Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Conversation >

Busking

05:21 / 13.07.02

Ever done it? If so, what did you do? If not, why haven't you? Also, if you were going to do street performance of some sort, what would your talent be? Do you think busking is demoralizing or degrading? Or is doing street performance empowering yourself while brining art to the people? And lastly, what are some of the memorable or notable street performers you've seen in your time?

07:23 / 13.07.02

I was chatting with a trumpet player a few blocks from where I live, and he told me that passers-by were surprisingly free with the change, even when he was just running scales trying to get used to playing after a long absence. And I thought, hell, I'm not working, and I'd like to pick up the horn again... I think I just might come up with a small repertoire and practice in public. Any profit would be icing. If not the trumpet, I was recently musing that if I had a portable manual typewriter, it would be fun to dress in, oh, 1940s reporter garb and sit around Venice writing short stories or poetry or something. (Not an original idea, but I forget where I saw it first.)

One of the most memorable recent street performances was in downtown LA. I heard a saxophone going absolutely berserk, and when I looked over, the player was leaning his head into an idling Fed Ex van to hear the radio, and was furiously improvising over an Alice in Chains song.

09:05 / 13.07.02

OK. I did busk once, but it was a large group of us doing it for charity.

Well, not a large group, just a small jazz/funk outfit, five of us in the Promenade, and then a pile of people working the crowd with buckets; trying to raise money to renovate and repair Romanian orphanages. It may not be one man and his guitar, but we got an absolute pile of money in the hour we played for, and it was most satisfying. And, as the results proved, rewarding.

Actually, I've done it various times in choirs. Best time being last year with college choir, desperately trying to raise money for a tour (that never happened in the end). I wasn't so keen on us busking mainly because I wasn't too sure about the morals of busking to get money for the tour, or singing carols in public, but as it turned out, we got about two pounds forty seven, so in the end I couldn't care less. Eventually, we stood outside the fudge shop and did it, replacing odd words with "fudge" in a vain attempt to at least get some free fudge for our efforts, given that we weren't getting any money.

In general, I only give money to street performers if they're really good or if they really deserve it. Kids doing their violin practice just don't cut it with me, I'm afraid. Nor does the guy outside HMV playing shit blues riffs through a tinny overdriven amp all day.

But they guy who ALWAYS gets my money is the chap who plays the saw, usually against an orchestral minus one tape, because he's damn good at it, and it always raises a smile. (And reminds me of Delicatessen). Other than that, the odd exceptional tinwhistler (found one good guy whose mate played a bodhran and showed people how it ought to be played) or people playing unusual instruments. And then people busking for charity.

09:15 / 13.07.02

It's not something I'd really consider, given that my own talents are not things I can really parade on the streets ("just wait folks," "this one's gonna be a killer." "Up to chapter 39 so far." "This is soooo going to be worth your change", etc.)
That said, buskers do lend a certain something to the general feel of a place. I forget the source, but I recall reading somewhere that - apparantly - people felt happier and more inclined to shop in an area with buskers, than without.

Do you think busking is demoralizing or degrading?

Certainly not. I think begging for change might be, but certainly not expecting people to show their appreciation for whichever talent you're showing off.

Or is doing street performance empowering yourself while brining art to the people?

Bringing art to the people, certainly. Again, an area that contains freely available 'cultcha', makes for happier people. Happier people make for prosperity.

what are some of the memorable or notable street performers you've seen in your time?

There's an Andean group here in sunny Brighton who can often be found lurking around Churchill Square. They're kinda impressive.

09:17 / 13.07.02

I wasn't so keen on us busking mainly because I wasn't too sure about the morals of busking to get money for the tour

Now that's an interesting point. What exactly are the morals of busking? I've always assumed that people give change out of appreciation, rather than pity...

10:31 / 13.07.02

i think busking's great. never done it myself but i have a couple of experiences, both in luzern, a beautiful town in the middle of switzerland - i was walking over the old wooden bridge, i hadn't heard an english voice for quite a while (which was alright by me) when on one of the banks an american bloke started singing 'have you ever seen the rain', just him and an acoustic guitar. oh goddess, it was wonderful.

another time, after a long journey to luzern, on a day when all the shops were closed so i couldn't get any food, i was walking along the street wondering what to do and didn't notice the mime artist - who scare the shit out of me - doing his stuff. he began to walk alongside me and then put his hand on my shoulder!. a hungry, tired shortfatdyke is not to be messed with - i turned on him and told him to PISS OFF!. and he did.

buskers - great. mime artists, clowns and the like - shoot 'em.

14:05 / 14.07.02

I started busking 7 years ago because I was 16, wanted to go to Europe, and couldnt find a job. To this day, it's the best and most fun job I've ever had... and probably will have.

I usually do well money wise (except in London, where people are cheap bastards and the police move you along every 15 minutes.

), but I think it helps that I'm playing the fiddle, and wearing a top hat.

Busking actually helped me alot in becoming un-shy and getting more self-confidence. It also got me to London, Paris, New York and New Orleans back in high school, which rocked to no end. Paying no tax also rocks, but your salary being dependant on how well you can play that day can hurt a bit. I love being paid in cash, and entirely in coins.

Busking in Canada has gotten a lot better since 1996. It was then the 2 dollar coins came out, and my earnings doubled. The best busker I've ever seen was a guy who played his own homemade instruments on the street in Vancouver, and had some to sell as well. They were really neat metal contraptions with strings.

Best busking stories:

Once while playing, a man drove up in a motorcycle, emptied a 2liter coffee can full of pennies into my case, and drove off. There were 1330 pennies.

Another time, a 'gypsy lady' as I called here, but she may not have been a gypsy, came up to me and started saying things like "play something slow now", "play something from where you're from", etc. etc. for a few minutes. I played for her for about five minutes. In the middle of one of the songs, she said "keep it up like this and you'll make $10 in the next 5 minutes". (my average being $10 an hour). Of course, I made $10 in the next 5 minutes, and ever since that day, I've averaged about $20 an hour.

Most interesting tips have included: Silver dollars, tickets to Phantom of the Opera, $16US from a bunch of old ladies who sang along to Danny Boy.

I've always meant to start a site about busking, with tips and advice for different cities. I'll have to remember to do that now...

gentleman loser

22:13 / 14.07.02

I have not tried it, but I always wanted to put up a sign on the street that said "I will listen to your problems without judgement, $2 for five minutes".

You would be amazed how many people are in desperate need of non-judgemental confession. Hey, it's a lot cheaper than therapy!

13:44 / 15.07.02

Forgot to mention: The only moral bit I ever feel bad about is taking money that may have been given to the homeless guy on the next corner down. The homeless don't usually mind though, and wave away any suggestion that I'm competing. I usually give about 10% of what I make away though to compensate.

14:50 / 15.07.02

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but there was a young guy (19-20) playing Tequila on traffic cone at Vauxhall tube station and his pile of money was growing very quickly, he really deserves his own TV show

07:36 / 18.07.02

$20 an HOUR?? Jesus, I've got to learn an instrument and try this out sometime.

Fave busking story: I was in Prague which, amongst other things, is famous for their crystal. This guy had crystal glasses of various liquid volumes in an array like a big xylophone or something. Given the different sizes and volumes, each crystal glass had a diferent tone when rubbed. Just before I left, the guy played an early Beatles tune ("8 Days A Week" if I recall correctly). Given that living in Prague is pretty cheap and he seemed to be making lots of dough from the American tourists, I'd bet that guy was taking home a helluva lot more money than if he worked a day job.

09:05 / 18.07.02

in brum, we occasionally have a busk stop in new street, and the guy who play guitar by it is okay. the ones that piss me off are the 'two bars of streets of london' [forgive the lack of caps, i'm eating an egg ans mushroom sarnie with one hand] a quick 'spare some change' and then back to the same bleeding two bars.
learn some tunes. it's not hard.

saw some good stuff at a gypsy market in the algarve last year - the sort who cover themselves in whitewash over their robes and pretend to be statues. there was about six of them, and the uncontrollable cockney kids that seemed to be everywhere were freaking out and having to cling to their dad's beerguts.

one thing i really object to though - diablo.
ugh. oh, and mime too.
and clowns.
also dwarf clowns [shudder].
mm, that was lovely. I think I'll have a cup of tea to wash it down.

23:18 / 18.07.02

The best busker I've ever seen was a guy who played his own homemade instruments on the street in Vancouver, and had some to sell as well. They were really neat metal contraptions with strings.

Hey Barry, that old guy is still out there, playing exactly where he always plays. Five days a week, drawing his bow across the strings of his Ovid. (I believe that's what he calls his instrument. Something like that.) I was walking down Granville one day when a fellow with a ghetto blaster in the basket of his motorized cart came rolling by. Techno blasted from the guys stereo and when he passed the Ovid player, their music mingled perfectly. It totally stopped me in my tracks. If the Ovid player hooked up with a DJ -- I'd snatch their CD's up in a second. The combination of the two seperate styles was the most original thing I've heard musically for years.

07:03 / 19.07.02

I busked with a friend of mine(I sang she played guitar) as practise at performning in front of crowds when we were trying to form a band.Played mostly indie tunes and sing along hits.Made loads of money off americans by playing "Brown eyed girl".It reminded them of home for some reason.
inDublin we only got moved on by the police once and they only kind of mumbled it at us.It's (kind of) permittewd there.
Best times for making money....ooh after the shops close and the drunks begin to wander around.They've got loads of change from the pub and love a bit of a sing song.

Best busker I've seen is a feriend from college who supplemenmted hismgrant by playing COKE BOTTLES on grafton stret./He was amazing , even got a ""stret entertainer of the year" award.He played loads of instruments as well and was in band but he was able to get amazing tunes out of two empty plastic bottles.
andn um that's about it really.
Try it, you might just like it.
And it's character building!

15:06 / 13.05.04

Yesterday on the district line a busker got on, warmed up the audience with a little self-referential humour, then played a note-perfect version of 'Ashes to Ashes' that blew me away. I especially liked his use of whistling to create the opening synthesiser tones. Well worth a quid. It reminded me of the time I was in Chicago and a busking cellist played the Mission Impossible theme tune while my girlfriend and I were trying to cross a busy road. It was probably a coincidence. He could have been taking the piss. But I love that tune.

06:39 / 14.05.04

Am I the only one who has a beef with those people who stand fucking still all day? I know it must be hard to stand perfectly still for long stretches but that doesn't make it entertainment. And there are so many of them! Everywhere you go it seems to be the new thing of the last couple of years. I reckon that about 5 years ago in Performing Arts Schools around the country everyone must have just decided to major in standing still rather than drama or music. Try harder people!

Oh, and the other week I saw an off-duty standing-still guy hanging out with his friends and chatting, all painted in silver. I wanted to go and shake him and say "What are you going?! You're ruining the whole idea! Think of the children - now they know you're only human!"

Bah.

13:34 / 14.05.04

I love the statue people! If only because the first time I was in Paris, I had never seen one before, thought it was a statue, and had the living bejeesus scared out of me.... it was classic... I may have fallen over...