With SA's Got Talent starting tonight (see Today's premieres!) it seemed the ideal time to catch-up with some of those involved with the show to sniff out what we can expect from it all.
I caught up with judges
Ian von Memerty and
Randall Abrahams this week to grab us some answers. Here's what Ian to say ...
Tashi: Over the past two months you've auditioned hopefuls in Cape Town, Durban and Jozi - which city has delivered the most outrageous acts?
Ian: You know, I would say that Durban delivered the
least outrageous acts.
Tashi: Oh okay, ja, it’s because they’re all so lazy there.
Ian: Listen, coming from Cape Town you’re not actually allowed to make that comment.
Tashi: Haha! What’s been a noticeable trend when it comes the acts?
Ian: Dancing, dancing, dancing - the country is an unbelievable dancing phenomenon.
Tashi: I thought it was going to be singers.
Ian: No-no, we were really worried, it took us days to find a good singer.
Tashi: That doesn’t surprise me considering Idols - I just thought there’d be
lots of them.
Ian: We had really good dance acts, all the time. Really fantastic dance acts.
Tashi: Are they more solo or dance crews?
Ian: Every combination: solo’s crews, duo’s - the standard of the dance has been really tough - it was so exciting.
Tashi: When it comes to talent, what are you looking for specifically as a judge?
Ian: I’m looking for talent and entertainment - I'm looking for people who’ve worked. You can’t just arrive with talent and not have put any work into it.
One of the acts that I think will take the country by storm - I won’t give any details - but they were as raw as can be, looking really terrible - completely the wrong look and yet they’d worked so long on the act they blew us away.
They’d worked for years on it - whether they’d done it consciously or unconsciously they arrived with something that had been worked at, it wasn’t just a natural skill that needed honing, they’d really worked on it.
Tashi: If you’d entered the show - what would you have done?
Ian: I would have gone as an all-round fire-cracker: I would have started off playing the piano classically, I then would have gone to jazz, I would have stood up and singed (
sic), I then would have done some dancing - I would have done everything that I do. I’m a confused eclectic so it would have been the dizziest one-and-half minutes on TV.
Tashi: What’s the most difficult thing about judging the show?
Ian: I think the worst day is the culling shoot - we’d put through just over 150 acts and we had to whittle them down to 21 for the Semi Finals. That’s the worst day because you’re making such fine calls of judgement.
You’d last seen the act three weeks ago, you’ve watched the videos again and you know you’re going to be leaving out a whole lot of talent - and then having to tell the talented ones why they haven’t gone through for whatever reason – that’s a horrible
Tashi: Did you have disputes with the other judges?
Ian: *Laughs * Are you smoking something?? Of course there were disputes. Some of them very loud and vociferous.
Tashi: So you wanted to slap the other judges?
Ian: Listen, at all times I think there were times when the judges wanted to hit each other, and themselves as well.
Tashi: If you were to book one of the acts you’ve seen for a party - which would it be?
Ian: I know which one exactly - I’d book an all-girl dance crew who were gorgeous.
Tashi: Were they wearing G-strings?
Ian: No-no-no they were all in tracksuits - you’re asking the wrong person: Randall would have booked that. These girls were cute and sexy and had worked hard - they did a mixture of street dance and slightly old-time 70’s stuff, it was such a cool act. You’ll see them on the first episode.
Tashi: Do you enjoy pressing the buzzer? It looks so fun - I’d just go mad, before they’d even started.
Ian: The best part is that when somebody’s really terrible you can cut short the agony.
I don’t enjoy buzzing anybody because for each person it’s a dream for them, it’s a moment of trying to fulfil something in themselves so when you buzz you’re saying “Sorry, your dream is over” and that’s not nice to do to anybody
however, putting yourself out of the agony of a particularly bad act is an enjoyable experience on a selfish level.
Tashi: I’m sure, - who’s your all-time, overall talent hero?
Ian: Its a huge question - it would most probably be a creator - somebody like a Gershwin or a (
*unpronouncable name - message from me: couldn't hear the name properly and didn't want to ask *) - the French composer. It would most probably be a composer.
Tashi: A classical type?
Ian: No my problem is I’m very eclectic so it would be short list but with a couple. That act of creation - you write one good song, people sing it for 100 years, 200 years, Bach lived nearly 300 years ago and we’re still doing his music. It’s a timeless act ...with a composition you’re creating something lasting, that speaks to people listening to your music long after you’re dead.
Fast factsTo go to Randall's interview, tune in
HERE.
To find out more about how the episodes are structured week-by-week, see:
SAGT - How It's Going Down.
To get the ins and outs about the show, see:
TVSA's SA's Got Talent Mini-Site.Lookout for! A catch-up with judge
Shado Twala - comin' up during the show.