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DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Well, after a stressful/fun/eventful/tiring/confusing/wonderful weekend at the Beautiful Days festival, I came away with one question.
In particular, this is aimed at Glass, but others I'm sure will be able to contribute.

One of the stalls was the Mushy Pea Juggling stall, manned by a very nice guy called Steve.
The second sentance he said to me was (and I quote) "I invented contact staff..." which is quite a claim. He said Glass (amidst others) had attended his workshops and that all things contact staffy basically came from him. Two questions:
1) Is this true?
2) Where does he hang out/spin?

Although not a great staff spinner myself, I have to admit that he was freakin' awesome! I was very sceptical after such a bold claim but - damn it - he was VERY good.
Also his CJ was very good, well, awesome (I asked if he was the SilverMan but he isn't...) and his club spinning was like nothing I'd ever seen before - wicked! I really must get myself a 4" ball soon.

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
No....

Tall, slim, dark brown (black?) hair

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
Simple test Spanner - did he invent contact staff?

BTW looked at the pics and it's not him (not sure if that'll help with your answer spanner).

Meh


CharlesBRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand


Posted:
I think Trident moves are the earliest recorded instances of contact staffing...

Thats been around for a thousand years or so from my rather sketchy memory.

Then again, if he did come up with some contact moves without seeing or hearing of it himself then, he is correct, he DID invent it.

He didn't claim to the "the one who brought contact staffing to Europe" or anythign like that, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

Of course, I'm just arguing semantics here, but 'invent' and 'the first' have quite different meanings...

HoP Posting Guidelines
* Is it the Truth?
* Is it Fair to all concerned?
* Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Agrees with Charles, as he remembers Cube FX and his awesome Trident

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Charles...semantically speaking, he did not invent it either, he only thought of it since to invent something is to "create by ingenuity or imagination something which did not previously exsist" (definition care of Websters Unabridged Dictionary: The dictionary for all your linguistic and grammatical needs )

Just because he did not know it exsisted, does not mean it did not, and a bit of research on his part would have proven he did not invent it at all, but merely had a stroke of creative ingenuity in his own world.

What happened to the days when people said "Hey! I thought of this...tell me what you think?"

Instead now people are popping out of the wood work claiming to have created everything that has been a standing tradition for thousands of years. It hurts my brain.

Oh..crap...I read Silverman's name somewhere. Now I have to toddle off to find it or it will drive me nuts all night!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


CharlesBRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand


Posted:
oops....Just coz i know everything doens't mean I know anything...

Well said Pele, you know what i was trying to say, but I guess I just

"didnae hae ta wurds fohret"

HoP Posting Guidelines
* Is it the Truth?
* Is it Fair to all concerned?
* Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?


DomBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,009 posts
Location: Bristol, UK


Posted:
Probably should wait for Glass to reply.
MushyPea Steve (think he hangs around Bristol and will most probably be at the Bristol Convention) has indeed been the major innovator of Contact Staff. Whilst the idea has been around for ages (the first video of contact moves is 1901?) Steve is the first person I know of devoting so much thought and effort into contact staff as a style of spinning. Steve's aim is to mimic every traditional staff move with a contact version.

I believe many of the moves Glass and other 'old skool' London spinners of years past originated from Steve. Hence all contact in London today stems from Steve. And as until recently contact staff seemed to be mainly UK only (this is backed up by what I saw whilst travelling) Steve's claim seems to be pretty valid.

colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
i believe glass has shown me one or two videos of steve.
he's a f*ckin legend - so much so that i'm not sure i actually ever want to meet him

can't comment on the contact staff thing really as i wasn't around when it all started but i do know that he made glass' contact staff specially for him and that drew credits him with a lot of his moves.
if its the same steve then its not just the contact staff stuff that he's sick at but clubswinging [full body snakes ], cj [crazy body rolls] and poi too [the bf wasitwrap].

i believe he is the man on this video @ 1:30, after doug...?

[ 21. August 2003, 22:28: Message edited by: coleman ]

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


simian110% MONKEY EVERY TIME ALL THE TIME JUST CANT STOP THE MONKEY
3,149 posts
Location: London


Posted:
is this Steve the Steve that makes staffs called Steve's Staffs?

"Switching between different kinds of chuu chuu sometimes gives this "urgh wtf?" effect because it's giving people the phi phenomenon."


