What compels a musician to busk?

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 13 Dec 06 - 10:39 PM

In College (at U.C.D.) in the late '60's, I needed money for drink, so I took up busking.
I soon realized that it could pay for drink AND a good meal too.
Then when I came to the States in the early '70's, I did a little in New York while establishing myself on the Irish bar-performing scene, and when I was "between gigs".
I moved to Boston, and did it there outside the MTA stations, then went to a bar gig at night.

It sure augmented the income from the saloons.I always give a busker something even if he's lousy, because he's giving something in exchange for the money, unlike guys who just sit with their hand out.

If the busker is good I give more, and I'll usually listen to an entire song, maybe more, and applaud when he's done.

I saw two young French guitarists in Galway this summer playing hot club-style jazz in the street, a la Django. They were brilliant! I stood and listened for 45 minutes, and they played just for me while people walked by. I gave them a good bung and bought 3 of their CDs.
Theye were called Hot Frogs; keep an eye out for them..


Seamus

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 13 Dec 06 - 10:57 PM

"he's giving something in exchange for the money, unlike guys who just sit with their hand out"

I wish people wouldn't keep comparing buskers to beggars. I guess they're going to, though ...

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Muttley
Date: 14 Dec 06 - 02:13 AM

What compels a musician to busk?????
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm !

I've never really considered myself an actual "musician" as such; just a bit of a musical hack who enjoys his tunes.

However, as I have mentioned in other threads, due to unfortunate circumstances I had first, my voice (courtesy of having my vocal chords burnt when over-run by a bushfire I was fighting and inhaling flame - hose pressure failed) and then my guitar-playing (courtesy of head injuries and subsequent Acquired Brain Injury) taken from me in the space of about 8 years.

However, in the past 5 - 6 years I have learned to settle into my "new" voice and relearned a simpler method of guitar: As such I only ever played songs for children i teach in order to facilitate learning - ie War songs around ANZAC and remembrance Days; Pioneering, shearing Gold Rush songs for those topics and other stuff - soft rock ballads, British Folk, humour etc for other stuff; Peter Coombe songs for 'Little 'Uns'.

However kids at several schools asked me if I busked and I'd fob them off with "No, my playing isn't good enough any more".

However, about 18 months or more ago, I took the plunge. We have a local spot that doesn't discourage buskers - provided they are 'unamplified' or otherwise enhanced. I only busk on Saturday mornings outside of Cricket season as I umpire in-season and can't spare the time.

I have received MANY compliments and made a decent amount of money on occasions.

I think the important thing to realise as a busker is that I am playing for ME as well as the enjoyment of others and hoping to give them pleasure and I am playing for free. I don't expect money for doing what I do and thus accept any money I am tossed as a bonus.

A few times I have had a few 'fivers' tossed in (no they didn't ask for change) - one guy even came up as I was packing up and handed me a 'fiver' and I went to refuse as I had finished and he said - I was listening earlier and I loved what you played - I just got some change so plaese accept it".

Of late I now have a small laminated page in my case explaining my disability and a few Brain Foundation pamphlets nearby highlighting the ABI condition. Goes down very well. I also donate 10% of anything I make to the ABF.

Bottom line - busk if you feel the urge - if they don't like you, they won't toss antyhing in the case.

Muttley

PS Hi to Joybell (and Foolestroupe and Gargoyle) up above there.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: GUEST,daniel
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 05:49 AM

i was busking and someone gave me two hundred dollars

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 06:10 AM

One day I was going round Bakewell market, and I come across this old fellow playing a banjo. An unusual banjo - it was tenor one and it shimmered, it was gold in colour.

It was pretty weird stuff he was playing - Sons of the Sea (bobbing up and down like this).

but I was feeling expansive, d'you wanna a gig pal? I asked him.

So I took his number - he said, For Chrissake Al, if a woman answers the phone say its a wrong number.   told my wife i was out playing golf, she'd kill me if she knew what I was up to....

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 10:15 AM

We were in Miltown Malbay at the Willie Clancy week. We saw 2 tiny girls with tiny violins and we knew full well what compelled them to busk - Mummy.
They could just about manage Twinkle twinkle.

Then on the last day our dance class teacher said, bring your instruments in, we'll finish with a few songs, tunes and steps. One of the dancers fetched her son and daughter after their classes (they were only a couple of years older) and they played for us as part of the session, no cash given or expected, a delight.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 10:10 PM

Starvation - Salvation - Reconsiliation

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

capitulation to a higher order

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: reggie miles
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 04:01 PM

I first witnessed performers playing music on the streets of Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1978. I had already been a paid performer before I had moved to the area from the Midwest that same year. I marveled at the idea that one could merely play music on the street and folks would offer donations if they enjoyed your performance.

So, given that employment in my field of interest was scarce, I decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose? For years I barely made enough to survive but that was enough.

My skills at street performing were not sufficient to enable me gain a great amount of attention to my efforts. However, my time on the street did afford me the opportunity to explore new avenues of musical expression. I began a more serious exploration of bottleneck slide playing after seeing and hearing another street performer playing some powerful interpretations in an open E tuning. I also began playing washboard percussion while working with several other street performers in a small combo, The Street Buzzards. I debuted playing musical saw on the street. I've written and worked up many a comic line, bad pun, new song, song intro, and story while playing on the street.

The street has afforded me the opportunity to practice those all of those art forms in front of a live audience of passersby. However horrible I was, when I first began to explore those various musical pusuits, eventually, through personal diligence, I progressed. My efforts at mastering those skills has been time well spent. Today, when I perform on the street, or offer my talents elsewhere, the reactions I get to my performances in all of those various pursuits is quite different. Yes, all of those years of practice did help me to advance and sharpen my abilities as a performance artist.

When I first began performing on the street some of the journals that I was keeping also contained my sketches of other street performers that I performed with or just enjoyed seeing and hearing. Last Fall, I used these early artistic renderings to develop a poster design for our local Buskers' Festival and won the competition for the best poster design. One of the character sketches was also chose to be used as the teeshirt design for the event.

I began hosting my free musical saw workshop at our local NW Folklife Festival six years ago. Since that time several hundred folks have attended. This year, during my attempts to provide attendees with an appropriate handout, I developed my own how-to booklet. That publication also features one of my sketches on the cover from those thirty year old journals. I have further plans for that series of drawings.

My point is that this whole 30 year experience of performing on the street, busking, has blossomed in directions that I could never have imagined. I've won awards, and accolades. I've received compliments, and applause from many thousands. I've also created many more smiles than I could easily count via my musical pursuits on the streets and that alone has made it all a very rewarding experience. Who can say where it may yet lead?

The street offers some distinct advantages over traditional musical venues like bars, pubs and clubs. The street is free of cover charges, free of dress codes, free of age limits, and free of minimum drink fees. Street performers, buskers, offer their talents for free too. Listeners are free to watch, listen and be entertained, or not. They are also free to donate, or not.

This art form, busking, then is really about fair exchange. The listener makes the determination about what is fair.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Rowan
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 06:49 PM

When I started playing concertina (I had long been unsuccessful in attempts at other instruments) I was so excited at just being able to produce music that I carried it everywhere (still do) and would pull it out if I was likely to be stationary for more than five minutes. I was just doing it for the excitement and it led to lots of "practice".

This meant I had the appearance of busking, even though I had no money-catcher in front of me, at a time when busking was not common in Oz. I noticed two quite frequent responses, one of which was to offer me money. Usually I would attempt (not very hard) to decline the offer and explain I was just trying to learn tunes and, if I were in an airport lounge or similar location (where management was likely to be stuffy about democratisation) I was particularly scrupulous about refusing money, even when proferred in large denominations; I didn't want to run the risk of breaching some minor by-law. I might add that, on the rare occasions when the group I was part of decided to put in some practice on the street (eg Circular Quay, in Sydney, before all the licensing rhubarb appeared) we made enough in half an hour to pay for a slap up dinner and drinks, so I have no doubts about the quality of performance.

