reproduced without consent.

re Pan Pipers

These guys are generally known as "The Peruvian Pests". A travelling UK folk journalist has noted that they sell exactly the SAME recording in diverse parts of the world. I have two major objections to them - no, make that three.

1) Their music is over-amplified. This is busking raised to the level of social nuisance - and, unlike most buskers , they have no respect for other musicians working the same general area. (The outfit in Cambridge is loud enough but is NOTHING to the one we heard on our last visit to Spain - quite literally, 100 yards from them we had to move behind a pillar to conduct a conversation with each other without shouting . . )

2) The "economy" outfit performs to backing tapes. Always pisses me off, with any buskers . .

3) Mostly their music is banal - and far removed from its source (indeed it includes an incresing proportion of "western pop standards").

Very occasionally I've heard exceptions to this pattern (so perhaps Larry's struck luckier than I have) but in the main part I find them a pain in the ears . .

But by observation they appear to be making a good income at this . .