Joshua Farris | Page 27 | Golden Skate

Joshua Farris

He skates to Bruno Mars in his exhibition this year.

How about "The Lazy Song" for next year. More happy, and I just love the idea of doing something to physical to a song with lazy in the title.
 
Josh's greatest strength is his ability to move to and interpret every beat of the music he skates to. He embodies the music. Both of his programs and choreography this season plays to that strength. I'm not opposed to a more upbeat program (and anything would be more upbeat than Schindler's List) but I think it is important that the music is nuanced enough to demonstrate his immense talent for interpreting it, particularly for a long program since the convention is that skaters often do a more upbeat or silly, character piece for an SP while saving their "serious" artistry for the LP. He's already skating to a pop song for the SP, so I wouldn't mind seeing him stick to something more traditional for his LP--although I don't want a warhorse for him either. Anyway, I think the most important consideration in Josh's new music selection is that it continues to play to his most standout quality of being able to interpret difficult music. It's a very rare quality in a skater, IMO, and his team ought to exploit that as much as possible. Schindler's List was an EXCELLENT vehicle for this, and I hope next season's choice is as well. (I don't know enough of a wide range of music to make my own suggestion at this point though!)
 
Some comments on the videos posted.

Thanks for posting the fancam of SL, that was lovely. Previously, I only saw the Russian version which cut off right after he finished. (I don't like watching the Russian commentary b/c I don't speak Russian, don't like the guy's voice and he talks too much over the music! - too bad Eurosport didn't cover him b/c he wasn't in the last 2 groups)

I thought it was cute that he asked one of the little sweeper girls to give him the stuffed animal, lol. That fall on the quad, yikes. I could tell he wasn't going to land it b/c he was leaning in the air but the rest of the program was gorgeous (even with some of the doubles that were supposed to be triples). He still landed both 3A's beautifully. Nice that Damon gave him a big hug when he got off the ice, a nice contrast to the SP.

Re: the Instagram "concert"

So he's taken to busking in the hotel lobby? Wonder if he gets change thrown in his guitar case, lol.

Sounded like he was singing Jason Mraz's "I won't give up" (no surprise there). Now that there are little snippets online of him singing and playing his guitar, I propose that Josh start his own Youtube channel of his music (or his covers). I'm sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy it!

Okay, and I know it's blasphemy to say something like this, but...East of Eden?
Kind of a warhorse, but I think he would do a great job with this. Although it's hard to touch Kwan's signature piece.
 
Some comments on the videos posted.

Thanks for posting the fancam of SL, that was lovely. Previously, I only saw the Russian version which cut off right after he finished. (I don't like watching the Russian commentary b/c I don't speak Russian, don't like the guy's voice and he talks too much over the music! - too bad Eurosport didn't cover him b/c he wasn't in the last 2 groups)

I thought it was cute that he asked one of the little sweeper girls to give him the stuffed animal, lol. That fall on the quad, yikes. I could tell he wasn't going to land it b/c he was leaning in the air but the rest of the program was gorgeous (even with some of the doubles that were supposed to be triples). He still landed both 3A's beautifully. Nice that Damon gave him a big hug when he got off the ice, a nice contrast to the SP.

Re: the Instagram "concert"

So he's taken to busking in the hotel lobby? Wonder if he gets change thrown in his guitar case, lol.

Sounded like he was singing Jason Mraz's "I won't give up" (no surprise there). Now that there are little snippets online of him singing and playing his guitar, I propose that Josh start his own Youtube channel of his music (or his covers). I'm sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy it!

Kind of a warhorse, but I think he would do a great job with this. Although it's hard to touch Kwan's signature piece.

I vote in favor of a Josh youtube channel.

And yeah, I know it's a warhorse. It's just hard to think of something so beautiful and emotive that hasn't been used yet, you know? Especially because I think he'd be best with a lyrical piece.
 
oh good heavens. swoon part 2. Jason Mraz, of course. Judging by those comments I'm not the only one with a crush.

Okay, and I know it's blasphemy to say something like this, but...East of Eden?

Yes, what a lovely voice. And then...who is singing with him? -slightly off-key? :laugh2:
Seems like a great way to shake off nerves.
 
A different look at dapper 007-esque Josh is in the photo montage that is part of his trusty sidekick Jason's USFS Instagram takeover.

And some competition photos of Josh from Shanghai:
A couple of more are on IN.


Thx v. much ... but who is that guy ;) -- and what has he done with the Josh who begged :hopelessness: Michael Buckley not to ask him to sing for the IN Social Scene interview in Greensboro? :laugh:

Josh told Michael B. that Jason Mraz is his musical idol :). And a sweet thing is that upon seeing Josh's Instagram performance, our excellent source of Josh news Johanna Bear tweeted the Mraz lyrics.

Josh's passion and talent for singing are wonderful. Too bad we didn't get audio/video of this scene from backstage at SOI last year:
Or from Josh's singing at Damon's wedding.

BTW, another old SOI backstage photo shows Josh apparently recording a promo for 2016 Nats:

joshdfarris responded with this cute comment:
Omg I can't believe that actually happened! Made my day haha.

Here's a great fan cam of Josh's LP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQwd06as3aw
Not the perfect skate he wanted, but still a beautiful, emotional performance.

Thx for this excellent video too.
 
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Sounded like he was singing Jason Mraz's "I won't give up" (no surprise there). Now that there are little snippets online of him singing and playing his guitar, I propose that Josh start his own Youtube channel of his music (or his covers). I'm sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy it!

IIRC he said on Twitter that he couldn't afford the microphone he really wanted in order to start recording. Which is fair enough - there are microphones and then there are microphones, and I doubt someone as shy as Josh wants to put his voice out there on a substandard recording.

