(PITTSBURGH) Bringing the "Weird, Wild and Wonderful" to the streets, the Busker Street Union enlivens city streets making them safer. It also gives a voice to the voiceless. Busker Street Union is a national placemaking program."We reactivate street spaces. We engage community members through performance. We do research by collecting busking guidelines around the world and we map the safe places to play. The mapping allows us to identify spaces that are protected Free Speech allowing others to use the spaces as a venue for activism. If you are looking for a safe place to play, join the union and sign up here. You’ll get tips on the best places to play and friendly business owners looking to stir up a crowd."

An interesting take on the history of busking, street stages, and busking l...

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(WWW) Most people think that fame is instant - namely that through a fluke, fame comes to performers overnight. Far from the truth, it turns out that fame usually comes only after years and years of dedicated performing.Some start out in very different themes before becoming famous. Who knew a fire eater would become James Bond or a mime become an Academy Award winner? One famous performer actually got deported from Spain for sleeping on the streets. Another got his nickname the "Beale Street Blues Boy". Can you guess who?

A closer look at fame reveals startling inconsistencies in perceptions of success. A famous comedian starts off playing banjo for lucky passers-by. Another star begins playing piano at age six. Just who will make it and who won't is written in the stars (no pun intended). Such is life.

Let's...

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(WWW) If we visit college professor Stephen Baird's Facebook page, we find lots of pictures, links, and related pages towards the pandemic-suppressed art of busking and public performing. An ex-busker, Stephen has been researching this for decades.Of course, not all news is good news. Because of the global pandemic, buskers have been banned in several places including the New York subway where it's been a tradition for years. But in the meantime, we view Pogo Fred, the Red Trowser show, Gazzo, Woody Guthrie, Waldo and Woodhead, Will Soto, Hurdy Gurdy guys, and several others making the professor's current page.

"For as long as there has been a subway system in New York, there have been musicians decorating it with sound. However, they haven’t always been welcome. Performance Today host Fred Child t...

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(WWW) In these challenging times, we must all remember to go directly to the people. The busker must first "seek" an appropriate audience and go from there. The surprise impromptu performance is almost always welcome in the tourist industry. Even flea markets and towne festivals have been known to welcome the busker. Where else can you draw a nice crowd then entertain them?Not any ol' street corner will do these days. You will need throngs of toursits to entertain and make a decent amount of "appreciation". What's just as important is a smile on your face which is rare these days. A smile disarms people and they, more often than not, willl smile back instantly making a connection.

Whether you're a circle show or stand-alone musician, you should always have cd's or dvd's of your show...

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(LONDON) Where's the best place in London can you catch buskers, shop, eat, play, work, and live?
"Since the 1660s Covent Garden has never missed a chance to put on a performance. The first record of Covent Garden street entertainment came in 1662 when Samuel Pepys’ diary notes that a marionette show featuring a character named Punch took place on the Piazza. It's the home of London street performers today."A shopping and entertainment hub in London's West End, Covent Garden centres on the elegant, car-free Piazza, home to fashion stores, craft stalls at the Apple Market, and the Royal Opera House. Street entertainers perform by 17th-century St. Paul’s Church and the London Transport Museum houses vintage vehicles. Upscale restaurants serve European cuisines and nearby theatres draw cro...

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