STORIES FROM THE PITCH

Back in March of this year, Magic Brian spoke with Amelia Cadwallader, aka Maple Staplegun as well as one half of Las Cossas Nostra. Amelia’s journey as a performer started out at thetender age of 5 as a dancer. She studied photography in University then headed off to Edinburgh which is where she discovered street theater. She talks about spending time in Tasmania and the big influence it had on her as a performer, being surrounded by opportunities to learn and watch circus and street. She talks about going to Spain to study clown where she met her future partner, Kiki (whose story you can listen to on Episode 108 of this podcast), and how they cut their teeth doing street shows in beach towns. We talk about her involvement in the Edinburgh Fringe and where she, along with Hazel Anderson, Matthew Keys and a handful of others have been advocating for the rights of the performers in the midst of the pandemic and for the future of street theater at the Fringe. If you’re not familiar with what’s going on check out the Facebook page dedicated to it called Edinburgh Fringe Street Performers and Buskers - Artist Led Feedback Group.

In this very special episode, The Human Knot, Al Millar talks to the 2021 inductee into the Busker Hall of Fame, the one and only Sharon Mahoney. Sharon is hilarious, direct, and has a big personality. Sharon shares her journey as a performer starting out with an interest in improv in high school, pursuing a degree in theater arts, and getting to do workshops with the clown duo of Mump and Smoot. It was there she found her love of character and it's where the very beginnings of her character, Talulah, were developed. She talks about working Australia and getting addicted to street performing, using her tenacity as a street performer to improve her stand-up comedy act, and being influenced by Abi Collins (who was featured on Episode 122 of this podcast) and how it changed her thinking about female street performers. Sharon has a great perspective on the world of street theater as well as the role of females in it. This conversation is peppered with some great stories and insight into our industry from one of the strongest acts out there and now the newest inductee into the Busker Hall of Fame!

In this episode, Clarke McFarlane, aka Mario Queen of the Circus takes his first stab at interviewing and I think he did a fantastic job aided by the fact the couple he interviewed he’s known for quite some time and they have a great rapport and history together. That couple is Uri and Noah of Cirque No Problem. They are one of the many fantastic acts that have come out of Israel. Noah and Uri talk about their long history together and how they built their first show in India in 2002, put it out on the streets of Europe, got booked and then married. They talk about creating their signature trapeze act and not being aerialists. Uri talks about how he took a leap of faith and started doing shows in Tel Aviv at the age of 13, and of the dramatic shift of going to Lecoq, which he thought was a juggling school, when he got out of the army where he taught the deadly martial art of Krav Maga. They tell Clarke about the joy of traveling in a van throughout Europe, which Uri calls the nuclear submarine, and their shift to becoming a non-traveling act and now performing their current stage show. There’s a ton of content in the interview as well as great stories and plenty of laughs.

In this, our 125th episode, The Human Knot, Alakazam connected with one of his mentors AJ James. AJ takes us through the day in the life of a street performer in London, he talks about getting his start doing gymnastics where he discovered his talent for entertaining a crowd and his journey from acrobat to street performer. He talks about what he’s been doing throughout the pandemic and how he got stuck in Panama when everything shut down. He shares stories about meeting his heroes, Skate Naked, working Sydney where he and Al met and being a part of a double act. In an added bonus we get a glimpse into Al’s process when it comes to script writing for his show. This is a great conversation, peppered with some fantastic stories, with two veterans of street theater who have a ton of respect for one another.

In this episode, Magic Brian spoke with Pete Anderson, aka Pete Dobbing about his journey through the wonderful world of street theater. He talks about how his desire to hang upside down in a straitjacket and forming a juggling society in university set him on the path to becoming a street performer. He talks about the evolution of his show, his hesitation to work Covent Garden, and his first time in Glastonbury playing invisible drums for Herbie Treehead. He shares stories about his 9 month tour of the world, past versions of his shows, working cruise ships with George Orange, and in his early days balancing a teaching job with street performing.

Isaac Girardin spoke with the Mallory Square legend, tightrope walking juggler, Will Soto. Will has been street performing for 43 years and has the stories to show for it. Will talks about what it was like during the laid back, free living early days at Mallory Square and how in the 80’s they fought to keep the nightly Sunset Celebration alive by creating a non-profit corporation. He shares stories about performing over an alligator pit, his willingness to always take chances, and saving a man’s life during one of his shows. From starting out as a sculptor selling his art at renaissance festivals to being the face of Key West’s Mallory Square, Will Soto has definitely left his mark and his legacy on the world of street theater.

In this episode Magic Brian talks with the infectious bubble of energy that is Abi Collins. In their conversation, Abi talks about how she started as a dancer, got her masters in drama, but discovered her interest in street theater when she saw Stompy performing at her first Glastonbury then meeting David Cassel there the following year setting her off on her path to being a street performer. She credits David with teaching her everything she knows about street performing and how he convinced her to write her first show on a train ride from Poland to Belgium. She talks about getting a wake up call when she first started working the street in Melbourne, how she offended a crowd with gigantic fake boobs, the value of street theater, her novel, due out in March of 2021 called Everybody’s Doing It, and so much more. The conversation is also peppered with some of those great little stories from the pitch that happen when you push the envelope as Abi has done her whole career.

Dino Lampa might not be a name you recognize right away but after you hear his story, I’m sure you’ll know many of the folks he's met along the way. In this conversation, Dino talks about walking on his hands at 10 with no training but only a desire, building his own props, juggling clubs, a unicycle, and juggling with bocce balls, touring through Europe for the first time in 1984, being influenced by Cotton McAloon, being embraced by the performers in Amsterdam, his duo act with Henry Camus currently one half of the act, Full House. We talk about how a car wreck shed light on a shady agency he did shows for and he delves into the evolution of his cook character that he performs as. He talks about his worst year ever and his work towards recovery. His whole story is very inspiring, I hope you enjoy the ride!

In this episode, done in late March of this year, Al Millar connected with the multi-talented Shep Huntly. Shep talks about getting his start by taking an acting course and realizing that circus arts was the path for him. He talks about meeting Lucky Rich who became his mentor and inspiration, bringing Shep with him to Europe for the first time. Shep tells Al about doing a double act with Anthony Livingspace, how he created the Happy Sideshow with Chayne and Frodo, and doing his silent stage show, The Dark Party. Amongst all of this Shep squeezes in a ton of great stories from his 30 year career as a performer. You can also watch the interview on our YouTube Channel!

This is a short story pulled out of an interview Magic Brian did with Pete Anderson, aka Pete Dobbing, aka Unstable Acts when they were doing a gig in Sharjah back in January. Some of you listening may be familiar with this story, you may have even been there when it happened. It involved Pete, Herbie Treehead, Pepe Mime, and a garbage truck. We'll be posting the full interview with Pete in a few months.

In this episode Al Millar sat down with Kenny Lightfoot to talk about his nearly 40 year career as a street performer starting out doing shows in San Francisco at age 21. If you’ve never seen or met him, Kenny has one of the most unique magic shows on the streets and a finale that you can watch over, and over, and over. He and Al get into some specifics about many of the pitches he’s worked especially in the US, Australia and New Zealand, and they talk about his approach to street performing and building a show. He shares stories about working Pearl Street in Boulder starting back in the 90’s and runs through many of the performers that worked the pitch and talks about how that is where he came up with his very unique finale, throwing a playing card on the roof of a building. He has definitely put his time in on the street, working up from sleeping on a bench, to his car, to a weekly hotel to traveling the world.

In this episode Eric Amber, handy with a recorder at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, runs into the legendary Rumpel, aka Jolly Goodfellow. It's the rare occasion another performer says that they don’t know who he is or have never met him. More often than not everyone has at least one Rumpel story. He is a one of a kind, true original. The interview was done at the Edinburgh Fringe, recorded outside of City Café so you can really hear the festival vibe in the background. There are also some great cameos by J.P. Koala, Anthony Livingspace, Dynamike, and Byron Bertram. In their lively conversation, Eric tries to di-mystify some of the accounts of Rumpel’s adventures but much like a politician he talks around the answers keeping the truth a mystery. Among many other things, they talk about his car accident, his time with Crique, getting a nose job, why he does marathon shows, and staying with Tiny Tim for three months. It’s got to be one of the most entertaining interviews we’ve had on Stories From The Pitch and it’s no wonder with Rumpel as the subject.