The other frequent response was harder to interpret; some people would go all huffy, or indicate their 'unease' in a wide variety of ways. After some time of this I figured that what was going on was that, for most people, most music is not "live" but heard through a set of speakers that they can control with a switch; with a live musician they didn't have that option and this made them feel uncomfortable because they lacked a certain amount of control.

My response to that set of inferences has been to do it even more. These days I often have to go to Sydney on union business and I get into the CBD well before business hours. So I'll sit and play (without a money-catcher, so I don't infringe the by-laws) as the hordes pass by with their iPods in their ears. If I reach Central Station with time to spare on the way home I do the same there.

Without the intent to receive money, this may not really be busking but my compulsion is to increase people's exposure to "live" music.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Nick
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 07:21 PM

It's a good £35000+ income if you work at it. That's on good authority.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Nick
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 07:24 PM

Sorry I misread the thread - "compels a musician to busk" - that would be a life partner perhaps of the female variety (or male or perhaps female). Preferable if it's work rather than pleasure.

I am going to try it this summer to see if I have the balls to do it. I have applied for my licence and will have my audition and go from there

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Big Mick
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 09:44 PM

I have not read the whole thread, but I just wanted to answer the question.

I sometimes busk, for the same reason I want to one day hop a freight for a while. Because it is what those that I admire have done, and it makes me be closer to the meat of the stew. So when I am in certain towns, or places, I will open the case and busk. Sometimes I get run off, other times I do alright. Marion did it around the US once.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: InOBU
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 10:07 PM

Hi Nick... if you ask me, if you audition and get a licence... it is a gig, not busking... busking assumes that we own the road.

Baxt
lor

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: GUEST,hey, gargaoyle
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 10:53 PM

Copulation to a higher ardor?

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Bert
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:32 AM

I just read the post by Seamus who says that at least they were not standing there with their hands out.

Two days ago a guy came up to me and asked if I could spare some money for him to buy some beer. He said "I'm being honest". After I had given him a couple of dollars I got to thinking. That was probably just a line that worked to get him more money. I bet the guy really had three or four hungry kids to feed.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: reggie miles
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:54 AM

My lighthearted ode to this particular pursuit, a talkin' blues.

You Can Be A Street Musician! Reggie Miles © 2008

You can be a street musician!
It doesn't take a lot of ambition.
It don't take talent or ejamakation.
And it more fun than workin' at a fillin' station.

Or for some theivin', lyin' corporation
Like Worldcom or Enron, or one of them other dot cons.
I could go on, but what's the use.

So come on down and don't be shy.
Sing songs to folks as they walk by.
Strum and rant and stomp your feet,
Express yourself out on the street.

It's called freedom of expression people.
It's not guaranteed via the ever-increasing constant tuition,
As some would have you believe.
But it is promised to every red blooded American
By the first amendment of the Constitution.
That's Constitution not constant tuition. Get it straight!

You can sing requests all day long.
It don't matter if the words are wrong.
Pour your heart out or just play covers.
Sing the blues about your lost lovers.

Oh where, oh where has my little lover gone?

If you want, you can get political,
Just as long as you're not a little too critical.
Sing silly songs to make folks laugh.
Don't have to cut your hair or take a bath.

[Sniff, sniff]
Smells like somethin' died up here.
I hope it's not my song.

You can arise from bed at the crack of noon.
Spend an hour or so just to get in tune.
Swallow a steamin' black pot o' jo,
To get yourself up before the show.

No, I would not like cream or sugar with that.
On second thought, a double espresso ice cream float.
With plenty of chocolate syrup,
A Mount Rainier of whipped cream on top
And don't be shy with them nuts darlin'

Then look around for a likely location,
To begin your musical vocation.
At an outdoor market or a subway station,
Or where ever folks need edification.

Right here at the Mudcat Cafe looks like a good place to start.

Divorce yourself from the ol' rat race,
And open up your guitar case.
You're sure to find somebody who,
Will be happy to donate a buck or two.

A quarter, a dime or a nickel'll do.
How about a penny?
Or how 'bout the keys to your SUVs?

You can make a million dollars a year,
If you start out with two million's what I hear.
It's easy to do, take it from me,
It's more fun than playin' the lottery.

And all the money goes to the sick, the tired and the hungry
And you're lookin' at 'im.
I am so sick and tired of bein' sick and tired and hungry.

You can be your own boss and employee too,
With nobody to tell you what to do.
Record and sell your own CD,
Start your own recording company.

I think I'll call mine "Starvin' For Your Attention Productions".

So if you're lookin' for a brand new job,
And you don't want to beg or steal or rob,
Take my advice, here's what to do,
Become a street musician too!

But it'll cost ya.
I hear their thinkin' of raisin' the street musician permit fee
From $30 a year to $50 a year!
Looks like I gotta git a job, just to be able to afford
To play music on the street music fer a livin'.
Hmmm! Wusupwidat?

But if you worry about making money,
Better find yourself a rich little honey.
Then you can just sit around and play,
On your guitar all the livelong day.

Huh? What's that honey?
You want me to get a what?
How about I become a street musician?
Yep, that's what I thought you'd say.
How dare she use them four letter words around me,
Like w-o-r-k and a-j-o-b!

You can lose a lot of weight playin' music on the street.
Cuz sometimes you can't make enough to afford to eat.
I saw a bunch o' them buskers in the alley up the street.
They were so poor... I said they were so poor...
How poor were they?
They were so poor, they were sharin' one tiny, litle, twisted up, funny smellin' cigareet.

No comment!

Yes you can be weight watchers and watch me lose,
Hundreds of pounds whilst I'm singin' these blues.
I'll waste away right before your eyes,
Till my skin 'n' bones are fossilized.

Won't be enough left over to even attract the flies.
'S what I surmise.

Signed, Joe Street performer

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: reggie miles
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 01:31 AM

You can listen to the song at my EZ Folk website by clicking the following link. You Can Be A Street Musician.

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Stewart
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 01:16 PM

Hi Reggie,

Nice song. Of course I've heard you sing it before.

Today is a rare day in Seattle - it's actually sunny!
So I'm headed out to the Fremont neighborhood this noon
to do a little busking. So why to do I do it?

It's a great practice session.
I want to play my best in front of other people,
but if I make a mistake with a mostly moving audience,
few notice, so it takes the pressure off.

It's great to be outside on a nice day,
doing something I enjoy - playing music.
And it's nice when someone comes up to me
and says "thanks, I've enjoyed it."

And the money -
Well, I don't really need it, I'm comfortably retired.
But it means that other people value it,
it's worth something. And I get enough for lunch,
and on a good day, enough to go down the street
to Dusty Strings and buy a CD (guilt-free spending).

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: oggie
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 05:29 PM

"Hi Nick... if you ask me, if you audition and get a licence... it is a gig, not busking... busking assumes that we own the road."

Depends on why you're doing it. Being based in York I know several of the buskers who make a comfortable living from it. Yes they have licences (and they have to buy a Street Trading Licence to sell their CDs) but they approach it as a job, which to them it is, and make a living from it. They reckon to make £50-£100 an hour between the hat and CD sales. The caveat is that they are good. They are polished and professional.

Steve

Subject: RE: What compels a musician to busk?
From: Newport Boy
Date: 25 Jul 08 - 04:39 AM

A while ago, a friend of mine, excellent folk/jazz/pop/classical fiddler, was busking outside a branch of a major shoe retailer in Cardiff. After about 20 minutes, the manager came out to ask whether he could move along, because customers were reluctant to browse the window behind him.

He looked in his tin, and said "I reckon in another 10 minutes I'll have enough to buy my son a pair of shoes." Which he had, and he did!

Phil