Inspiration from Steppenwolf

I found this while looking for something else and it reminded me of how much of an influence this wild piece of improvised music had on me when I was young. It goes all the way back to 1967, and legend has it that the improvisation was necessitated by the late arrival of the lead singer, John Kaye.

I remember listening to it over and over as a kid in high school. It (or a similar recording) was featured on a double live Steppenwolf album. I love the subtle build and the almost spooky transition into the song "The Pusher." This still sounds great to me, and the early improvisations have influenced my own musical improvisation.

Check it out.

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Quote Prompt: What You See

Topic: Improv Goal: Create a new and amusing scene. Prompt: Use this quote to prompt your improvisation: What you see in the mirror is not what the world sees. Coaching: What do you hope to see? Why would anyone see anything else? What are you afraid others might see? How do people decide what they see about you? What does one character in the scene want that they cannot have?

Smile

A smile can stop ten sad thoughts from filling your mind. -- doug smith 1. I started to type "smile" in the title and my fingers somehow typed "Smith" instead. That makes me smile... 2. Yes, this is related to improv. When we help other people smile we're building some part of a better world. What fun! 3. See how powerful improv can be? What if, in creating something new, we used that same quote but featured this picture: That changes things, right? Or we could get even darker: Because improv is not all comedy, or does not NEED to be all comedy or sunny and light. Although, sunny and light is nice so here's another nice smile for you. Now, go make someone (and yourself) happy: smile!

What Was What Will

What if the model we are relying on no longer exists? Create a piece involving evolving circumstances. What was is no more. What is becoming, is just now becoming. Coaching: What boundaries will you need to sustain the impending change? Where can you rely on the continued existence of tradition? Where is the conflict and how do you turn it into motion? What was and what will are your two key questions. What do you do with them?

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