In this episode I spoke with someone who is not a street performer but has had to deal with street performers for many years, Andy Meldrum. Many of you know him from The Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he is the Street Events Manager, others may have met him working a gig for Dolphin Creative. I thought it appropriate to release this episode in August since this is the first time in the history of the Edinburgh Fringe festival it is not happening and Andy has been such a big part of it, especially for the street performers. I talked to him in January back when the pandemic was centered in China and as far as anyone knew, the festival was going on as usual. I was doing a gig in Sharjah and he was kind enough to sit down and chat with me, I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Andy and learn about how he went from working the box office at the Gilded Balloon at 17 to his 11 year stint as Street Events manager, and living a life he never thought he’d have.

Al Millar traveled to Kanab, Utah to talk with Bob Besmehn, aka Bob At Large. Bob is one of the hardest working street performers I’ve ever met. I first met him in on Pearl Street in Boulder in 2002, he was the most welcoming performer on the pitch and had a hilarious show that involved a treadmill, amongst many other things. This was early in his street performing career when he displayed just about every skill he had, and he has many. They talk about him starting out and becoming obsessed with juggling at 13, doing the odd gigs, working construction for a time before joining the Jordan International Circus as a teenager. He talks about going to the Adelaide Fringe for the first time and working in Oz where he really tightened up his show. If you’ve never met Bob he is a friendly, down to earth kind of guy and his personality really comes through in this conversation.

In this episode Eric Amber has a very interesting conversation with Mat Boden when they were at the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer of 2019. They touch on so many different things from his start on South Bank in London manipulating a glass ball, how to evolve as a performer, his philosophy on the art of street theater, using conflict to your advantage, art vs. craft, and so much more. I spoke to Eric about the interview and he said Mat is the Pepe of his generation. He felt he was a throwback to the past generation of street performing when Eric first started out in the early 90’s. He pointed out his edginess and anything goes approach to performing. If you’re not aware, Mat has been doing a series on Facebook Live called Whining on with Mat. He has interviewed loads of street performers, many of the legends in our field. See the link in the notes section of this episode.

Al Millar talks with Mad Chad Taylor over a meal during the Halifax Busker Festival in 2019. It was Chad’s first festival in 18 years and you can easily feel his enthusiasm and energy in this interview. He talks about getting his start at age 13, working the pitch at Venice Beach, one of the notoriously hardest pitches to work in the world, and how he first got into chainsaw juggling. He talks about his early influences, working the college market and a great story about getting on the Tonight Show. He also talks about his documentary, Buskers for Love or Money.

In this episode I talk to Rob Collins. I was staying with him and his family in York, England for about a week in July of 2019. I’ve known Rob for years but I never knew his whole story. He talked about being inspired to perform by his brother who was doing a street dance show, his duo show with Bendy Em, and being in Australia when they were cracking down on international acts. We talked about the big step in his career when he convinced his wife to quit her horrible job and basically become his manager which got him more festivals than he’d ever had. We also chat about his company, Covent Garden Entertainment that has been booking acts internationally for several years, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Episode Notes: Interview by: Isaac GiardinInterviewee: The Red Trouser ShowOriginal Recording Date: September, 2019Date Aired: May 1, 2020Music: Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording.Closing Music:“Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on the ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording.Mixed and edited by: Al Millar and Magic Brian for The Busker Hall of Fame Links:Winnipeg Circus ClubPrairie Circus Arts Whining on with Public Performers

Eric Amber journeyed from Calgary, Canada to Edinburgh, Scotland where he caught up with the seemingly illusive, Dyna-Mike. As with most interviews conducted by Eric this one goes many places. Mike talks about starting out at 16 doing acrobatics and juggling with a partner, being a Mormon and leaving the religion, producing the Vancouver Busker festival, getting rid of his giant unicycle in favor of working on a silent show, the thought of quitting busking, and the power street performing has for an audience. This is just the tip of the ice-burg. It was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2019.

In this bonus episode I got on a Skype chat with the two new inductees voted into the Busker Hall of Fame, Al (Alakazam) Millar and Jim of The Jim Show. In the midst of this pandemic I wanted to talk to them about their thoughts on the situation, the future of street theater, as well as talking a little bit about their history and when they first met. Al also talks about the posthumous inductee, Sam Scurfield who passed away in December, 2019.

This episode Al Millar talked with Greg Frisbee. Greg tells Al about his start as a magician working in Harvard Square before moving west to San Francisco and putting down roots for many years. They talk about how much Harvard Square has changed over the years from a very workable pitch to what it is today. Greg talks about doing shows at Pier 39, performing at fairs, his rubber chicken show, and the joys of traveling with unusual props including the trials and tribulations of traveling with a rubber chicken cannon. He shares a very interesting story about performing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and they also talk about how although his actual name is Frisbee, and is arguably a great stage name, no actually Frisbee’s are used in his show. It’s just his last name.

Back in August 2015 a handful of performers headed out to sunny Kuwait to perform in its largest mall, The Avenues. Kiki Vita and I were two of them. I convinced him to sit down and do an interview with me one night after our shows. He took me through his history of performing starting with doing shows with his sisters, his training as a clown where he met his wife, Amelia also known as Mable Staplegun, his first shows at South Bank in Melbourne, and he and Amelia’s involvement in helping to turn a small festival in Landshut, Germany into one of the best in Germany.

This episode is a little departure from what we usually do. What I’ve discovered digging through some old and new recordings were a bunch of short stores. Some I forgot were recorded and some I found within bio-episodes. This episode is a collection of those stories. Too short to warrant their own short story episode but definitely worth sharing with the world. The stories in this collection are told by Mike Wood, Julio Santiago, Rob Collins, Eric Amber and Fraser Hooper.

Strap yourself in and get ready for a trip back into the history of street performing in the United States at where many consider it all started, San Francisco. Old school performer, Lee Ross sat down to have a conversation with Dana Smith. He’s a fascinating guy who, as a performer, has done it all. He shared pitches with the likes of A. Whitney Brown, Bill Irwin, Shields and Yarnell, Robin Williams, and Harry Anderson just to name a few. He talks about the rise and fall of the street scene in San Francisco, the beginnings of English Bay in Vancouver, writing novels and so much more.

Al Millar got together with Yo-Yo Guy John Higby. Not only do they meet up at festivals around the world but for many years they shared a home pitch in Boston. John takes Al through his career path that includes his start at the Denver Buskerfest,traveling around the world entertaining the troops, the formation of the Yo-Yo People, an act he performs with his wife Rebecca, his Guinness world records, and his many and varied television appearances.

In this episode, Kiwi performer and all around goof ball, Kim Potter sat down with Fergus Aitken, aka Mr. Fungus. For those who may be unfamiliar with him, in Kim’s words: He was one of the more publicly visible performers on the scene in New Zealand, along with acts like The Shenanagan Brothers, John Davy also known as Mr. Moon, Hefty Geoff and the first wave of UK imports, among them, Dave Sheridan, Nick Nikolas, and Richard Handley. In 1992 he coordinated the "Lotto World Buskers Festival" which was part of the Intl Festival Of The Arts in Wellington. Through that and a few other festivals in Wellington and around the country, he became (and remains) one of the first performers that Joe Public was aware of by name. He's also taught mime and movement consistently throughout NZ over the last 30 years, including at CircoArts in Christchurch, as well as numerous juggling and circus festivals, so several generations have taken the basics from him and run with them.... The chops he learned at Covent Garden and brought home to New Zealand have been disseminated through several generations of New Zealand performers.

Al Millar sat down with Julio "Klown" Santiago of the USA Breakdancers to talk about growing up in the Bronx during the birth of Hip Hop, his journey from breakdance battles to street performing, creating the USA Breakdancers, working with Ciruqe, and much, much, more.

Eric Amber journeyed from Canada all the way down to southern Arizona to have a chat with Geoff Cobb (aka Thom Selectomy) about surviving cancer, working Renaissance festivals, going to clown college, cheating death as a sword swallower, his life as a street performer, and now being mostly retired, happily working on a ranch in Arizona.

Al Millar connected with Street Performing legend and one of his biggest influences, Dom Ferry, to talk about the history of street performing in Australia as well as Dom's journey through our crazy world.

