Thanks for the kind words Jimmy. Glad the book gave you a lift. I've re-edited the book and added a few things to the original. I also changed my pitch from just doing a trickle to having a specific beginning and end rather than an ongoing show. I still leave the money can out for the trickle, but I also make a pitch at the end. My hats are bigger doing this. Don't like to miss any chance for a donation.

Prof. Gizmo

I leave my doctors bag open through out the show people come in now and again drop money.

By the way that's me doin the rope through body.

To gallagher,
I can smell a good pitch. There just aren't that many around. That's why people guard them like they do. I've worked 100 yards from my usual pitch and made half what I did at the original site. Location, location, location IS important. that's why Jeff Sheridan and Chris Capehart got into a brawl over spots in Central Park. They are not all the same. Don't post your theories about the street. You can tell the actual performers from the posers. Some of the posts here are nothing but personal opinions not experience. My BS detector goes off the charts with some of the ramblings here. Some theories don't work. You're entitled to your opinion, but you'll go broke on the street.
Prof. Gizmo

Hi Giz,
Thanks for the kind words. `BS´, that stands for `Bachlors of Science´, or? Actually my formal schooling isn´t so in depth. I´ve spent most of my life out of doors, playing in the streets.

My philosophy/experience of `a different corner´, is the `thought´, of not only discovering news spots, but CREATING spots as well. For me, that is the magic of the streets. `Creating´, this means, establishing something that wasn´t there before. `Creating´, something NEW,... scarey thought, eh Giz?
"Some theories don´t work.", hmmm, I think what `works´, is what we believe in. Unfortunately, most only believe in what they have seen. `This pitch works.´`This trick works.´ `This doesn´t,...´ ,...look how limited our craft is!!,...can almost smell corpse.
Fantasy, Imagination, Creativity, Trying Something New; all such holy phrases.
The real holiness, is the balls to go out and do it, and do it, and do it,... because we believe in it.
I think it´s great that you went out and tried it!!,... even if it was only 100 meters. Yes, location IS important, but there are a lot more spots out there then you can imagine,... spots waiting to be created. We just lack `the creators´,...pity,... how we limit ourselves,... or, simply sell ourselves out for a few cents more.

,...argue for your limitations, and they´re yours.

`chipped´, but not `broke´,
gallagher

Gallagher,

I like the idea and I hope you would pursue it, if for nothing else then discovering and opening more pitches helps all of us.

but it can cost you money, it is a gamble, a pitch can make you or break you. this is a fact.

I try and do both. if I need money, I'll work a "for sure" spot and just do a commercial show and what ever works. when I am financially secure enough, I go out exploring. I HAVE FOUND THAT IN MY EXPLORING SOMETIMES I HAVE FOUND BETTER PITCHES THAT MADE MORE MONEY THEN THE POPULAR SPOT. after that I would help out other performers and let them know where they are so they could work too. old school workers don't like this they want less performers and more secret spots. but some are starting to come around. some never will.

I think that if we all work to unregulate towns and search for new and better pitches and create more talented buskers to go in those new spots, society will begin to become familiar and more approving of us....this is about more credability and more money for our industry.

I know this sounds like I'm dreaming, but so does thinking you could make a living on the street doing what you love....heh I found out that wasn't a dream, now I'm living the dream and I'm grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to find out about it and learn how to do it. I've been doing it some years and travelled the world doing it.

gallagher, I believe in what your doin, I'm doin it also, just don't hurt your self financially doin it.

I assure you I travel all over and the first thing I do is try and find out where all the buskers work, the town spot. I go there and check out the situation first, work some, then go looking, often I have found spots that people from their own town never realized and this helps me if I need some thing in the new town they are willing to help me out now.

sometimes a bad spot is a few feet away sometimes a good spot is a few feet away like gizmo was saying, it takes an experienced worker to be able to discern where the right spot is.

good luck gallagher with this venture, like I said before, I believe strongly in this I have built my career on it. and it has never failed me.


gizmo I feel your pain about guys with less experience giving advice to pros, when I said it everybody ripped my head off. if you think I'm off base here with my views please let me know.

your pal jimmy.

I would like to add one more thing the #1 REASON THERE IS LESS SPOTS IN A TOWN IS REGULATION.

our popularity and lawyers is the answer here.

if you have some sort of power in your home town or know some one who does please work on this...imagine if you could work any where, I mean anywhere, you wanted the money you could make and the better shows you could do.

since I've been back home recently here in New Orleans I've already helped my friends here open 3 new spots that pay. I played a smaller role then them, but I helped. I'm proud of that.

