Awesome Sydney Buskers: Part 1
August 29th 2006 09:01
To avoid confusion, "Street Talent" is not referring to talented street tiles, instead, I'm talking about the great buskers of Sydney. There are several famous ones in the city who are spied upon very often. Pitt Street Mall is a definite hot spot for finding the best, the worst and the most "X-factor" worthy.
Picture Drawing Guy
This guy is pretty impressive. He replicates famous works of art on a large canvas while people watch. He's probably been featured on Totally Wild or something because I see him constantly.
I wonder what inspires him to do this. There wasn't much money in his baskets, so perhaps he is a true artist. Or maybe replicates the signature as well, then sells them to naive lottery winners for a fortune.
The Homeless Man With A Guitar At Wynyard
I don't have a picture of THMWAGAW but he must be a high school music teacher as he severely devoid of ability. He just sort of puts on the guitar and takes it off again. He plays every so often but I don't really have the improper functioning of my legs to be able to stay to listen. I admire that he puts in an effort to make some money.
Apparently, according to my friend, one day the city went all quiet for a brief moment as it does sometimes. And through that eerie veil, there was the sound of a guitar being played.. at a MODERATE level. It was THMWAGAW, whose talent seems to be hidden by society's machines. GRRRRR
The Immobile Donkey Busker
This donkey angers me to no end. Donkey Busker just stands there bobbing his head down and up again every so often and he expects money for it. If I knew that was something I could be paid for, I wouldn't have been doing it for free all these years. I assume he had quaint beginnings in the donkey community until he decided to take his act to a whole new species.
Maybe I'm just bitter that I didn't think of the idea first.
The Blind Woman Who Sings Opera At Central Station
Walking through the tunnel leading from Broadway to Central Station is like searching for a good radio station. Beat-boxers, didgereedoos, balding men on acoustic guitars.. all fade in and fade out as you walk on by. Eventually, it leads to this blind woman whose voice stands out more than other buskers. Apparently she has also made appearances in Pitt Street Mall and is also known to board trains and sing down the aisles.
The Asian Man Who Plays A Sprite Can At Town Hall Station (a.k.a. Mr Sunshine)
Possibly the most famous of all Sydney buskers. Mr Sunshine appears most often at the top of the steps of Town Hall in the afternoons. He has been there for years, the photos below were taken a while apart so it's safe to his earnings don't go into his performance wardrobe and seating budget. It's unknown whether his instrument is part soft-drink can for novelty or poverty purposes.
He's called Mr Sunshine due to his expression. He's an absolute Sydney legend!! I did an interview with him which i'll post later.
Who's your favourite? Tell me who else to add for Part 2! Add a comment..
Picture Drawing Guy
This guy is pretty impressive. He replicates famous works of art on a large canvas while people watch. He's probably been featured on Totally Wild or something because I see him constantly.
I hope he does portraits
I wonder what inspires him to do this. There wasn't much money in his baskets, so perhaps he is a true artist. Or maybe replicates the signature as well, then sells them to naive lottery winners for a fortune.
The Homeless Man With A Guitar At Wynyard
I don't have a picture of THMWAGAW but he must be a high school music teacher as he severely devoid of ability. He just sort of puts on the guitar and takes it off again. He plays every so often but I don't really have the improper functioning of my legs to be able to stay to listen. I admire that he puts in an effort to make some money.
Apparently, according to my friend, one day the city went all quiet for a brief moment as it does sometimes. And through that eerie veil, there was the sound of a guitar being played.. at a MODERATE level. It was THMWAGAW, whose talent seems to be hidden by society's machines. GRRRRR
The Immobile Donkey Busker
This donkey angers me to no end. Donkey Busker just stands there bobbing his head down and up again every so often and he expects money for it. If I knew that was something I could be paid for, I wouldn't have been doing it for free all these years. I assume he had quaint beginnings in the donkey community until he decided to take his act to a whole new species.
Annoying Donkey
Maybe I'm just bitter that I didn't think of the idea first.
