# What would you do if a performer, you paid to see, couldn't remember the words to his own songs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-a-performer-you-paid-to-see-couldnt-remember-the-words-to-his-own-songs/684001>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 18, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-a-performer-you-paid-to-see-couldnt-remember-the-words-to-his-own-songs/684001 "2014-03-18T15:03:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-a-performer-you-paid-to-see-couldnt-remember-the-words-to-his-own-songs/684001/41 "2014-03-19T06:53:09Z")

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Many years ago, I saw Dudley Moore performing his score from _Bedazzled_ at the piano with a full orchestra. He had a memory lapse in the middle of it and had to stop the orchestra. Moore just laughed it off and said, “That happens sometimes! We’ll start over!”

At the time, I didn’t think this was a big deal, and I don’t think anyone else at the concert did either. Yes, it’s perfectly possible for a performer to screw up music that he actually wrote, and Moore handled it professionally and with good humor. Years later I realized that this was probably an early sign of the illness that eventually killed him.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-a-performer-you-paid-to-see-couldnt-remember-the-words-to-his-own-songs/684001/42 "2014-03-19T08:54:08Z")

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I suppose that [after a certain age](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--u0kxITaBU), anything can be excused. Even when it happens at the White House. Well, she didn’t write the song, but she’s well known for singing it.

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