It all started with an idea that David Aiken pitched to Robert Nelson during a visit Dave made to Robert’s place to Hawaii back in October of 2011 for a podcast dedicated to creating a living oral history about street performing and some of the crazy characters that populate this world. That idea turned into a website that website then hosted the very first Stories from the Pitch Podcast that was released on November 1, 2011. But how do you capture what the Street Performing community is in an audio podcast? The characters are so varied, so diverse and so many. The answer seems to have been one story, one person, one episode at a time. We, as a community, are such a rich tapestry of creative energy and talent that no one episode can capture it all and 100 episodes feels like just the beginning.Magic Brian sat down with co-founder of the Busker Hall of Fame, David Aiken to discuss the history of the project and try to make sense of the seven and a half year journey from the original idea to the release of Episode 100. As with any journey, the seven and a half years Dave spent capturing and releasing these Stories from the Pitch, were filled with all sorts of interesting challenges, learning opportunities and rewards.

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Magic Brian and Robert Nelson, The Butterfly Man Interviewee: Rob Torres Original Recording Dates:  Rob with Robert – January 12 & 29, 2012 Rob with Magic Brian – December 16, 2013 Date: Aired: April 15, 2019 Locations: Robert’s Interviews – Robert: Pahoa, Hawaii, USA • Rob: Hillsdale, New Jersey, USA and the Estudio Busqueda de Pantomima in Guanajuato, Mexico. Magic Brian’s Interview – Rob Torre’s Trailer during the Big Apple Circus’s Shows in New York City Music: Preamble music: “When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD. Stories from the Pitch ‘Shorts’ Theme Music: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. “Organordion Waltz” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD. “Side by Side” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD. “The Entertainer” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD. “The Song Is Ended” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: On June 26, 2018 Rob Torres, The International Man of Mirth took his final bow on the stage of life. Rob Torres was the sort of creative soul who always sought out the most interesting narrative whenever he was performing, be it in Circus, on Stage or playing the Street. Inevitably that narrative would create tension then a release which came in the form of laughter. The result always seemed to be happy smiling faces in the wake of his performances.  This pursuit of laughter, of Funeestuff that everyone in his audience could relate to guided the course of his career, from Ringling Clown College to Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus to the International Festival Circuit to any venue that was enhanced through his innate ability to create laugh inspired joy for an audience.  The Busker Hall of Fame was lucky enough to release two episodes of the Stories from the Pitch podcast which featured Rob. The first, a conversation with original founder of the B-HOF project, Robert Nelson, The Butterfly Man that was released on March 14, 2012, the second a chat he had with Magic Brian that was released on June 15, 2014. In honour of Rob being inducted into the Busker Hall of Fame by his colleagues and peers these two Rob-centric episodes are being re-releasing in tribute to the little clown who brought the world so much laughter.   Bonus Materials from Images from The Checkerboard Guy’s Personal Archives – August 19, 2004 – I first met Rob Torres at the Windsor Buskers Festival and captured this shot of Rob against a brilliant sunset while we were kicking around between shows. For 17 days during the 2005 Pacific National Exhibition, Rob teamed up with Hokum W. Jeebs to perform as ‘FuneeStuff’ to the delight of fair patrons and the tech crew who were often seen watching along with the rest of the crowd. The PNE Street Stars program was a well loved addition to the fair!   Who knew that so much applause, laughter and fun could be contained in a simple wooden box? Rob did! There is a theory in comedy that states that Pain = Funny. Rob was never shy of making himself the recipient of that pain if it meant a great laugh!    This ‘reveal’ at the end of the show never failed to elicit a huge reaction from the crowd! Very sad that neither of these talented performers are with us any longer. July 6, 2009 – I sat, watched and laughed as Rob Torres brought so much joy to the audiences of the Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival! Though funny was Rob’s primary motivation, he actually has some mad-skills with prop manipulation! It often took multiple attempts, but when Rob landed this trick the crowd would erupt into a huge round of applause! Such joy in the shared experience of packing applause into a tiny little wooden box! Such satisfaction from the joyous exchange between performer and audience! March 17, 2011 – A little posed mischief on the way down to Moisture Festival in Seattle. June 30, 2017 – Cheers! Imbibing a wee bit too much in Checkerhead Brewing’s ‘Tasting Room!” After a few Checkerhead Brewing Ales, pants apparently seem highly over rated! Video – The Great Peeing Hobo Escape as animated by Alex Clark Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interviews by: David Aiken – The Checkerboard Guy Interviewees: Robert Nelson – The Butterfly Man and Martin Ewen Original Recording Dates: Robert: May 9, 2012 • Martin: January 3, 2019 Date: Aired: March 15, 2019 Locations: Robert: Recorded via Skype, Robert in Pahoa, Hawaii, David in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. Martin’s interview was recorded in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand in an alcove of the Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand Music: Intro:“Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.  Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on the ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: What is it about boys and trucks? And in this case, what is it about this specific 1961 Morris Minor Pick-Up Truck that captivated the imagination of two very different performers? Did the truck really have a personality of it’s own or was this vehicle simply a reflection of the person who owned it when they owned it, how they treated it when they drove it, and what it brought to their lives? For Robert it seemed to be an outlet to exercise his OCD in spite of a general ignorance of all things mechanical. His pig-headed tenacity (and a ridiculous amount of money) willed the truck back to life, but seemingly on the truck’s terms. For Martin the truck was just that, a truck – a cute truck sure, but still, just a truck and the perfect performance partner for his shenanigans on the Big Island of Hawaii. David Aiken originally recorded Robert Nelson talking about his ‘Tonkah’ Truck back in May of 2012 and then picked up the conversation with Martin Ewen in January of 2019 to discover how the truck influenced each clown in it’s own way. Two clown, one truck and one hell of a journey!  Bonus Materials from Images and Links from the Tonkah’s History – Robert and Kumi outside of their house near Venice Beach, CA in the early 90’s. Robert pops out to LAX in the Tonkah August 1993 to visit David Aiken, The Checkerboard Guy and Glenn Singer, El Gleno Grande who were on their way to the World Expo in Taejon, Korea.    Robert and Martin posing in their Busker Hall of Fame t-shirts which feature the Butterfly Skull prior to Robert’s Death. This shot was taken on July 6, 2012.  If you’re going to have a truck in Hawaii, it definitely needs a surfboard rack!!!    And every surfboard needs a kimono clade surfer! Once again this 1961 Morris Minor pick-up truck is down to bare metal and primer. Two clowns love of this vehicle and the desire to keep it rolling and looking good. New floors waiting to go in. That Face… How can you not love THAT FACE!!!   Sitting at Kona Kayaks waiting for some love. Red truck, red stilt pants… Perfection! Video – The Exchange from one clown to another. Video: Goat Facilitation. Video: Goat in the Machine Video: The Original ‘Comedians in Cars’ ride with Rumple To read the Transcript from the conversation with Rumple Click here!  Click here for order information for Martin’s Latest Book! Click here to download the Story Robert Nelson Wrote that is quoted at the beginning of the Episode. Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Magic Brian Interviewee: Kim Potter Original Recording Date: July 18, 2018 Date: Aired: February 15, 2019 Location: Recorded at the Ramada Hotel, Clairmont, Alberta, Canada, leading up to the 15th Annual Grande Prairie Street Performers Festival Music: Intro:“Lady Town” by: Otaki Airforce as found on the Otomic Bomb Recording Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on the ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: If you’re driving and trying to get to a specific destination, then having a map will help  you get to your goal. If what you simply like is driving, then the destination is somehow less important. When put in terms of a career in Street Theatre, if you’re goal is to make a million dollars, then your show will be structured in a certain way, if your goal is the adventure, then you’ll derive endless enjoyment from the pursuit of the craft. Kim Potter is a great example of a guy who likes to pursue a multitude of aspects of what life as a street performer has to offer. Juggling skills – Check! Character development – Check! Live Music – Check!  Sure there may be a formula for how to make the most money in the hat, but if following that formula negates some of the other interests you have, it’s easy to choose the path that’s of most interest – the hell with the money. Magic Brian connected with Kim Potter before the start of the 15th Annual Grande Prairie Street Performers Festival to discuss the diversity that Kim has pursued during his career; skill-based show, character-based show and other revelation along the way. For Kim at least, it would seem that the journey has been the destination.  