The Blind Woman Who Sings Opera At Central Station
Walking through the tunnel leading from Broadway to Central Station is like searching for a good radio station. Beat-boxers, didgereedoos, balding men on acoustic guitars.. all fade in and fade out as you walk on by. Eventually, it leads to this blind woman whose voice stands out more than other buskers. Apparently she has also made appearances in Pitt Street Mall and is also known to board trains and sing down the aisles.
The Asian Man Who Plays A Sprite Can At Town Hall Station (a.k.a. Mr Sunshine)
Possibly the most famous of all Sydney buskers. Mr Sunshine appears most often at the top of the steps of Town Hall in the afternoons. He has been there for years, the photos below were taken a while apart so it's safe to his earnings don't go into his performance wardrobe and seating budget. It's unknown whether his instrument is part soft-drink can for novelty or poverty purposes.
He's called Mr Sunshine due to his expression. He's an absolute Sydney legend!! I did an interview with him which i'll post later.
Who's your favourite? Tell me who else to add for Part 2! Add a comment..
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Comment by Anonymous
But the best busker has to be the guy with the beard who is always running around chatswood with his guitar, twitching and grumbling at anyone who just passes by.
Another great one is that guy who could beat box and play the flute at the same time! Haven't seen him round in a while though...
Comment by Trina
Hiphop
Confessions of a Serial Dancer
Competitions
Clubbing
What can I say, I think when people found out a busking licence was only $10 for a quarter of a year as opposed to $90 a year, then everyone wanted to take it to the streets...
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by NotHappyJan
Ah, they add life and colour to the streets. I haven't seen the donkey but have seen Mr Sunshine who does radiate a kind of glow. Good on 'im. Some of the Circular quay buskers draw a big crowd.
Comment by Legally Brunette
My Wedding
And my favourite is the psycho flute man at Chatswood station. if anyone's seen him, you'll know what I'm talkin about...
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Have you seen that guy that plays 'Inspector Gadget' on the beer bottles and cans in Chinatown?
Comment by Anonymous
I haven't seen the singing blind woman and I walk through that tunnel everyday
Comment by thekingofcomedy
I spoke to them once, it turns out they're called Super FLORENCE Jam and they jam on the streets to promote their rock shows. I tracked down a site with some of their original music, www.myspace.com/superflorencejam and that's really great too. They always have a good crowd and it's just a terrific way to spend an afternoon.
Also the violin kids are there day in day out, they don't go to school .... something fishy going on there.
Comment by Anonymous
Busking has an age old tradition for musicians. Many great artists started out as buskers.
It's a system that allows people to have a go.
Busking also helps to make people happy....buskers soon learn that you can only make some money if you play well....if you don't play well then it is not worth the effort.
Its hard but what a potential musician can learn is invaluable as I'm sure you already realise.
The council have just decided to ban all busking from the streets of Sydney after 10pm....including Kings Cross. I was told to pack up by rangers at 10:30pm in Kings Cross because the of the new rules. I was told they were made to cut down noise. All I had was a guitar with no amp! 25meters away a strip club is belting out disco and hip hop beats at 1000 watts!! Infact all the strip clubs are trying to outdo each other along the main drag.
Reduce noise .....the council must be mad!
Even if you turned off all the promotional stuff you can hear the sound of screaming drunks and ice addicts all night....but even they are drowned out by the clubs.
Busking is now banned at Circular Quay unless you get some sort of elaborate "harbor foreshore" license that costs $400........really bad.
Now they want to completely ban busking from Central Station...the last straw for many buskers.
Please help us help Australian music.
Go to http://www.xshack.com to sign the petition to allow busking after 10pm at Kings Cross.
If you want to email Clover Moore her email address is:
clover@clovermoore.com
Its only a start but maybe we can get these people see what they are doing.
Comment by Anonymous
Scottish Acoustic Guy-Pitt St. Circular Quay
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Stephen Pascoe
stephen@discoverycafe.tv
Comment by Stephen Pascoe
stephen@discoverycafe.tv