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
yep

gonna get me a big one of those @ bristol this year...

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


DsAdsPoi? Never!
316 posts
Location: London


Posted:
Checked out the vid is pretty cool, liked the "illuminating" contact ball effect Dougie had at the begining. Oh and did you notice the Girl after Steve has Ewan and Karrie Snogging in the background.

See yas tomorrow

Ads

Is that magnets!?


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
If Steve's Staffs are the straight (i.e wickless) UV staffs, they were very nice and cheap and cheerful. My friend bought 2.

His CJ was crazily good (hence asking if he was the SilverMan - both are tall, slim, dark-haired and wear glasses) and I saw a bit of his club swinging which was also very impressive. I don't think I saw him poi...

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
cheap and cheerful is kind of the opposite to a steve staff...
afaik his are the ones with 4" wicks and lovely weight.
normally about £30 i think.

they have a lump on the ends before the wick that is usually decorated with holosparkle tape with black tape for making thin stripes.

glass' (contact specific - ooooh ) steve staff has no wicks and is brown.

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


_Stix_Pooh-Bah
2,419 posts
Location: la-la land


Posted:
whats brown and sticky..

Glass's staff

I love that joke - now I have a varient answer!

I honour you as an aspect of myself..

You are never to old to storm a bouncey castle..


cRYstalWavemember
40 posts
Location: from the fiery heart of the british isles.(that be...


Posted:
If you wanna get in touch with Mushy Pea and solve this mystery once and for all.....the suppliers of their stall are...."Flaming-funky-fire-monkey".....and the can be reached on www.poipoi.info.......i bet they Know the answer!
I met the founders of 'poipoi' at Glasto this year(very nice people!!!)and met the guys from Mushy Pea at Larmer Tree Festie...(Also very nice people!).......So that's my advice..... happy searching -x-

...........The most inspiring thing that anyone has ever said to me was........Life is nothing without dreams..... or was it life's too short to eat pistachio's????


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
Hands up anyone who didn't meet the poipoi people at glasters this year....

Meh


cRYstalWavemember
40 posts
Location: from the fiery heart of the british isles.(that be...


Posted:
C@ntus....... so you were there then?????.......and are you being a little sarcastic....hhhhhhhmmmmmmmm??????

[Didn't realise the poipoi troop were so popular!!!!!!!!!!]

...........The most inspiring thing that anyone has ever said to me was........Life is nothing without dreams..... or was it life's too short to eat pistachio's????


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
No i wasn't there. The delectable Fluffy Napalm Fairy wasn't there either.

And neither were Coleman, Nix, PK, Miniero, Durbs, MisStix, HelsBells, BamBam, Alienfox, SpacemonkE, Bovril Monkey, Glass, Dom, Firemorph (alledgedly although i didn't see him - but then i wasn't there so i wouldn't would i), Knoxious, Bairy Fen or those lemon obsessed Bristolians.


As far as I know you're the only HoPper that went to glasters this year....

and i've no proof that you actually went cos you didn't show up and introduce yourself at the HoP camp. Not that there was one.....


I've forgotten what i was talking about.

Meh


flidBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
*bump*

i want a 5 foot steve staff, but haven't found them anywhere online

I know several people with them, i beleive bambam has 2 and she says she got them in candem, but Oddballs didn't have any of the 5 footers when i was there on saturday.

ta

[Nx?]BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,749 posts
Location: Europe,Scotland,Both


Posted:
Steve, yes, I met him at the bjc, and it was great, he didnt claim to invent it then, but we had some fun swapping moves, cos I didnt learn from him I had some stuff that he hadnt seen before. I was well nervose, but in fact it was cool to comunicat with another contacter who had come from a totally diffrent perspective. His Cj is awsome, yes.

Hes a cool guy, but i remeber him trying to teach a feild full of noobies fishtails, admarable and well done, but funny to watch!.

t wave

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
Quote:

Charles...semantically speaking, he did not invent it either, he only thought of it since to invent something is to "create by ingenuity or imagination something which did not previously exsist" (definition care of Websters Unabridged Dictionary: The dictionary for all your linguistic and grammatical needs [Big Grin] )

Well in that case Pythagoras didn't invent his theorem, the italians didn't invent spaghetti and pizza, James Watt didn't invent the lightbulb and Karl Benz didn't invent the Combustion Powered Automobile but they all get the credit. I think that dictionery definition sucks. If you've never heard of it and you create it you invent it. simple

God I must be bored, jumping into other threads just to have a moan!! sheesh...time for tea me thinks.