Bonus Materials from Kim’s varied career with commentary from Kim himself – Wellington Evening Post article photo for the 1995 New Zealand Juggling Convention. February 1996. I suggested this idea, rather than spend another hour trying to capture me unable to ride a unicycle. Friday drinks at The Ministry Of Juggling in James Smiths Market, Wellington 1996. I’m still owed $4500. Left to right: Richard Horne, Rebecca Horne, Harold Jarvie, rebecca White, Chris Taylor, Helen Greenway, Angela Dorrington, Kim Potter, Leila Martley, Emma ?, Jo Stott (hidden), Mike Jones, Jason ?    Late night found-item juggling/riding at the Hawaiian Vaudeville Festival 1998, Spencers Beach, Big Island, HA.  Adrian Kirk & Kim Potter as Ten Feet Tall, Christchurch Arts Centre, Boulevard Pitch 1997. We wrote the show Wednesday, rehearsed Thursday, previewed it to the CircoArts students Friday and worked the weekend.    The official Ken’s Room business card. Artwork by Ken Koshiishi.   Kim Potter as Pierre L’sur – Christchurch 1997  Kim Potter as “Pierre L’sur” at Wellington’s Cuba Street Carnival 1999?  Kim Potter as Pierre L’sur – Toronto Buskers Festival 2002. Black Street Boys couldn’t get across the border, and I was in the right place at the right time.   Kim Potter street show at the Wellington Dragonboat festival 2001. The first photo of my show that made me think “I’ll never need another photo.” Wrong.   Kim Potter – Feldkirch Gauklerfestival, Austria 2002   Pre Vinyl Burns – Edmonton Fringe Festival 2005 Vinyl Burns’ first formal outing, hosting Heavenly Burlesque, Paramount Theatre, Wellington 2006. Photoshop Spoiler: That face and the body are from different shows. Vinyl Burns – World Buskers Festival, Christchurch 2011. Vinyl Burns – La Strada, Augsburg Germany 2017.  Vinyl Burns as “Management” with Tapeface (Sam Wills). The Christmas Cruiser – Acquired from The Hoop Hooligans – Vinyl’s new Christmas ride. Another fumbling attempt at powerful marketing.  Video documentary from Lotto World Buskers – 1992 Wellington NZ that was mentioned: Music Video featuring the music of Kim Potter with Special Guest Appearance by ‘Tape Face’ (Sam Wills). Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Eric Amber Interviewee: James Jordan Original Recording Date: April 30, 2015 Date: Aired: January 15, 2019 Location: Jame’s House in Calgary Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Where there’s a pitch, there’s a way. Even if the way is riddled with bureaucracy, red tape and prejudice, performers can either learn to adapt to their environment or move on to another spot. But it can often be well worth the hard work and dedication it takes to build a busker program in spite of any obstacles if you’re willing to put in the time. James ‘Jimbo’ Jordan loves his home town Calgary, Alberta, Canada and did not want to “move on.” Despite the lack of street performing awareness, the challenges faced because the venues that lend themselves to doing street shows aren’t exactly user friendly and winters that are so cold you’d be crazy to perform outdoors, he persevered. Using knowledge from his experience working other successful pitches around the world James returned home and developed a show that almost can’t fail.  Eric Amber connected with James to riff on what it takes to make things work and the challenges James had to overcome in the city more known for oil money and white cowboy hats than a vibrant street theatre scene. In the end, not only has he made it work, it’s made him a better performer where ever else he travelled around the world.  Bonus Materials from James’ varied career with commentary from James himself – It’s important to not take yourself too seriously when working a difficult pitch. Always remember that you are simply inviting people to stop and watch you perform, they have every right to refuse your offer. If you take yourself and your performance too seriously you run the risk of being offended when people choose not to watch, and it’s a slippery slope that could lead to a cranky street show or worse. The pitch in Calgary, four pedestrian paths meet and traffic has a steady trickle from all directions. Some will commit early and sit on the steps and others will stand around the outer edge. Through out the show it’s wise to remind the standers that there are seats available. Children fill in the grass and play on the rocks, parents enjoy the show from the steps, and there are always cyclists zipping through the back edge of your crowd so keep the standers tight.  There is a wide open plaza above the circle stage, shows here are much easier to build and can get massive. Bylaw officers will shut these shows down if your crowd starts to block the flow of traffic. I keep my shows up here small and short. There are balloon twisters, caricature artists and musicians that make the best use of this space, setting up your show here could upset their flow so ensure you have talked to them first.  As much as that plaza might appear to be the better pitch, the circle stage just looks so damn good when its full. I have often finished a show in the plaza and been asked by punters why I didn’t use the amphitheater that was clearly designed for my art form. All the buskers are working together to enhance the over-all vibe of the space, and leaving the amphitheater empty seems to spoil it a little. Here is an example of why it’s so hard to work with bureaucrats. Canada Day 2017 they wanted to better control traffic in the busiest part of the city during celebrations. They saw street performers as a problem so they fenced off the pitch so no one could perform there. It was cruel, rude and ugly and worst of all those fences stayed up for 3 full weeks after Canada day was over. The pitch never recovered that year and people stopped coming to the park with their kids for the rest of the summer. I’m still angry about this and seeing this picture make my blood boil every time.  There is always Stephen Avenue, during Stampede there are tourists that walk up and down and love watching street performers. The rest of the year it’s a ghost town on the weekends and during the week there are only lunch hour shows where people can only stop and watch for 10 or 15 minutes, so short and sweet is the key there.  When you work in Calgary be prepared for a slightly slower gather, being a magician here has it’s advantages. I have an arsenal of small short effects that engage and amaze while I wait for the front edge to fill in. This is my favorite part of my show. Once that front edge is built I shift gears to the meat and potatoes of my street cups act. I have been working my cups here for so long and never have a problem with returning observers spoiling the surprise ending. In fact I would love to see one or two more cups acts to share the pitch with. Please don’t be discouraged to come work here, all are welcome to work my pitch in Calgary and we will all work together to make sure you get everything you need out of your visit.    Vaudevillian is the title I use for my indoor show. Sometimes I get selected from a fringe lottery, some times my show is included in a theatrical season. The poster was designed by the incomparable Ryan Pilling, my friend and cohost of the Garden Varieth Show. Click on this text or image above to access Showmanship for Magicians PDF OMG what a bargain! I can’t believe you are getting this invaluable book for free with this episode! My copy of this book is dog eared and highlighted with notes written on every page.  I hope you find it as useful as I have. James is on on Facebook Here! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes:  Interview by: David Aiken – The Checkerboard Guy Interviewee: Allison Williams Original Recording Date: October 7, 2016 Date: Aired: December 15, 2018 Location: Recorded via Skype David – North Vancouver, BC, Canada Allison – Dubai, United Arab Emerates Cover Art Photo Credit: Mi Ko Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: There’s a theory floating around that suggests that it takes about 7 years to get really good at something. Getting good at anything takes drive and determination of course, but it goes back to the idea that it takes roughly 10,000 hours to become proficient at a skillset or profession that you’re passionate about. Street performers often seem to accelerate this timeline a bit because the people who are drawn to this style of performing are often the type who have greater drive and greater passion for achieving the goals that they’re after, not to mention the fact that buskers aren’t usually the type of people who wait around for opportunity to knock, but are rather the type who proactively create the opportunities that they’re after. Allison Williams is an incredible example of someone whose drive to achieve and succeed has been virtually unstoppable. She’s been successful in the world of education, successful in the performance arenas of circus, renaissance festival and street theatre, successful as a producer/facilitator, successful as a writer. Her laser focus allows her to set goals, achieve them and then move on to whatever’s next, all the while serving her larger ‘life mission’ as though each venue, each discipline is simply a chapter in a much larger story. After four years of failed attempts, David Aiken finally got the chance to sit down and discuss the various periods of Allison’s varied career as someone whose driving life mission as a performer and organizer has been to facilitate the experience of joy and enlightenment. It goes without saying that within each phase of her journey, Allison has has some pretty incredible adventures and influenced a generation of performers.  Bonus Materials from Allison Williams varied career with commentary from Allison herself – Allison’s first recorded circus performance, age 1. Ringling Brothers started their tours in St. Petersburg then, and my grandmother always took me for my birthday. Great timing! As a stunt, the Ottawa Citizen took the Roughriders’ new quarterback, Ken Hobart, to have his fortune told at the CNE. Since the guy who owned the fortune-telling booth only did one spiel, repeated verbatim to each client, it fell to me. I told Ken I’d grown up in Tampa Bay, and if I could believe in the Buccaneers—at that time the losingest team in the NFL—I could believe in him. Tongue transfer with an audience member at the Ontario Renaissance Festival. They had terrific owners and management, who really supported artistic growth and trying new things. Also a no-hat show, which let us introduce quite a few new acts. First place I did whip-cracking in a show. The hardest part is not breathing while the dude is up there. Ohio Renaissance Festival—my then-partner Todd Espeland and I had moved into teaching full time, and were commuting six hours Friday afternoons and Sunday nights, to be back for class Monday morning. It was a tough 8 weeks, two years in a row. As Commedia Zuppa, Todd Espeland and I taught mask and movement theatre and directed shows in universities and schools around the USA. He studied at the Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre, and now serves as Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Youth Theatre. Having a custom plate helps avoid parking issues—they always know we’re with the festival. Aerial Angel Marina Petrano (now with Cirqa Brava) taking a break on the drive to…somewhere. We did a lot of driving. So. Much. Driving.  