Here's a great fan cam of Josh's LP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQwd06as3aw
Not the perfect skate he wanted, but still a beautiful, emotional performance.

Can we talk about how awesome it is that his step sequence gets as much applause as his beautiful jumps? You'd have to have a heart of stone to not be caught up in that moment. And then they applaud his spreadeagle independently of the jump too!

A different look at dapper 007-esque Josh is in the photo montage that is part of his trusty sidekick Jason's USFS Instagram takeover.


Spy partners? ;) Also, matchy-matchy :laugh:

Thx v. much ... but who is that guy -- and what has he done with the Josh who begged :hopelessness: Michael Buckley not to ask him to sing for the IN Social Scene interview in Greensboro? :laugh:

I wonder if his sudden popularity after Greensboro has helped him come out of his shell a bit. Hope he doesn't flee back in there when he has his Jason moment (ie, goes from being the cute new boy on the scene to the contending man and the subsequent turning against him of the general mood).

Josh's passion and talent for singing are wonderful. Too bad we didn't get audio/video of this scene from backstage at SOI last year:

Note to self: get Michael Buckley to try and persuade Max to sing in his social scene next year ;)

Or from Josh's singing at Damon's wedding.

Do want video of Josh and Lukas wedding singing/playing!​
 
IIRC he said on Twitter that he couldn't afford the microphone he really wanted in order to start recording. Which is fair enough - there are microphones and then there are microphones, and I doubt someone as shy as Josh wants to put his voice out there on a substandard recording.

We need a fan to throw that as a gift on the ice. :cheer:
 
Someone needs to do a Kickstarter campaign for the microphone, lol.

Did anyone watch the TSL Worlds men's recap? Dave and Jenny had former US Men's champ Scott Davis (who is now a coach and tech controller for WTT), and I found it interesting. They talked quite a bit about Josh, esp at the beginning. Dave was pretty hard on him saying he "bombed" whereas Jenny was more forgiving and felt that he did fight through his FS. Dave thinks that Josh needs to be in a coaching situation where he's competing with his peers (a la Cricket Club) to raise his competitive edge. Perhaps that might help, but everyone is different.

I would like to see them interview him someday. I'm sure Dave would be fawning all over him too, lol.
 
Someone needs to do a Kickstarter campaign for the microphone, lol.

Did anyone watch the TSL Worlds men's recap? Dave and Jenny had former US Men's champ Scott Davis (who is now a coach and tech controller for WTT), and I found it interesting. They talked quite a bit about Josh, esp at the beginning. Dave was pretty hard on him saying he "bombed" whereas Jenny was more forgiving and felt that he did fight through his FS. Dave thinks that Josh needs to be in a coaching situation where he's competing with his peers (a la Cricket Club) to raise his competitive edge. Perhaps that might help, but everyone is different.

I would like to see them interview him someday. I'm sure Dave would be fawning all over him too, lol.

Dave, I think, loves Josh. I also think Dave's "role" on TSL is to say the more controversial, bombastic things. I think an interview would be super fun, they do a good job of bringing out skaters' personalities. I think Josh's coaching situation is good but I do think it would be good to him to share ice with international top contenders rather than just national ones. But unless P. Chiddy comes back to Christy I'm not sure how that could be achieved.
 
If anyone is thinking of going to Sun Valley for a summer ice show, Josh is on the schedule again this year. (Hat tip)

Someone needs to do a Kickstarter campaign for the microphone, lol.

And/or FYI:
A page on Josh's FigureSkatersOnline site has information for anyone interested in helping with his (considerable) skating expenses.
[What I'm thinking is that if his skating expenses are eased a bit, maybe it would be more manageable for him to save up for the microphone.]

I said Mormon missionaries but I like yours better.

:laugh: :laugh2: :rofl:
Stitch, you are too much ;). After we get a YouTube channel for Josh's music, we must get a comedy channel for you :yes:.
 
As for microphones, my guess is that he has one in mind he wants specifically.

Microphones can sound strangely different. I don't know why, but they just do. Here is an example of a youtuber saying the same thing with multiple different kinds of microphones in use to get an idea. Clearly they are all different, but I have no idea which of them would sound best for music recordings.

Anyway, thought some of you might get a kick out of it. You don't usually notice stuff like that unless you hear it side by side. But I can certainly see how someone like Josh would think some mics sound like a chorus of angles, and others like screeching cats, while you and I can't tell the difference.


Stitch, you are too much ;). After we get a YouTube channel for Josh's music, we must get a comedy channel for you :yes:.


Or I could just do production work for Josh's show. :biggrin:


Actually, we should totally make this happen. Make the Broadmore skating area skater boys get their own Youtube channel. Josh can sing, Jason can be hyper, Max can be sexy, Chase Belmontes can bring his cats. . . you get the idea. I am sure if you stuck a camera around the two training sights you would have plenty of cuteness to upload to youtube.

Really USFSA should be doing something like this. They have so many top skaters in one area that has beautiful outdoor locations, plus the Olympic training center. Show it off! Show what they do to train and work especially off ice. I think if they did an ongoing series showing how these guys train off ice and what they do, that a lot of people would be surprised and impressed. Hell, people relish learning what summer athletes eat, I think they would find the physical aspect interesting.
 
Something I noticed is his Lutz and Flip jumps used to be much larger than they are now - think JGP and Jr Worlds in the 2012-13 seasons, and even in 2011-2012. Does anyone know if his ankle injury has affected his ability to jump "big" on those jumps? This could help him squeeze a few more points out of his programs by gaining +2 instead of +1.
 
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