Barkers use their voice to attract customers and sell tickets to entertainment venues, often promising more than the show delivers. They work long hours for low wages and have a reputation for separating customers from their money. Despite the challenges, some are attracted to the nomadic lifestyle and ability to save money during the season.
A barker is a person who uses voice and words to attract customers and buy tickets to entertainment venues ranging from booths at carnivals to strip joints. Carnies may promise more than the show actually delivers in order to draw a crowd. In fact, barkers have a reputation for being dealers who specialize in separating customers from their money. Barkers lead nomadic lives, working long hours for relatively low wages.
Traveling carnivals used to be more common than they are today, as small towns had less entertainment and fewer attractions for people to enjoy. Barkers were part of the overall carnival experience. People who attended carnivals would be enticed to pay entry fees for a barker. A carny might excite hikers with descriptions of bearded women or lizard boys in a side exhibit. A dealer would mark a person’s back with chalk if the dealer managed to convince him to play a rigged game over and over again, or a game in which the player was likely to lose. Other barkers would know the player was an easy “mark”.
Traditionally, barkers were unskilled workers who had good voices and good people skills. A barker can also be a con man who has had problems with drugs or alcohol. Even so, some barkers have successfully made it into show business, including comedian and actor Jackie Gleason, television personality Ed McMahon, and Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager.
As in the past, the barkers work from spring to autumn. Business days can be long, from early morning to late at night, up to 17 hours a day or more. When the carnival is moving to another location, the carnival must be destroyed. This can result in even longer days for barkers.
The terms “job security” and “barker” have nothing in common. If times are tough, rams are sheared, especially young ones. Also, while some barkers have been weeded out because of drug testing, drugs and alcohol are still a part of carny culture. Since carnival barkers have a seedy reputation, future employers might not be impressed with that kind of work experience on a resume.
Being a barker still has attractions for those who want to travel. The life of a barker can be challenging as the carny needs to know how to handle not only customers but other eccentric tricks as well. Also, although the pay is low, a typical barker doesn’t have a lot of spare time to spend money on, meaning that most of the barker’s money can be saved during the season.
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