Don’t ask to be put on the list.

The most hated phrase, the worse thing any performer, musician, filmmaker, etc. will hear, worse than “I didn’t understand that whole middle part thing” and “Was that on purpose?” is “Can you put me on the list?” Yes, that most hated of questions. “Can you put me on the list?” Unless your friend is Sting, you really should pay the $10 cover out of respect for what your friend is bringing to your community.

What you think you are asking:
Can you get me on the list for your screening? Show? Play? Performance? Etc?

What it feels likes for the artist to hear it?

I’ll definitely come, if it doesn’t put me out.

I’ve heard enough of what you’ve said that I don’t feel I need to pay to hear it.

I’d rather pay for an extra drink I probably shouldn’t have.

I’ll be honest. It hurts.

Here are the people artists want to and should put on the list, in no particular order:
(and you should not be hurt if you are not included. You should just pay the $5.)

Fellow artists they want to work with
People who may pay them money in the future for their work
People they owe money to
Parents and Siblings
Spouses / Partners, Children

If you don’t have the money to get in, but are dying to see your friends perform, help them. Carry the Kick Drum. Get them their drinks while they play. Operate the video camera for them. Whatever. Lend a hand.

Paying $5 at the door to see your friend perform says more about how much you support art and the exchange of ideas and dialogue in your community, than it says about how you feel about your friend’s art in particular.

If the show is free, buy something at the bar—a drink, a soda, a brownie.

That is how you tell the patron of the establishment you appreciate their efforts in bringing culture to your community. That’s how you show that you appreciate a place to go where Paris Hilton is not involved.

These places—coffee houses, bars, festivals-- are very needed. They are needed by the artists, they are needed by art appreciators, they are needed by individuals who have no idea who the hell they are or how they fit into any of it.

You see, without these places, we don’t get to hear the Mary Lou Lord’s of the world. You never see the films of Stan Brackhage.

I know you think that it is not a big deal—what difference is $5? It is precisely that I-don’t-want-to-pay-attitude that brings things down. There is not a bar or club or theater that is not struggling. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD-- EVEN CBGB’s CLOSED DOWN!

The only bar in the world where someone was getting rich off of owning a bar was Cheers! (Trust me, I worked there. The gift shop made 3 times the amount of the bar). Do we want “Cheers!” to dictate our culture? My vote is hell, no!

If you don’t want to live in a world where your favorite bar has a TV above every table with each channel set to either hockey or Big Brother, then support the events that happen in your community by paying the cover charge.

You must do more than just vote for art initiatives in school or say how much you like the Coen Bros. flick. Instead support art by paying the $5 at the door. Support Art by putting your money where your mouth is.