do you have a favourite? when you're trudging around town (especially christmas shopping) is there a busker who makes you smile and lifts your weary crowded-town spirits a little?
in manchester there is a one man band called Buddy and he's fantastic. a proper traditional one man band. i've seen him quite a few times now and i'll stop and watch him for five minutes. his cover of 'the importance of being idle' is superb.
also, the blind guitar man with a dog who plays runaway by del shannon comes a close second.
um, discuss? and, spare change?
one guy on the tube
who does reverby slide guitar. from afar it sounds like he has a backing track, but its all sexy swathes of aweosomeness.
one of these days i will give him money.
this old black man at bond street tube on some fridays
plays this amazing blues stuff just with a guitar, but what makes it extra special is that he's got a drawl and a fuck-off fuzz pedal so it all sounds like Blue Cheer. Played by a homeless man.
south coast centric
The Tellitubby man! GENIUS! anyone seen him about in the last year or so?!? its not xmas without him!
i was gonna mention him
I haven't seen him in aaaages
hope he's not dead
probably in winchester or summint living in luxury with the results of his hard work.
probably not in winchester
there're already buskers every 20metres on the high street there
in glasgow at last christmas time
there was an old OLD man on buchanan street who sat in a shop doorway playing guitar while his dog sang (howled) along.
BEST THING EVER. that dog was so fucking cute.
is that the guy
is that the old guy with the fender jaguar?
i saw him when my band passed through on tour. a month or so later my girlfriend was up there and saw him, so i'm guessing he's a regular.
anyway
he's ace.
nah
that's a different guy, he's ALWAYS there playing ridiculous solos on his guitar.
this guy was REALLY old. like, a hundred.
The dog
plays Runaway?
that would be awesome
but i think that it might be the man who plays it. he's the one playing the guitar
Yeah...
That's a dead giveaway really.
Damn.
i bet
the dog taught him everything he knows though
Like
how to bark and drool on strangers?
The guy who
used to be in Nottingham on that road that leads down to the entrance to Broad Marsh with the xylophone, just playing the same three notes over and over. He used to be my favourite.
He died
whilst I was at Univesrsity there 2 years ago.
RIP Xylophone Man
Oh man
Really? :'(
True Story, sadly
It was in all the local papers, I think there's a plaque up where he used to play.
The Duelers
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/candd/communication/pressrel/y2005/prjune05/323782?a=5441
what the fuck...
Oh the Dualers..
They got to number 22 in the charts I'll have you know! Nice blokes
There was a guy in Canterbury
Called Sal, who sits in the middle of the high street in one of those motorised shopping scooter things wearing a pope hat, a dressing gown and dog slippers. He balances a keyboard on the scooter and just presses the demo button and smashes a load of keys over the top of it whilst waving his other arm around.
The man is a genius
I've seen him a few times
there.
Other worthy mentions - the blind fella with the violin on Oxford St.
The Rasta looking fella in Bath.
there was
some crazy rasta playing mad guitar at kings cross for a while, he had an amazing voice but just beat the crap out of his guitar. like him a lot.
In manchester
have you seen that guy outside of Superdrug/Somerfield in piccadilly gardens with the weird instruments which he plucks to get this odd, high-pitched sound out of?
I quite like it. It always sounds the same, but it sounds nice. Where did the really energetic guy who busked outside of boots (the undercover section near Marks & Sparks) go? He was good, quite avante garde for a busker.
yes
the man outside superdrug is good, especially when that other man is dancing with him.
i don't think the blind man is really blind, i'm sure i've seen him in prestwich without his glasses/stick/dog/electric guitar.
Seriously :O
He has to be blind! Are you getting him mixed up with his inferior doppelganger 'The Boogie Man'? The one who talks in an american accent.
The best one is the guy who busked under Boots. I miss him. He had tourettes and did amazing T-Rex covers.
maybe
also re:the homeless man with a beard with the gold coloured dog that looks like it's dying in his arms that sometimes sits outside selfridges, the dog is perfectly fine!!!
i saw the dog run across the road in cheetham hill and the man run after it. in conclusion, some people begging for money lie.
the boogie man
is there today, he was playing dire strais when i went past.
also there was a bloke near boots singing along really badly to a stereo. he was awful/awesome, i dont think anyone knew what to make of him
Superdrug guy
This guy is fucking amazing. Don't know what that guitar thing he has is, think it's West African. Someone should record him on the sly and make him a star.
sorry to drag this down with complaining but
im concerned by a recent trend. every time i walk down cornmarket in oxford on a saturday there is ALWAYS at least one entire band set up in the street playing. this just, i dont know, it seems really really wrong somehow.
bands should not busk. drums do not belong in the street.
.
Sting
Toy Mic Trev!
www.myspace.com/toymictrevor
He's a Cardiff legend.
the fella in
Angel who plays the flute with no arms
what a hero
hehe
I was just going to post that Toy Mic Trev link.
Havn't seen him in ages though, hope he isn't dead :-(
There was
a great cheery blues harmonica (and vocals) guy at Holborn tube station yesterday. I gave him money which I rarely do as they're usually rubbish. There's quite a cool harp person at Green Park sometime.
There is a band
who play a reallyyyy pretty instrumental in Glasgow. It makes me smile every time I hear it; shame all of their other songs are rubbish.
Worst buskers are that annoying native american group who bang drums and wail and dance about. Fucking irritating.
bright eyes
in durham
on milburngate bridge there's a guy who looks like a real classic hippy (real neil from the young ones kinda guy) with a guitar painted in the most eyepoppingly bright colours available to man.
and his busking sets seem to comprise entirely of hawkwind covers
amazing stuff
There's a guy
at Haymarket in Newcastle who seems to be teaching himself guitar as he busks. He's a really grizzled old bastard who pays absolutely no attention to the general public. He's amazing.
this
guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE8Q8H05bjo
he sometimes goes crazy to drum and bass to.