CDMPTV & FILM

Many people have a misconception on who is the geek, who is the freak, and how both play off one another to bring about what we see today in modern music, and entertainment.

Take the days of P.T. Barnum. If you do not know whom P.T. Barnum is, look him up-- stay up right now! P.T. Barnum created attractions, which were called “Freak Shows.” They dealt with the strange, the odd, and even the grotesque. The oddities drew crowds from miles around when P.T. would set up camp bringing “the amazing” to a town.

The actors or should we say the entertainers in this troop of so called misfits were considered by many to be the freaks in the accretion, but in actuality they were the entertainment for voyeuristic freaks who came to see the geeks on display!

Yes, that is right, the freak is the person who watches the odd creature performing, and the geek is the odd creature the freak comes to see. Freak Show or “The Show For Freaks” as it is really called, is about creating the right atmosphere with the right entertainment, which will bring “the freak” out of an individual, to the point, that he or she is aroused to curiosity, and are willing to pay money to be a voyeur!

It would not be good money practice to dis the very people you would try and make a buck or two off. Therefore, it was better to call the whole extravaganza “Freak Show”.

However, how does this play out today—and where does the “P.T. Barnum” come into this unique relationship?

It is very important in any business you conduct, to know what role you play. For the masses that need or want to be entertained, not so much—as stated above. The person, who plays the geek, in the get money scenario, many times does not realize that he or she is the geek, and this is where the trouble lies.

The entertainer is the geek. He or she is what the freak pays to see. Understanding this relationship is very important for the geek, as he or she will ultimately be of no use one day! The masses are beguiled into thinking the geek is somehow, because of what can be done musically, better than they are—making the masses want to see the person who is so talented.

Who drove the masses into such a frenzy that they would want to see such a talented entertainer? The answer is P.T. Barnum of course! “P.T.Barnum” in this case is the record company, the agent, the manager, the DJ, the promoter who pushes the likeness of, the music of, the talent of the geek to the extent that the mass group of consumers feel it their duty to purchase what is produced, and to see what they have fallen in love with!

What is the end for the geek in this arrangement of controlled voyeurism? If he or she is intelligent, he or she will realize their role and will save as much money as they can, or they will study to become “P.T. Barnum”! If he or she did not study, one day, like so many before, he or she will be thrown away—replaced by another considered younger and better than the last.

This is why it is very important to know as an entertainer, a model, a dancer, a poet, etc., that one is a geek. However, what a geek does with that information is what sets him or her apart from countless others who have walked along the path of entertainment.

Take Ice T as an example. He describes it as a “pimp and hoe” relationship! He said he pimps himself now, he understands the dynamic; this is why Ice T moved from a record company over him, to acting, to producing and directing others who are the next geeks up for the masses to consume.

Another person who has transcended from being only entertainment is Usher. He studied the industry he is in, and he gives the next generation the opportunity to entertain under his banner—in his stable of artists. He is a true showman like P.T. Barnum!

The big question in all of this is, will those who have chosen entertainment over education as a goal be able to transform themselves into something more than a geek, or will they fall to the wayside like so many before—unrecognized, used up and discarded?

The answer lies within deep self-examination, and first accepting that he or she has chosen to be “the geek,” and once he or she understands/accepts this, then it is time to find the “P.T. Barnum” who can make them desirable enough for “the freaks” to pay to see them. The showman insures that for many life times to come there will be geeks & freaks!