Aerial Angel M.A. Wyatt (now Flexy Lexy) at the Ottawa Busker Festival, the year we were voted Audience Choice. I was also in a writing competition that year, and was sitting in Sparks Street coffee shops between shows, pounding out drafts while watching the pitch outside to see when we were up. Photo by: Fehmi Comert – Aerial Angel Zay Weaver at Covent Garden. It was deeply scary to perform in such a storied venue, and Sparky Mark and the other street performers were incredibly welcoming and kind. It’s a place you can really feel your lineage as a performer.  Working with Circus Island’s then-fledgling aerial program, M. A. Wyatt and I found time to tour Iceland’s Golden Circle. This is at Gullfoss, and behind the camera-holder are a busload of perplexed Chinese tourists. Aerial Angels M.A. Wyatt and Madi Ward at a wedding in the Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary. Madi is a solo trapeze artist in Austin, Texas. Photo by: Dan Lines – An 8-person tongue-to-tongue transfer in Stand Up 8. L-R, trampolinist/Aerial Angel Christianne Sainz, trampolinist Max Wesley Hatfield (of Cirque Mechanics), M.A. Wyatt, clown Sam Brown (of Midnight Circus), Zay Weaver, rigging designer/whip artist Brett Copes, Aerial Angel Kimberly Craig (now with The Street Circus), me. The best gang of circus people I’d ever want to lick.  Photo by: Dan Lines – Whip-cracking act, with Brett Copes, in Stand Up 8. Photo by: Alex Kahler – Aerial Angel Sora Sol and her trapeze partner Disa Carneol at the Chrysler Family Day event. Rigging by Brett Copes. Sora now leads CirqOvation. This was the first gig where I knew I wasn’t going to perform, and the most people and highest budget I had ever assembled at that time. Zay Weaver had a binder with pictures of all the Board of Directors so we could greet them by name.  Chrysler Family Day, we were a layer down from the money, so we made a new brand name for the day, Circus Angel. It helped so much to have seasoned street performers – Russell Qwirk, The Checkerboard Guy, James Jordan and Trulee Odd carpooled down from Canada, Renaissance Festival veterans Moonie, David Ballard, and Jim Greene, my former students including the very talented ringmaster James Warfield, Michigan circus performers and people from New England Center for Circus Arts and Cirque du Soleil. All my worlds intersecting beautifully. Photo by: David Aiken – I’m a little hands-on at the Dundas Buskerfest. We do a real site walk and I point out merchants to be aware of encroaching on, potential sound and light issues, and the good coffee. I really enjoy making sure everyone has what they need to do their best show. My least favorite part is there’s always one audience member who complains about a woman making a sex joke…even though male performers make the exact same joke and I don’t get an email. My favorite part is how generous the more experienced performers are with feedback and advice for the local performers just starting their careers. The circus I still do is Starfish Circus. This is teaching the first day of silks at the Douglas Anderson Center for the Arts in Jacksonville. 300 kids auditioned, 100 in the show.  I was honored to be invited to teach mask and movement work at Monaco’s International Community Theatre Festival. Here we’re doing an exercise with Laban Qualities of Movement. Chatting with writers after a rooftop reading in Varanasai, India. Mid-reading, a troop of monkeys came over the parapet for our leftover snacks, and the waiters ran out and shooed them away with sticks. The poet who was up kept reading like nothing unusual had happened.  Photo taken by my mentor Dinty W. Moore at the Kenyon Writers Workshop in Ohio.  This is what I want to be doing—sitting in a beautiful room, sending words into the world.  Wedding Selfie! The YouTube video of  some highlights from ‘Sleepwalkers’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGkzUqY_-k Cartoon that was mentioned ‘Seven Lives’ https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2012-09-02 Writing Projects: Brevity https://brevity.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/chop-wood-carry-water/ Hippocampus Magazine http://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2014/11/how-to-attend-an-indian-funeral-by-allison-williams/ Kenyon Review https://www.kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/2015-spring/selections/allison-k-williams-656342/ Theatrefolk https://www.theatrefolk.com/products/postcards-from-shakespeare Podcast – Snap Judgment http://snapjudgment.org/love-no-sight-cbcs-love-me-snap-722 Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Derek McAlister Interviewee: Hal Dion Original Recording Date: April 28, 2018 Date: Aired: November 15, 2018 Location: Hal Dion’s House in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Muisc: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Becoming a Street Performer is as much a calling as it is a choice. It’s as if the Universe has a predetermined plan for those who exhibit the characteristics necessary to pull off this rather untraditional vocation. Those willing to be open to the guidance that the Universe inexplicably provides are the ones who get the most out of this incredible opportunity for a life full of adventure. Sure there can be obstacles in the way, and for Hal Dion ‘weather’ and ‘authority’ were the two occasional barricades that presented themselves. These hurdles end up being inconsequential when compared to the avenues that opened up after he took his love of the eye-candy of body isolations and mime and created a non-verbal show that he took to the streets.  Derek McAlister connected with Hal and dialled the clock all the way back to the 70’s to hear about how Hal got his start, the hey-day of playing the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and some of the amazing adventures that Hal enjoyed with his show during his travels performing around the world. Bonus Materials from Hal’s Archives with commentary from Hal himself – Robin Williams had just finished shooting the feature film, The World According to Garp. Robin was on top of the world and at the top of his game and I was deeply honored on that magical afternoon when he approached and asked me if he could join in and be a part of one of my shows. I remember thinking, ‘this is crazy’, then without hesitation I said, “Sure, Robin, let’s go!” It turned out to be a perfect photo-op for New York Magazine. After Robin and I finished that show, we posed for a couple of comical shots on the front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fellow street performer, Chuckster the Juggler, joined us for this particular, singular shot! At some point, during every show in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I’d wander off the sidewalk and enter into the slowly passing traffic of 5th Avenue. My aim was to always create some sort of big visual, something that would shock the crowd and hopefully be ‘crowd pleasing’. Looking back, I’m lucky to be alive today. A pure caveman moment: during a show, I’d pick up a gal and try to run off with her.  Always done for a simply comic moment and hopefully, a quick laugh. Epic and Historic. Back in the day, if you timed it out right and worked the pitch to perfection, you could fill the front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the resulting pass of the hat, could and usually would be breathtaking. I used to say to myself, “Hey, who needs Broadway, when I got the Met.” Performing in Paris at the Pompidou. When I first arrived in the City of Light, I was informed that one of the best places to perform was at the Museum of Modern Art. Well, it turns out, everyone performs there. It can be tough to get a spot there and certainly a challenge to gather a crowd, but being persistent always pays off. Thanks for the francs, Monsieur Pompidou.   Late morning show at the Liston, Corfu, Greece. Hands down, this beautiful esplanade and social cafe spot has always been my favorite and most special place to perform in the world. Can’t wait to return! After a great street show in Vienna, I was compelled to take this joyous leap. Celebrate the show, celebrate the day, celebrate the gift of being a busker! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Al Millar Interviewee: Lucky Diamond Rich Original Recording Date: March 26, 2018 Date: Aired: October 15, 2018 Location:Recorded via Skype – Al Millar in Boston, Lucky Diamond Rich in Bad Ischl, Austria Notes about the Image: This image is a composite created by Magic Brian from images found on the internet. Music: Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Street performing seems to attract individuals who are either brave enough or stupid enough to walk out onto a pitch and through sheer force of will, create an audience where there wasn’t one. These same audiences then feed the ego of those performers who gain confidence and in some cases a certain degree of bravado. Inevitably when you get a few of these egos together and perhaps mix in a little pride and testosterone, conflicts can arise. These altercations take many shapes and forms, but how you deal with pitch politics and the underlying reason behind why a disagreement can escalate into a more complicated confrontation says a lot about who you are as a person. Al Millar connected with Lucky Diamond Rich via Skype for a longer conversation that became Episode 91, but we decided to save two great stories for this release; one that lead to a boxing match between LDR and Bike Boy and another in which Al Millar states, for the record, why Lucky Diamond Rich is his hero.  Bonus Materials from the Al Millar’s Archives: Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

