“In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?” This was the premise for an experiment carried out by the Post in Washington, DC. A renowned Classical musician, Joshua Bell, performed at L’Enfant Plaza Metro station during morning peak hour. What they forecast is that Joshua would make a couple of hundred dollars and draw a crowd. The results: in 45 minutes he made $32 and only seven people stopped to listen for a short period.
For the sake of this article I decided to risk it all and travel to a banal setting – the Bourke St Mall and nearby precinct – to talk to some buskers about their experience.
So how do these buskers attract the attention of people passing by and make a buck? Can beauty transcend all else?
The first busker I met was Pheelix. He’s been busking his graf-styled drawings and chalk works for nearly ten years. He told me about an experiment in Sydney’s Circular Quay which was set up quite differently to the Post’s but had similar tones. A child who could barely play the violin was pitched against a well-known song-writer. The child made a few hundred dollars while the musician was told not to give up his day job and only made about $5 an hour.
Pheelix believes that “performing prowess is nothing compared to a sympathy-ploy or big-eyed kid …” Nonetheless, if you don’t know how to perform or work a crowd he says it won’t pay. And busking his wares has taken Pheelix all around Australia. Pheelix also told me about an incident with a drunken man who stood by watching him draw and for whom he felt intimidated by. The man left momentarily and then returned with a ten dollar note: “I’m the bloke they pay to paint over you guys on the line, I feel bad sometimes … so keep it up, without you I wouldn’t have a job.”
On the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets I met Darren. Darren is a professional busker who makes a living out of playing the dulcimer. The dulcimer is a string instrument which lies on the musician’s lap and is played with a small mallet. The result is a sweet, ethereal sound you might imagine accompanying the reading of a fairytale. Darren claims that busking is hard work. He’s been verbally abused, people get in his face and, even sometimes, try to touch his dulcimer. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. He believes his music reaches people and he doesn’t think you need a gimmick. “You gotta be real,” he says.
Santos Bonacci who plays a fusion of flamenco, latin and jazz music claims that talent alone isn’t enough to draw a crowd. “To attract you need talent and a gimmick. They are both essential!!!” Watching Santos play I can only assume that the style of music he plays and dressing the part is his gimmick. And it works! I’ve recently been a part-time busker and on one particular night I only made 40 cents. I almost cried when I saw and estimated a few hundred in Santos’ kitty.
Lynda Gent was painting her face and body white when I approached her. I was instantly curious. Seven years ago when Lynda was traveling around Australia she needed an income. Having a background in theatre, she commenced busking as a statue. She says she loves the immediacy of busking and finds that people respond really positively to what she does. I’m sure the novelty of what she does is a strong draw card.
And I did meet the cute big-eyed kid. I wanted to throw him some money even though he wasn’t playing at the time because … well … he was so damn cute! Daniel Shaw is only 8 years old and at an age when I was pondering what clothes my Barbies would wear on any given day, this kid is out there on the streets of Melbourne playing his piano keyboard and singing. Daniel’s father told me that busking was a natural progression for Daniel who’s played at home for years. He just loves to entertain. Daniel told me that a man had said to him, “your music makes people happy” and I think playing genuinely makes Daniel happy.
I interviewed many other buskers. The sense I get is that for most buskers enjoying themselves and doing what they love is the key. Joel Muston who plays the acoustic guitar and performs pop/rock music says, “you have to be comfortable singing to an empty pavement and have fun … Concentrating on how much money is in the guitar case is a no-no”. For him the focus is on the beauty of music and conveying this as honestly and passionately as possible.
It wasn’t until nearing the end of my interviews when I met the lovely Rubin and Coral that I got it. They were both playing electric guitars and had, in fact, only met each other that morning and had been jamming together ever since. They believe that what draws people to buskers is a totally subjective thing. They simply love sharing their passion for music. What I understand now is that for the busker the beauty of what they do transcends all else.
The truth is I don’t go to the Bourke St Mall very often and when I do I chant incantations to keep myself safe from the busy hordes. But on this particular day, my focus on buskers, I actually experienced the beautiful diversity of people and culture that this wonderful city offers: A Japanese cowboy, flamenco/latin/jazz fusions, the Andean pipes, reggae, a beat-boxer, the dulcimer, just to name a few. At the end of the day I was breaking into song about how I love this city and how I love, love, love our artists.
