tip well, that's why we call them Citizens (aka-decent people).

The thing about purging, is that it can be nerve racking, after all, we're geared up to stop everyone right? You will need to fight this urge and be patient and be confident.

Remember, Roaches smell fear.

And be warned!

Don't do Roach shows for Citizens.

If the performer wrongly judges a crowd as Roachy, and proceeds with a Roach Show, this will backfire, and you will find yourself attracting roaches all day, and driving off good audiences and good shows.

If you are on a good pitch where citizens go and you're doing Roach shows, it will make you look like a hustler. This will hurt your reputation.

Also you don't need to do Roach shows for Hecklers. That's like using a shotgun to kill a fly. You must be very careful in your career to not treat Hecklers like Roaches.

Not all Hecklers are Roaches anyway, sometimes you may just be dealing with a fun loving Heckler that got out of hand, or maybe even someone who said something Heckle-ish, but didn't mean it that way. Or maybe, just maybe, you're dealing with someone in a hurry, but they want to see something, these are not Roaches, go easy,

Remember to stay fun.

Try and spread love first.

But if it is a Roach, don't let them ruin the show for the rest of the people.

Handle it.

If you have a show that you have written yourself, it is SUPER EASY to handle Roaches or any other problem out there.

Most of the problems beginners have, is when they copy someone else's show, and they can't figure out why they have so many problems.

Copied shows aren't built for your character. Write your own show and your character can handle anything they throw at it.

And don't get me wrong, we all suffer Roaches, but it's easier if you wrote your own show.

Your Pal Jimmy.

If you got a kick out of this, and would like to leave me a tip, you can do that HERE.