  Episode Notes: Interview by: Nick Nickolas Interviewee: Mister Spin Original Recording Date: July 28, 2016 Date: Aired: August 15, 2018 Location: Recorded at the North Battleford Street Performer’s Festival. Notes about the Image: This image is a composite created by Magic Brian from images found on the internet. Music: Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Do your show a thousand times and nothing ever goes wrong. Ideally we all aim to minimize the risk while maximizing the enjoyment for our audiences. The key word there being ‘ideally.’ Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to control a situation and assess the potential for mishap, things happen that are beyond our control and inevitably the shit eventually hit the fan.  If only… These two words can be found at the beginning of so many tails of mishap and hindsight is pretty amazing stuff as it allows you to analyze and re-anlyze a situation again and again so you can look at the many factors that might have, could have, should have gone down differently. But an unfortunate reality is just that – reality and you need to roll with the punches and exercise what ever damage control is possible. Nick Nickolas sat down with Nigel Martin (aka Mr. Spin) during the 2016 North Battleford Street Performers Festival to unwind the twisted tail of a bobbled baseball bat, an unsupervised five year old boy and a full-on Biker Father bent on retaliation. Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

Episode Notes: Interview by: David Aiken – The Checkerboard Guy Interviewee: Dave Evans – The Great Dave Original Recording Date: March 23, 2017 Date: Aired: March 26, 2018 Location: The Ibis Hotel in Dave Evan’s Room during the 2017 Dubai Marina Mall Street Performers Festival. Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: It’s safe to say that some street performers have issues dealing with authority and having others tell them what they can and can’t do. This seems to result in two predictable outcomes. First, finding the world of street theatre provides an alternate reality where they’re able to create their own rules and build their own success. Second, the success they find from resisting conventional paths makes them work even harder to prove to the world that the choices they’ve made are worthy of the praise they get from audiences during each show. Dave Evans walked away from school at the age of 14 having found juggling and soon there after success as a street performer in Covent Garden. Driven by both a passion for growing his skill set as well as being influenced by all of the performers on the pitch, he quickly established himself as a highly skilled practitioner of the art of street theatre worth of his moniker – The Great Dave! David Aiken caught up with Dave during the 2017 Dubai Marina Mall Street Performer’s Festival to discuss everything from pitch politics in covent garden to working in ensembles to mini tents to how ‘theatrical’ and powerful street theatre can actually be if you’re willing to play to perform and to focus on things other than money. If you haven’t listened to the short story ‘Broken’ which we presented as Episode 88 in which Dave talks about breaking his back during a crazy night of hijinks with Jonathan Taylor from the Daredevil Chicken Club, we’d encourage you to check out that episode first before diving into this one as it’s all very much a part of Dave’s journey.  Bonus Materials from The Great Dave’s Archives with commentary from Dave himself – Covent Garden circa 1994, 4 torches on an 8 ft unicycle. I always tried to present tricks that I could barely pull off in the show, partly to maintain a high skill level in the show but mainly to practise! Photo credit: Lucy Browne Me, Pete Mielniczek, Patricia Martinelli & Mat Ricardo in St. Paul’s Church Yard behind the pitch. This beautiful shot was taken by Alex Dandridge as a promo shot for a gig that we did for the Maltese Government circa 1990. Great gig! Photo credit: Alex Dandridge Performing in the Royal Variety Show with Steve Rawlings and Brian Connely in front of the Queen circa 1993. Shared a dressing room with Britain’s variety royalty, had a ball but didn’t get to meet the Queen. Must have done their research on me and not let me anywhere near her! The Three Musketeers, West Piazza circa 1997, from the left Victoria Isaac, Dave Evans, Tom Murphy, Helen Tennison, Herbie Treehead, Humph James and Adrian Davies-Jordan. Cast also included Mike Raffone, Ben Langley and Mat Barnard, written and directed by Rob Ballard. For 4 weeks over the summer we performed to a packed piazza, battling the noise from The Punch and Judy Balcony with no mics! An amazing experience of creating genuine street theatre which lost us all a fortune! The Racketeers with the fabulous Sean Gandini. Anybody that knows Sean will be surprised at this photo but it was an awesome show! Just a bit expensive with a cast of 6! Kept me fit though, basically 12 minutes or sprinting around a tennis court juggling. Photo credit: Andy Barker. Married Men performing at The Klienesfest Im Grossen Garten, Hannover, Germany circa 2015. Whilst recovering from a broken back, Mat and I cobbled together a show to get me back on the streets. Turned into the immensely enjoyable Married Men. We played Klienesfest 4 times and subsequently went on to do 2 years of German Variety Theatres which sent us all mad! Kiki & Pascal. A rare privilege to get to perform with the one you love. And for it to be half good! Kiki, AKA Tamara Campbell keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh hard, a genuine joy to work with. Photo credit: Nina Kourea. La Petite Grande – Laughter House’s flagship venue if you like! We tried to eliminate all the negative variables that we ever encountered at gigs around the world and create a consistently focussed and electrifying performance space. We are immeasurably proud of what we created and it continues to blow people away wherever it goes! 9 metres in diameter and seats 110 people. The most we ever had in there was 163. Never again! Cafe de Rude – A French themed venue where the staff are just as much a part of there performance as the stage artist. Allowing a more informal performance style, it has taken us to many a music festival hosting stand up, music, cooking demonstrations, karaoke, trivia, bingo… well anything really! The Kazador – A Miami Art Deco inspired Speigeltent. Originally built for The Assembly Gardens, Edinburgh but now back home in Australia, The Kazador is by far the most beautiful of our 5 venues but a bit of a beast! Weighing in at a hefty 5 tonnes, she takes two days to erect and damn near kills me each time I do it. But it’s worth it – a beautiful thing! The Peep”O”Rama – conceived at The Falls Festival Byron Bay after the millionth wasted 22 year old – with a 2 minute attention span – asked whether the show in La Petite Grande “had tits in it?” So we created a 2 minute show with tits in it! Believe you me, comedy burlesque is a lot of fun! One side plays a looping comedy porn movie while the other side hosts lives acts like naked yoga, Ficky Stingers and his sticky fingers, The French Maids cleaning “things” and everybody’s favourite Granny Peep. Come and have a peep you dirty pervs… Kicking crockery onto my head at The Christchurch Buskers Festival circa 2004. Inspired by the great Rudy Horn – a trick that I initially learnt on the floor with every intention of then learning it on a unicycle. I then realised that I kicked and rocked with the same foot! In a fit of pique that lasted almost 20 years I discarded it. 20 years later, I decided that once my back had healed that I would revisit this trick. Took me a year to learn but I did it in the end! Hardest thing I ever did. Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

