Ventriloquist Jim Barber's Tips For Ventriloquists

Ventriloquist Jim Barber, a Branson Missouri headliner, sits down to talk with me about a solution he found to a sinus condition that affected his ability to perform ventriloquism. I gave it a try and it definitely opens up the nasal passages. You should be able to pick this product up at any local pharmacy. Give it a try!

Video Transcript:

The other big secret I found recently, it’s a little gross, but it’s called a Neti Pot. It’s a sinus nasal rinse… Okay. Oh I’m telling you, this is, if you’re a professional, you’ve got to do this. Every year, about this time, when the weather starts getting cold, I would catch, what they call the Branson Crud. It’s this cold, and it’s a sinus infection, and somebody told me about a Neti Pot. And it’s been around for thousands of years, and it’s basically a water and saline mix, and you can get this at Wal-Green’s or any kind of drug store. And you squirt it up your nose in the shower, and it gets up there and it gets all the gunk out of your sinus cavities, gets any dust out, and I have not had a cold since I started using them. Really? I’d be afraid I’d drown if I shoot that up my nose. The first few times you feel like your going to drown. It’s like when you go in… Water boarding! pool – yeah, it’s self water boarding. But, but, you just don’t inhale, you just shoot it up there, and I tell you, for me that was like a miracle. And it’s safe, and it’s no drugs, it’s just saline and water. You have to use the right powder mix or if the alkaline isn’t right it’ll really burn. Don’t use straight tap water, because I did it once. But, that, that opens up your sinuses and your voice improves and your singing improves, and that helped me a lot. So that’s a big tip. That’s great advice! Thank you, I’m going to go try that, in fact, I’m thinking now I’m going to go back to, as I’m driving to St. Louis tonight, I’m going to find a Wal-Green’s and stop in and get that thing and do it in the shower. Yeah, they’ve got one that looks like a little teapot, and you pour it in this nose and it comes out of this nose. They’ve got another one with a little squeeze bottle and you squirt it up in the nose, and it shoots up in there and comes out here. It’s gross, but it works man.

This is a short clip of our interview for Discussions On Showmanship. The course is designed to help people improve stage presence and presentation skills and showmanship.