Kentucky Colonel

Colonel Harland Sanders, Blog of an Auckland Magician Post

Chances are that you hate rejection.

It’s our nature – we want everyone to like us, accept us and say “YES!” – especially when we make an offer that’s clearly in their best interest.  Unfortunately things don’t always work out according to plan.  If we’re honest, we probably all get a lot more “no’s” than we would like.  But the best idea is to shrug them off and to keep asking.

The model to keep in mind is that icon of business, Colonel Harland Sanders.  At the age of sixty-five, Sanders had an old car, a pension worth $105 a month, and a recipe for chicken that some folks told him was pretty darned tasty.  So he hit the road to propose a deal with restaurants – use his recipe and for each chicken sold pay him five cents.  The first restaurant owner told him no.  The second said no.  As did the third.  The fourth.  The fifth.  And on and on …

Finally, after making 1008 sales calls with his proposal, a restaurant owner finally said yes.  And of course you know the rest of the story.  The lesson is dogged, determined, unreasonable persistence.  He didn’t give up.  He kept on going.  Day after day.  And he did finally make that first sale,  and many more besides – enough to create a fortune.  So a little rejection – well, that’s part of life and business.

Keep going like the Kentucky Colonel, and remember this little article every time you drive past one of his restaurants.

– Mick Peck, Finger-Lickin’ Good Auckland Magician
www.MickPeckMagic.com

– Originally published in Inside Entertainment, the monthly membership magazine of the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.

 

Why So Serious? Court Jesters and April Fools’ Day

Court Jester April Fools Day : Mick Peck's Blog of an Auckland Magician

The custom of playing pranks on the first of April is observed in not only in British colonies but also in Northern America, France, Germany (where it’s called Narrentag), Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Russia (where it’s called Dyen Doeraka which means Dunce’s Day), and even in Japan.  In Scotland it’s known as Gowk or Cuckoo Day.

The precise historical origin of April Fools’ Day is unknown.  The earliest mention of an April Fools’ joke was found in a French source from 1508, and there exists a Dutch parody on the custom from 1539.  But these sources indicate that the custom was already well and universally established.

In France today, April 1st is called Poisson d’Avril.  French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their backs.  When the victim discovers the trick, the prankster yells Poisson d’Avril! – April Fish!

The traditional symbol of April Fool’s Day is the jester, or fool, who held a special place in medieval history.  They were considered insiders of the court, chosen for their sense of humour to provide entertainment for the king.

Jesters typically wore bright, eccentric clothing and distinctive cloth hats with bells on the end of each of its three points.  The points were a representation of a donkey’s ears and tail.  The jester also carried a sceptre which was a symbolic ornamental staff to represent authority.

Because jesters were given leeway to say anything “in jest”, they were sometimes the only members of the court able to voice an honest opinion about local situations.  While others fawned over the king, the jester was encouraged to speak the truth.  Because of his lower social status he didn’t pose a threat to the king’s power.  And because he was not part of the political intrigue of the court – he was after all considered a fool – the king often felt it safe to confide in his jester.  Because of this the jester had an important and influential role in medieval history.

The unique nature of jesters also contributed to their popularity among the general public.  Some became the subjects of stories and jokes, and some became famous in their own right.  King Henry VIII employed a jester by the name of Will Sommers, who gained such fame that he was the subject of literature and drama almost two centuries after his death.  King Charles I employed a jester named Jeffrey Hudson who gained the nickname “The Royal Dwarf” because of his height.  One of his infamous pranks, made possible by his stature, was to hide himself inside of a giant pie and then leap out, startling the people to whom the pie was presented.

The ancient traditions of the jester continue in modern times with the magician, the clown and the comedian.

Anyone for pie?

– Mick Peck, Full-Time Magician and Occasional Prankster
www.MickPeckMagic.com

– Originally appeared in the April 2013 issue of Inside Entertainment magazine, the monthly membership magazine of the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc.