For all its deeply felt concepts, its roster of serious speakers and giant letters proclaiming "Stop and think: save the sea," the initial experience is as lively as a fish darting through the waves.
Since he established himself in New York in the early oughts, his gigs have often felt like workshops or rehearsals or parties, whether in small acoustic-music rooms or at bigger clubs with serious speakers, like the Best Buy Theater, where on Tuesday night the Robert Glasper Experiment performed, or at least accompanied its guests.
But Mr. MacMillan said that while sports or entertainment figures who generally are brought in for primarily motivational purposes might see a drop-off in speaking engagements, some companies and professional organizations would put even more emphasis on serious speakers in a difficult economy.
This is connected to the preamp, takes the signal the preamp shaped, and gives it serious, speaker-driving power.
And Karen and Kimberly [Schlapman] said, "Hey, we've got a copy of 'Girl Crush.' Do y'all wanna hear it?" So they played it on the big, serious studio speakers, and I just remember sitting on the couch and literally almost falling off of it.
When there is a serious race for speaker of the House, for instance, it's a time to spy, to see who is contributing to whom, to see how the interests and the members themselves are lining up.
I trailed Mr Benn around his packed meetings in Brighton; he was a brilliant, serious but funny speaker who could intoxicate his adoring audience – and, for a while, even sceptical journalists like me.
Some pull a wagon-like contraption with serious club level speakers; some just have a loud Ipod on their handle-bars.
For entering another space, or for other less serious issues, French speakers will routinely say "pardon" or "veuillez m'excuser".
