Thoughts on The Iceman’s haimt from KS

 IM’s hat

IM wore the de‑icer spray on top of his head as part of the absurd, deadpan visual comedy that defined his non-act. Anthony Irvine — The Iceman — built his entire performance style around futile, deliberately ridiculous attempts to melt a block of ice, using props that were either ineffective, misplaced, or used in nonsensical ways.The de‑icer spray was one of those deliberately pointless tools. Instead of using it in any practical way, he’d place it on his head,attached with bandages,which suggested his wounded condition! He would use it theatrically, reinforcing the central joke of his act: the comedy of failure — trying to melt ice with methods that obviously wouldn’t work, while rambling, punning, and creating a shambolic atmosphere. This aligns with how his performances often involved breath, salt, blowtorches, rubber ducks, and other props, all deployed in similarly absurd ways.The spray on his head created an immediate sight gag — a man “melting ice” with a product he wasn’t even using properly. There was also the question in the audience’s mind of how long the spray would stay in place!This sort of commitment to futility pervaded  his whole persona which revolved around the idea that the process mattered more than the result.The  de‑icer became another symbol of that pointless struggle!  Audiences were meant to react to the silliness and shambolic atmosphere he cultivated, not to a polished routine.This was the basis of his relational comedy. Having said all that,the irony is that the de-icer spray did have an effect on the ice-block,especially if it caught fire due to the use of the Blowtorch. So the failure was not quite total!One of the early results of using the deicer spray on top of his head was that it got into The Iceman’s eyes,temporarily blinding him because the directions of the spray was unpredictable,to say the least. This usually led to him knocking over the support system and the block of ice with sometimes dangerous consequences. Trying to re-erect the system had a strong element of pathos as the collapse was likely to repeat itself! KS, with help