Music on The Streets

Posted on 25th Nov 06 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Busking
Author: Susan Keally

Busking has really developed over the last few years" becoming the background scene and music for many bustling Dublin shoppers. From boys standing on street corners with their shaky but loud voices as their only instrument" it has grown and formed into full choirs or small orchestras performing to the masses on a cobble locked street. While those will be preparing to brave the cold Christmas season you still get about a dozen guys and gals trying to make some coins. Apparently the money is pretty good" as long as you are not a strain on the ears or the eyes.

As I came in on the bus to Dublin city centre" it was pretty obvious I wasn"t going to find many of what I as looking for. Even sitting near the hot engine I still felt like my toes were frozen" and the drizzle on the windows only dampened the situation more. Buskers aren"t ones to come out on a free Saturday to have their fingers fall off due to the weather. I got off the transport only to be greeted by some pretty empty hot spots" there were few around Temple Bar" which usually is teeming with people and the occasionally comedic acoustic performance which makes fun of passers"by" taking a pleasant fondness to abusing the tourists.

It was still early afternoon when I browsed down Grafton Street" where one will always find a busy man on a mobile dishing out what he thinks is a couple of coppers" but is actually 10 euros in coins. They were only starting to set up" the Statues plastering on the pale or colourful face paint" even coming across the "shell" of a suit for the mid"step statue busker. The clouds above still looked like they were about to burst" but were holding it in for the moment. Many of them don"t compare with the Barcelona artists" but props to the lot of them for staying out in the cold Irish weather.

I finally found a few moving performers" and two many Dubliners will know to see. Sean and Jimbo "hey" I write what he states"" the Blues acoustic guitarist never seen without his cowboy hat" and the well"known puppeteer. They"ve come together to collaborate" Sean playing" while Jimbo guides puppets to the music. In the past" they separately pulled a huge crowd each" but by performing together their only reeling in more. Both liking to busk" it"s surprising they hadn"t teamed up earlier" both working 4 years for the public.

I wandered about town for a while" running back into a friend a few times between his piano classes and theory. He suggested asking the statues for a small interview as well" as there were quite a few about. But unfortunately that would be breaking their act" I"d probably get more of a response from the Molly Malone statue. The statues always are the majority of the acts on Grafton Street" and even on this wet day" perhaps about a dozen were working. We venture round and saw the Blue Man and the Lone White Angel" both very tall" both very still" both very standing on boxes. The well"known sliver painted men were back as well" one how usually has a sunflower and a clock" the other who I had gotten his shell on and was seemed like was in mid"stroll.
There was even a new one this Saturday" the crowd snagging Devil and Angel playing chess. We stayed there for a while watching the game" as did a lot of others" with the odd tourist"s camera getting hissed at loudly by the Devil.

Before I decided to get the bus back" I chanced my time to see if there was anything of interest in Temple Bar. I came down the side of the Central Bank" only to greeted by an ambulance taking a woman who had cracked her head on the pavement to the hospital. Well" that"s something interesting" but it isn"t exactly "busking". A few local shop owners did take a gander at the situation anyway. Interesting only led to oddly ironic. I found a lone busker belting out Beatle"s tunes at the side of the square. I waited to go up to him until he had finished the song" but what looked like 2 homeless" or very half"drunk men came and stood on either side of Frankie "the busker"" singing along to "Hey Jude" until one of them pulled out a harmonica. Frankie didn"t quite know what to make of it at first" but just went along with them" taking it in his stride" and getting a few confused looks from the public. He laughed when he finished" shaking them both by the hand for the time being" as they did come back later to join him. But events like these wouldn"t put the 5th year off" who"s only been busking since September. "Its better then my old job in a jewellers"" when he points out that he makes 20 euros or more an hour out doing something he enjoys.

I quickly went back up to Grafton street to find nothing new" and went home pretty happy with what I had gotten under weather conditions like this" I would have loved to have gotten a few bands" contortionists and maybe a magician or two" but next time. So next time your walking down Grafton Street" around Temple Bar or maybe you might glance upon a few near George"s Street Arcade" give some money to a few of those buskers" might make them come back" and you could have some great music for a month of Saturdays.