Episode Notes: Interview by: Al Millar Interviewee: Lucky Diamond Rich Original Recording Dates: March 26, 2018 Date: Aired: June 15, 2018 Location: Recorded via Skype – Al Millar in Boston, Lucky Diamond Rich in Bad Ischl, Austria Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Al Millar & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: It’s quite a journey to go from a first tattoo of a Dubé Juggling club to becoming the worlds most tattooed man and for Lucky Diamond Rich this odyssey was made possible through the incredible bounty he discovered through the world of street performing. Studying under the World Class Acts that attended Expo ’88 in Brisbane, Australia, was certainly key, but the drive and passion to absorb the best from the best and take it to the next level was what set this guy apart from the rest. The rush one gets from commanding the attention of a huge audience is as addictive as any drug, and certainly for Lucky Diamond Rich, chasing that next hit became as much a part of his personality as every tattoo that eventually covered every inch of his body. When stage time and chasing that performer audience exchange combines with a passion to become the best performer you can possibly be becomes the core of your identity everything else falls away. On the one hand this lead to the biggest crowds anyone in Covent Garden had ever seen, on the other hand this opened the door to other addictions.   Al Millar connected with Lucky Diamond Rich via skype to discuss everything from circus training, to the importance of mentors, from what it took to make a great show to what that great show allowed him to do. This roller coaster ride of a life seems to have had a karmic flow worthy of one of the world’s most legendary street performers. Bonus Materials from the Lucky Diamond Rich Archives Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

Episode Notes: Interview by: Nick Nickolas Interviewee: Mister Spin Original Recording Date: July 28, 2016 Date: Aired: May 15, 2018 Location: Recorded at the North Battleford Street Performer’s Festival. Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: To get good at anything, you need to practice and if you’ve been taught how to train properly, then you bring this work aesthetic to anything you do moving forward. For Nigel Martin, training in the world of classical ballet provided the discipline and a fascination with juggling provided the spring board to a performance career that has taken him around the globe leaving a trail of fans in his wake. We first hear from Mr. Spin back in Episode 59 of the podcast when Magic Brian sat down with Nigel and his partner Louise Clarke to discuss both their solo careers and the work they’ve done producing the Adelaide Street Performer’s Festival, but Nick Nickolas wanted to dig a little deeper into how Nigel became Mister Spin making a valiant attempt to uncover new information that had not been revealed during the first interview.  More than anything though, what you hear in this conversation is two friends enjoying some down time between shows at the North Battleford Street Performer’s Festival -shooting the shit and talking shop over a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz. Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Mat Ricardo Interviewee: Andre Vincent Original Recording Date: June 24, 2017 Date: Aired: April 15, 2018 Location: Recorded at Vinny’s house by the sea in Margate, England Photo Credit: Mat Ricardo Music: Intro: “Coming Home” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Every venue has something to offer and an incredible potential for an artist with imagination and passion to take risks, see opportunity and create a theatrical experience. Treat the street with any less respect than the stage, a movie set or a television studio and you’ve missed the point. The street, as a venue, offers both performer and audience an environment where successfully suspending one’s disbelief can in fact be the most powerful experience imaginable, because it’s the least expected. This is a lesson that Andre Vincent not only believes in, but shares with anyone he sees who cares as much about the art form as he does. He’s a guy who holds himself to a high standard and expects nothing less from others. He can be brash, passionate and opinionated to the point of being off putting at times, but at his core, these attributes exist because he cares deeply about what street theatre and any venue really has the potential to create for an audience. Mat Ricardo sat down at Vinny’s sea-side home to discuss a career that saw young Andre get his start as a child actor, progressed to finding a love for clowning and circus skills, transported him to crafting an improvised melodrama for the street, morphed it’s way into doing stand-up comedy and then landed him comedy writing gigs for television. Bonus Material and commentary by Andre I bought the striped top in KeyWest cos it was so cold. Classic ‘Arry Pavarotti (Andre’s Performance Persona) circa. 1985/86. I know that shirt and t-shirt got stolen from the staff laundry at Expo 86. Loved that Harpo shirt. 1989 Hat work with Waldo while playing at the Calgary Winter Festival June 24, 2017 – day of the interview, Andre pulls out and models a little something from storage. Video of Andre at Expo ’86 And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: David Aiken Interviewee: Dave Evans – The Great Dave Original Recording Date: March 23, 2017 Date: Aired: March 15, 2018 Location: Recorded at the Ibis Hotel near Emerates Mall, Dubai in David Evan’s room during the Dubai Marina Street Performers Festival Notes about the Image: This image is a composite created by Magic Brian from images found on the internet. Music: Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: There’s something to be said for throwing one’s self at life with a certain reckless abandon. Surround yourself with fellow street performers and the stakes for that sort of monkey business quickly escalate to a fever pitch often with little regard for any potential consequences – after all, we’re street performers, we’re invincible. But what happens when something does go wrong? First of all you need to deal with the immediate reality in front of you, then the long term repercussions that surface once you fully understand to consequences of your actions. Thankfully the street performer community both recognizes the value of high spirited shenanigans but also looks after it’s own should something go wrong. David Aiken sat down with Dave Evans at the 2017 Dubai Marina Mall Street Performer’s Festival to record the story of how a Naked Forward Dive Roll competition went horribly, horribly wrong and how the community came to his aid in his time of need. And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: David Aiken with assistance from Bendy Em Interviewee: Sean Jeremy Bridges – aka Bike Boy Original Recording Date: August 6, 2016 Date: Aired: February 15, 2018 Location: The Quality Hotel on Hill O’ Chips in Downtown St. John’s during the 2016 St. John’s Busker Festival. Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian & David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: It’s incredible that you can learn a skill as a teenager that serves you well for the rest of you life. In this instance, the skill is BMX trick riding and the teenager who learned the skills is Sean Jeremy Bridges. But how do you go from riding quarter-pipes with Sir Winston Churchill’s great grandson to being one of the most successful street performers on the planet?  Bike Boy as he became known while touring with the infamous French Circus – Archaos  took his passion for BMX and circus skills, morphed them from a circus show into street show that has toured the world multiple times. With a Midas-like touch, everything he touches seems to turn to gold. David Aiken sat down with Bike Boy at the end of the 2016 St. John’s Busker Festival along with Bendy Em to probe into where all of this BMX loving Street Star’s success has come from; how it started, where it took him and how he continues to evolve while fully embracing the chance to change as new technologies become available and new opportunities present themselves. Bonus Material and commentary from various sources:  Sean: The first picture is when I was twelve and just started being Bikeboy. Sean: This shot is of me in Circus Archaos the ‘Last Show on Earth’ in Clapham Common London. Sean: This is a good photo of me at Darling Harbour in Sydney. Official ‘I Heart BIKEBOY’ baseball cap from David Aiken’s private collection! “I love that I have a growing collection of Performer Swag! Thanks for this Sean!” Bonus Videos: All about Circus Archaos –   Bike Boy Promo Video – And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Shay Horay Interviewee: Pete Mielniczek Original Recording Date: March 24, 2017 Date: Aired: January 15, 2018 Location: Recorded at the Ibis Hotel near Emerates Mall in Pete’s room during the 2017 Dubai Marina Mall Street Performers Festival. Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: There are those who write scripts, there are those who follow scripts and there are those who have the ability to take a tangent away from their script and follow the sort of unexpected opportunities that are a very real part of playing on the street. Then there is that very special breed of performer who seem to pro-actively engage with the Comedy Gods inviting chaos into their shows and embracing the opportunity to Improvise. Skills like juggling, unicycling or some sort of prop manipulation somehow seem a bit more tangible than the mind-blowing ability to manufacture laughter out of thin air with out a script by simply allowing the funny to happen. It’s the sort of skill set that requires you to tap into your inner clown and have faith that the universe really is a comedy of errors waiting to be channeled for the amusement of your audience. Shay Horay sat down with Pete Mielniczek during the Dubai Marina Mall Street Performers Festival to discuss what it takes to craft funny from the unexpected, how to create material from a glimmer of inspiration and how the counter intuitive ability to put one’s weaknesses on display as opposed to one’s strength can sometimes be the essence of the craft. ***This Episode is being dedicated to Ian Hinchcliffe. In Pete’s own words –  “He was crazy and brilliant and died in 2010 and was a great friend and inspiration to me.” And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Magic Brian Interviewee: Sam Malcom Original Recording Date: July 1, 2017 Date: Aired: December 15, 2017 Location: Recorded at a Bar on Pearl Street waiting for shows. Music: Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Work any city anywhere in the world long enough and you’ll realize that you’re just one of many people vying for attention. In fact, quite often the street, the buildings and the energy of the space itself are as intoxicating as the people who frequent them. This is especially true of pedestrian streets and the sorts of pitches that street performers are naturally attracted to.  Obviously street performers aren’t the only people attracted to these sorts of  venues, so if you’re a regular at a well populated public space, you soon get to meet the regulars and acquaint yourself with the idiosyncrasies of their particular version of reality. These local characters provide a certain texture that makes a city feel alive. Magic Brian sat down with Sam Malcolm on a busy weekend on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado to talk about some of the local characters and some of the legendary stories that have made Pearl Street what it is – a pitch full of life and full of it’s own mythology. And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Mike Wood Interviewee: The Jim Show Original Recording Date: August 23, 2016 Date: Aired: November 15, 2017 Location: Recorded at Jim’s Home in Massachusetts Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: How much does a pitch shape your show? Well, for anyone who’s worked on pitch for years and dialed things in to work a specific space will know, it’s just not the same when you take your show and move it to another venue. Sure a lot of it translates from one space to another, but there’s no question that a venue and it’s audience has a huge influence on the shows that are performed there.  Harvard Square and Faneuil Hall are two legendary venues in Massachusetts and both shaped the show and performer that Jim became when he arrived in Boston after college. He looked at what was working on the pitch, put his own spin on the formula and refined his show by doing it again and again and again. It’s a familiar recipe for anyone who’s created a show that’s successful on the street and one that requires passion and tenacity. Mike Wood connected with Jim to discuss Jim’s journey and connection to the World of Street Theatre – the veterans he encountered, the pitches he worked and the innovations he developed, some by accident but most being the result of thousands of shows on the pitches in Boston. Bonus Images and commentary provided by The Jim Show: 1977 – Busch Gardens, Virginia. I’m the little kid on the right. If anyone knows who that magician is, please let me know… I’d love to buy him a beer.  1978 – Doing a little magic show for my school classmates. This is my very first performance and my very last magic show.  1985 – 15 years old. I spent my waking hours in High School on a BMX bike… practicing, performing and competing. 1992 – Harvard Square Oktoberfest – This is the end of my first season street performing in Harvard Square, Cambridge.  1993 – From 92-94, I finished my show jumping rope and then juggling torches while hopping on the back wheel of my bike.  1994 – Brattle Square (Harvard Square) I performed 5-6 nights per week on this pitch during the magical summer evenings of 1992-1998. 1994 – Waterloo Busker Carnival. I did Waterloo in 92, 94, 96, 98 and 02. Waterloo was my overall favorite busking festival experience. I always looked forward to Waterloo. 1995 – Faneuil Hall monster crowd on the 4th of July. Photo by Tak! 1997 – Edmonton Streetfest – I played the part of Chuck Lizardo, host of The Dating Game in The Checkerboard Guy Late Night Madness Wedding. What a brilliant, hilarious team effort. So much fun. 1997 – My roommate at Edmonton Streetfest – Within 3 minutes of meeting this guy, I knew we were going to be good friends. Love you, miss you, Robert! 2000 – Faneuil Hall/ Quincy Market West End pitch. This was my home office from 1994-2006. My entire act was developed and honed right there on those cobblestones. Feels! 2003 – Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market – The nut whack. I love the reactions and the fact that not one person is holding a mobile phone. This photo and the episode artwork image above were taken by www.marlasweeney.com for an article I wrote in Boston Magazine. 2005 – World Buskers Festival – Christchurch, NZ – Performing at this festival was one of those fantasies I didn’t think would ever happen. Well, it happened and it was glorious. Photo by Mike “The Handsome” Huling. 2008 – Shrewsbury, England – Look at these legends. They’re all laughing at me because I was on my 5th attempt at a selfie… back when cameras were just cameras, without selfie displays. Sam ‘TapeFace’ Wills, Lili La Scala, Pedro Tochas, Raquel Viegas, Bill Ferguson, Mike Wood. 2008 – Shrewsbury, England – My last official busking festival. Bill Ferguson was at my first busking festival (92 Waterloo, Ontario) and he hired me for my last one. Thanks, Bill!  Bonus Video content: #1 – The Grape Catch on Stage Renegade #2 – Pedestrian Theme Songs “Never Before Seen” the Pedestrian Theme Song video has never been made public until now! It’s an exclusive scoop for The Busker Hall of Fame! SWEET! And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: David Aiken – The Checkerboard Guy Interviewee: Andrew Elliot Original Recording Date: March 18, 2017 Date: Aired: October 15, 2017 Location: Recorded at the Ibis Hotel near Emerates Mall, Dubai in David’s Room: 357 during the Dubai Marina Street Performers Festival Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Figuring out who you are is a journey we all go through. Is what you do for   money what ends up defining a large part of who you are and where you invest your self-identity? This is often the case especially when one becomes a street performer and unlocks the secret to a ‘life hack’ that gives you so much freedom to travel the world, provides vast amounts positive feedback from audiences and enough money to live a very comfortable life. It’s a lifestyle that can become entirely intoxicating and incredibly addictive. But once the basics are met, how much more do you need? Do you allow the lifestyle to become all encompassing, or do you simply use performing and your performance character as the means to a different end? Strip away the performance persona and what is left underneath? David Aiken sat down with Andrew Elliot during the Dubai Marina Mall Street Performer’s Festival to discuss Andrew’s early days with magic, his time in India living with a community of Indian Street Magicians and his eventual transformation into a street performer who used his show as a vehicle to travel the world and provide the means for ongoing self discovery. And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]    

