The Secret of Laserium
It was right out there. I’m surprised nobody ever noticed. I suppose the non-disclosure agreements and talk about “proprietary technology” distracted everyone from noticing that Shadow Stevens announced what the “secret” was. Over and over in every city he proclaimed, “...but beyond its mechanics, Laserium is an experience. Its effect upon you depends on what you bring to it. If you seek entertainment or relaxation, you may likely find it. If you seek inspiration or hidden significance you may find it also, but if you want explanations and explicit meanings, they will not be there. Laserium is a trip beyond your imagination, and you are about to embark...”
One classic laser show fail is all about explanations and explicit meanings. What a friend calls “laser nut grab” done to the lyric, “Mother, do you think they’ll try to break my balls?”. A minor fail is imagery that flows along at a constant tempo when the song moves into the bridge where the tempo changes. It’s a minor fail because the audience might not mind, but they’ll respond if you do it right. Another major fail is the music choice. Some music is destined for the background. If you’re going to use background music your job is to drag it into the foreground by emphasizing its subtlety not overwhelming it. Stronger music allows more in your face techniques, but know your audience. This is where a good live laserist made a difference.
Laserium is a genre. Since it was first, I’m sure people looked at Ivan and asked, “Whaaaat?” Today other genres have evolved, but I often find myself asking, Whaaaat?” I suppose that art can just evolve - but wouldn't some of you like to take an active role? The reason I wrote this is I’ve seen a number of laser shows over the years where I doubted the people putting the show together had ever asked the question, what am I trying to do?
For what it’s worth...