Jon Vickers Shut up with your damn coughing!

[Darienbeagle]

The problem with a sick person coughing at a large opera house is that the germs could quickly travel around the world.

[mjc1946]

Just to set things straight. I was singing with this company and was in the audience when this happened. It TRUELY DID happen. It is, most definitekly, his voice and the newspapers had a hayday with this story.

[madisonelectronic]

I got up and left the house and started upstairs to the gallery to fuck some of them up when I was passed by about 50 Chicago cops on their way to do the same thing. I stopped and about 5 minutes later the cops dragged a bunch of PR scum down the stairs. Some of the PRs had had a CPD tune up if you know what I mean. hehhehhehheh One of the bartenders gave me a free gin and tonic. Thank you again whoever you were.

[madisonelectronic]

I have eard a lot of operas and before the opera starts nothing is heard, but as soon as it starts every moron in the audience has to cough. I have, of course immortalized myself in two recordings. The first was at the only recital Pavarotti gave at the Medinah Temple. The second was at Lyric Opera in the 70's when some clique in the gallery from the Puerto Rican FALN terrorist group started to shout down a performance of La Traviata. They yelled and I yelled out for them to shut the fuck up.

[multimill]

i don't beleive that was Jon Vickers. However, SOMEONE should have told them because they should have had the good grace and class to get up and LEAVE. That's the problem with some people at the theatre - no manners.

[schutzelb]

Don't know why, but I always thought Vickers was less the DIVA than this suggests! LOL!

[bronxbearbud]

As the cougher should have replied, "JUST DIE ALREADY!"

(though yeah, they will escort you out if you actually do that... how does Tristan end, btw?)

[thugless]

That can 't be him. That doesn't sound like his singing voice at all. If that is his voice, it's hilarious. *effeminate voice* "Shut up with your damn coughing"

[Cantormatis]

@thugless Nope, that sounds like his speaking voice to me. Singers and their speaking voices don;'t sound all that much alike!

[sprinter848]

@thugless I've heard Vickers speak on several occasions and it does sound like his speaking voice to me. as for the disparaging term "Divo" that is not the issue...as anyone who knows anything about Vickers will attest to, his deeply felt devotion to his artistic purpose and to the art of the Lyric stage is almost savagely intense...he would not necessarily have approved of his own outburst, but everybody has his limit...

[ForAll23]

He should not have done so.

On the other hand, should not someone be allowed to disturb the whole audience and all the singers. It is not okay to cough during an entire show.

It's fine to stay home if one is ill.

[MrSebtian]

LOL!!!!!!!!

[TsarBovov]

What a dumb redneck he was.

[Shogunmiyuchan]

I don't think Wagner wrote that bit......

[TerrancePogue]

omg...........

[LohengrinT]

it seems Vickers was a God outside the singing matters as well

[OperaSamia]

lol

[tenorismo]

lol

[LutenistDeMari]

Gee a wise guy hey!? shut up with your damn coughing. Shwaa, Realy?

[petelovesbevsills]

He was absolutely right! Opera houses should make it obligatory that every one in the audience is given cough mixture before they may enter the auditorium. I find it to be the height of exceptionally vulgar manners to cough through any performance. Period.

[tenor220]

@petelovesbevsills You sound a wee bit too uptight. If someone coughs in a performance it's not the end of the world, and that incredibly unprofessional of Vickers. There's no room for diva/ divo antics during a performance.

[petelovesbevsills]

@tenor220 You are probably quite right, it isn't the end of the world. I still find it stupifyingly amazing that so many people who have terminal lung disease seem to make a pilgrimage to the opera house.There is no consideration for the singers (who have worked hard to set the scene). My policy is "I'll listen to you cough all night if you'll refund my ticket money. Uptight doesn't enter into the fray, only excruciatingly bad audience manners does." I agree though, Vickers was unprofessional

[tenor220]

@petelovesbevsills You need to remember that the reason people perform is for the audience. It's because of the audience that we're able to do what we love, it's not the man's fault he had to cough. It's not as though he intentionally went into the house thinking "I'm gonna cough really loudly just to piss them off". I hardly think having a cold can be considered bad manners.

[petelovesbevsills]

@tenor220 your comment makes good sense, especially from the singers point of view. I know that the audiences applause and shouts of Brava/o are pure oxygen to the singers plus of course, they are the ones that are paying the money. I am making a mental note right now to ignore the coughing when I listen to my live recordings and to just go with the flow and enjoy the singing!

[lubidog]

Wow-I would love to do this some day....

[CaptainBluebear08]

It really is the original sin of the concert business.

[ziggyccc1]

alright gangster

[MTondeleo]

Wonder how many singers worldwide have cheered at this one. Remindful of Billy Crystal hurling obscenities at someone talking on a cell phone. And, btw, stevevandien scores 100 on that Dristan zinger. I could only come up with Catarrhdammerung...but wrong opera!

[stevevandien]

The Dristan Tristan. Go, Jon, Go!:) --

[sgnmath1234]

Classic! Bravo, Mr. Vickers ! (Gee, I wonder if the person stopped coughing!!)

[OrangeSodaKing]

@sgnmath1234 I bet it scared him coughless.