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Eric Amber Interviewee: Sharon Mahoney Original Recording Date: October 27, 2015 Date: Aired: September 15, 2017 Location: Recorded in Sharon Mahoney’s apartment in Vancouver, BC, Canada Notes about the Image: This image is a composite created by Magic Brian from images found on the internet. Music: Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: Playing on the streets means interacting with all facets of humanity from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. Especially in Vancouver where there’s a huge disparity between those who have and those who have not, street theatre can be one of the few shared experiences that anyone can enjoy no mater what their economic situation. Laughter seems to be the great equalizer and the beauty of a street show is that everyone who stops can enjoy a shared experience and contribute to the joyful noise. Street performers are literally unifiers of humanity. That’s the intention anyway, but sometimes not everyone agrees. Eric Amber sat down with Sharon Mahoney to relive a moment of took place at the end of one of Sharon’s Shows at English Bay and to celebrate the hilarious and heroic efforts of a homeless man named Ricky who took it upon himself to step in and resolve the conflict. And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]  

This Episode proudly sponsored by: This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come! Episode Notes: Interview by: Robert Nelson – The Butterfly Man Interviewees: Nick Nickolas and Dick Finkel Original Recording Dates: Nick – November 16, 2011 Dick – December 3, 2011 Date: Aired: August 15, 2017 Location: Recorded via Skype – Robert from Butterfly Acres, Pahoa, HI, USA, Nick from Glenthompson, Victoria, Australia and Dick from: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Music: Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording. Nick’s Acceptance Speech Background Track #1: “Calliope Rag” played by Hokum W Jeebs on his ‘Piano à la Cart’ recording. Nick’s Acceptance Speech Background Track #2: “When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues” played by Hokum W Jeebs on his ‘Piano à la Cart’ recording. Nick’s Acceptance Speech Background Track #3: “Organordion Wattz” played by Hokum W Jeebs on his ‘Piano à la Cart’ recording. Nick’s Acceptance Speech Background Track #4: “The Song is Ended” played by Hokum W Jeebs on his ‘Piano à la Cart’ recording. Dick’s Introduction BGM: “The Entertainer” played by Hokum W Jeebs on his ‘Piano à la Cart’ recording. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording. Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame Comments: The votes were cast and the announcement made on April 1, 2017. Nick Nickolas and Dick Finkel were inducted into the Busker Hall of Fame by their friends and peers in the Busking Community.  Both Gentlemen being honoured this year have been recognized for their significant contributions to the community and the craft. Nick’s relentless drive and enthusiasm to make an audience laugh has driven a career that’s spanned over three decades. Beyond being a seasoned showman though, Nick is always pleased to share his knowledge with the next generation that arrives on pitch aiming to dive into the circle and live a life of adventure. Sadly, Dick Finkel passed on May 17, 2016, but the legacy that he left behind by creating the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival is one that has touched performers from around the world who’ve played the event and embraced the opportunities that were created there. To celebrate the achievements of Nick Nickolas and Dick Finkel we went back and remastered the original recordings so we could re-release highlights of the conversations that Robert “Butterfly Man” Nelson had with this year’s inductees. Enjoy! And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about sponsoring this podcast by emailing [email protected]