Let's relight this forum ubblove


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
i want one of those too flid!

bam's were purchased at the bjc last year which is where i am hoping to find one this year.

other people may have better information so i'll ask around if you want one sooner than april smile

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


originalsmitSILVER Member
addict
469 posts
Location: nottingham, england. cornwall wales denmark or pra...


Posted:
get in touch with deranged headgehog off here hes trying to learn with a 7 ft staff.
its very painful and very heavy

my original signature was tooo long.
this one is shorter


Weaselthe one and only, just like chesney
295 posts
Location: here


Posted:
flid - if you want a 5foot steve you have to go to oddballs and get them to put one aside for you from the next order as he makes them himself and they are really popular he cant keep up with the demand for them hence them only rarely being in stock at oddballs.

birds might be able to fly,
but weasels dont get caught in jet engine's


Staff Manmember
15 posts
Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England


Posted:
Ah steve from mushy pea, he sold me a staff at towersey festival 2003 and taught me a bit of stuff himself, he is amazin at everyfin, poi, staff, contact juggling (my god hes amazin at contact juggling), diabolo and juggling. He told me hes making a dvd at the mo for contact staff so look out for it i suppose.

oliSILVER Member
not with cactus
2,052 posts
Location: bristol/ southern eastern devon, United Kingdom


Posted:
ive also heard talk of this legendary steve fellow...

ive got a friend who kinda knows him, and has told me may storeys of his contact staffing exploits, and invention claims...

sounds like i should try and meet this dude.

Me train running low on soul coal
They push+pull tactics are driving me loco
They shouldn't do that no no no


PyrolificBRONZE Member
Returning to a unique state of Equilibrium
3,289 posts
Location: Adelaide, South Australia


Posted:
Well I've met Steve (he used to live just around the corner from me in Machester but I had to go to the BJC is Brighton before I met him! smile) and he really is the real deal. There may have been baton twirlers doing contact moves before Steve, but we are talking 12 - 15 years ago he was doing contact staff in the way that most are doing it now (although there has been a lot of innovation since then I bet).

His club twirling is just about the best I've ever seen and he was really rusty when he showed Glass and I stuff cuz he'd moved on from it years before (and he only got into clubs to improve his double staff technique eek)

So yeah, while thats a very bold claim, its pretty close to the truth as far as I understand it in terms of the evolution of contact staff.

Josh




--
Help! My personality got stuck in this signature machine and I cant get it out!


simian110% MONKEY EVERY TIME ALL THE TIME JUST CANT STOP THE MONKEY
3,149 posts
Location: London


Posted:
generally the way around saying someone "invented" something is to call them
Quote:

the father of modern <insert invention here>


instead biggrin

pretty much all the Londony contact stuff i know comes via Knoxious and Ogre Tim - who in turn got most of their stuff (i think) from a baton twirler who used to go to the Viaduct.

But that's all based on vague memorys of hearing stuff what other people had heard maybe rolleyes

"Switching between different kinds of chuu chuu sometimes gives this "urgh wtf?" effect because it's giving people the phi phenomenon."


mushypeastevemember
11 posts

Posted:
woops, well that didn't go as badly as it might have done!
thanks to all those who said nice things about me! smile
i've written a little history in the introductions page.
i hope that'll clear this up and not cause any more controversy wink
oh by the way, that link to poipoi won't help anyone find me.

steve dbBRONZE Member
enthusiast
272 posts
Location: bristol, uk


Posted:
Quote:

Ah. I thought you could mean the juggler Steve Brown. Mind you, I haven't seen him recently so I'm not sure of his follicular status ubblol You could have a look at the University of Southampton's Juggling Club gallery and see




not that it's necessary any more since the quote was from a fair
while ago and since you've found mushy steve, but i'm the steve
brown of whom you referred to, and i'm almost certain that i haven't
invented contact staff. however, i'm not ruling out doing so in the
future. i am follically well, but have no idea who you are spanner.
have we met?

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