Buskers Good and True
BRIAN ROBERT PEARCE - Labyrinth Busker's Journal
home.buskerbrian.com

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A busker's choice (video 4 mins)



JIM DRUID:-
Great site,but pop up control recommended.
A Modern Knight of
the Road.
In 1998 Jim drew out a sketch map of northern Portugal, putting down key places where busking can be good. He also informed me that metal strings can be hard to find.
In 1999 I went with my duo partner Gill to busk Portugal - armed with the sketch map. As we travelled down the coast from Porto the map proved good - until we came to Aveiro. We marched back and forth through this town looking for the juicy terraces its presence on the sketchmap indicated. We could find nothing - and the hotels were more expensive than elsewhere. Puzzled, we evacuated the place the next day. Even that was difficult. There was a bus going to the village we planned to move  on to, but, having waited a long time, the bus arrived and docilely continued past the bus stop as though it were not there. We were forced to catch a train to Coimbra.
On our eventual return to Antwerp I met Jim and asked him where the terraces were in Aveiro. He replied, " Oh, that's just the place where you can buy metal strings. There's a shop down the road from the station..."
Ah, Jeez!












Outstanding creative talent
for songwriting and guitar
Enters the journal in 1996
Now 25, he has completed a
professional CD
Tip for record companies:-
Sign him up! Quick!


jim druid
buskers
Bob Gault (US):-
Vigorously busking
Switzerland (last I heard).
We worked well as a duo.
















Eva Hafner - Swiss. I love her like a sister - and more. I miss her. If you have any info on her just give me an e-mail on it. Such a powerful performer.








Elliot (far right) - immensely talented on voice,accoustic guitar and lead guitar. Shared a small bedsit in Bern with him for awhile. Elliot is from Detroit and if you can picture Mohammed Ali with a bit more weight - you've got him. Very affable and chatty. Buy an Eliot CD. Hear his music.
ROCK IS NOT DEAD
With Eliot you can believe it



American Dave (second from right) - I don't know his actual name, but he pops up often in the journal. To me, he is the 'Davy Crockett' of buskers, flitting onto trams and playing them in Switzerland.


Peter Murphy (harpist) -  featured on 'The South Bank Show'. For many years he was an accountant. Then, suddenly, he walked away to become a busker. This may seem strange to most people, but I knew the likely inner mechanics behind such an action. To really feel you are making a difference to the world - and to yourself? An accountant doesn't meet this criteria. Not within the matter of souls. But a musician should BE a musician. Peter should be a musician - and people should hear him.
peter murphy harpist
peter murphy meets the queen


buskerbrian
stormy and harmonica john
Harmonica Jon
Gent based (last I heard) English busker - and winner of a couple of Busker of the Year awards in Belgium.






















I would like to pass on my condolences to all who mourn and miss MILLIGAN, who died from cancer recently. He was someone I liked a great deal and he often popped up in my journal. Sadly, he left behind his young children and their mother Sandra - and my greatest sympathies lie with them.



MILLIGAN (background) supporting POMMIE
Thanks to Tricia for the picture (below).

Stormy Normy
Simply the best
No frills - but a mountain of technique in the delivery of a song (and its message).
pommie and milligan
Steady Eddy - a good and true busker who presently resides in Antwerp. I first met him in Fribourg, Germany. He was able to offer me extremely valuable aid there when I got stuck in the town for a week. He pointed out bars to play, which hastened my desired aim to return to Bern, Switzerland. His site has some fantastic pictures of Antwerp buskers and, of course, himself.