I have had to "settle" for certain spots. It's just so much easier in a good spot vs an OK spot. I once had a goood spot working away at a street fair and 5 college guys showed up with pots & pans. Nothing but noise with a can out for money. They set up 5' behind me. 5 against 1 They drove me to another spot. I did OK but it wasn't my 1st choice. I don't like to waste my energy and voice drawing a crowd. Certain spots eliminate the need to use that kind of energy. People just come up and the show starts. Feng Shway??? I can smell them. They are often off limits or super regulated, hence the competition. Seattle has a place at the Pike Place Market. . .under the clock. It's the primo "spot." Some performers wait 3 hours for 1 hour on the spot. I find other places where I can set up and not be "moved on" by another performer. (Pike Place Market has 1 hour spots). I don't make as much money, but I do get to perform without having to move. I agree with Jimmi. . .I had a secret spot. The mother lode, but it eventually got regulated and disallowed. So the good spots are at a premium at least in Seattle. A guy could do well in a new town without other buskers, but I'd bet LegalMan would show up and close things down pretty quickly.
The only other problem is, the people who live in small towns or non busking places often get this fearful look on their face...they pull their kids away from your table, won't look you in the eye. They don't know how react. This takes energy to put them at ease, get them laughing, let them know your not playing 3 card monte or selling stolen watches. I hate having to do that. I've even borrowed Gazzo's line, "Parents who don't let their children watch magic are alcoholics who don't really love their children." that's how aggraviated I get. I offer a good time, some humor, and a memorable experience. GIVE ME A CHANCE!!! A good spot eliminates most of that CRAP!

Prof. Gizmo

Nice hearing your thoughts guys, before I go to bed; I can sleep easier! Jimmy, nice hearing your ideas; you think, and experience, AND share a lot. Always good stuff.

Here´s my bottom line though,... the thought behind this whole idea,..`The Big Secret´. Show biz, Entertainment,... `The Streets´; it comes down to Confidence.
The big `C´ comes from Experience. YOUR Experiences. The same pitches, the same tricks, the same lines,.... the same Experience.,... usually someone elses! We make the cage. Broaden your veiws,... it´ll pay for itself,... as uncomforatable as it will taste at first.

Why are 99% of our showmen using the same stuff,.. in the same places? Because they all SAW it work. `Proven stuff´. That gives them the Confidence to perform it confidently,...e.i. `sucessfully´. To go farther, though;.. to go beyond being a "Gazzo-, Cellini-, or Talkalot-Copycat-Zombie", we must take our own steps. Learn to walk our own dance. We all have it in us,.. all a different motley music. All great. All blessed.,.. often the courage falls us though. That´s why I´m saying, `try a different corner.,... every now and then´,.. baby steps at first. But OUR steps.

Jimmy, I´ll get killed for saying this, but; what WE create, express from ourselves, is blessed. You´ll never go broke,...on the contrary.(I know that don´t fit here, in the Magic Café,... but it fits on `the streets´. And it´s not `a secret´, it´s a Revelation.)

sleep well,
don´t bite the bed-bugs,
gallagher

Giz and gallagher,

good stuff.

I thought of this thread today on a new pitch I was workin. A buddy of mine came out with his family today, Amon. Some of you know him from the message boards. He used to work this pitch...it's not exactly busking. It's paid street performing for an outdoor mall. He gave me his contract, and then came out today to see how I was gettin on.

Anyway. I was set up under the semi-permanent band tent in the main park and had pretty big shows all day. Had my amp cranked.

Well, Amon comes up and says he never set up in that spot all last summer. He worked this other spot by these flagpoles.

Long story short. Amon and I both read the pitch totally differently. It's hard to say which spot is better...ya can't hat your crowds at this place. But, it really struck me that I woulda never thought to try settin up near the flagpoles and he never thought to set up under the band tent (which apparently is only used by bands in the evening, after our shifts).

I get the feeling that not everyone can work the same pitch. Too big, too small, gotta work too hard to draw a crowd, too much disruption, too close to music, too many store entrances, whateva.

I think maybe the thought here is that you gotta search until ya find a pitch that fits the show you're trying to deliver.

I'm still figurin this all out. Maybe I should learn to be more flexible and adapt to different pitches. Hopefully that'll come with more time in a larger variety of settings.

I get excited to work a new place, or to stroll indoors at some function with my routines. I'm into the thought of exploring new pitches. But for now, I have to find ones that fit my shows...I don't think I'm at a point where I can fit my shows to any/every pitch.

Don't like the feeling of not being able to be the correct size that the show needs to be at certain times: low, small, big, elevated, tight, controlled, loose, playful.

I guess I'll either learn to adapt or just be limited in my ability to make money where ever I am. On a related note, I'm still trying to get my head around this thought of 'workin a trickle' too. I think I'd switch to balloons at a pitch that called for that. Dunno though. All I know is I don't have a show that would be good for a trickle.

Prof. Gizmo, I got your lecture notes a while back when we traded DVDs. Still enjoy reading through it. Good stuff!

Ok, now I'm just ramblin

very true- if I try to work a large circle, I always get swallowed up in the space, and my speckies usually stand, like 50 feet away -not a greatway to encourage the hat. On the other hand, sometimes my sidewalk show crowd gets too big and is a nuisance. It's tricky... My experience is that I always make better hats working a sidewalk.



Yeah. I don't do this, but another busker on the wharf that I know does. They will just "commando style" hit up individual people with a trick or two (Of the "Pick a card" variety) and then just ask for donations. He'd do well to add balloons to his "show" so he can hit up little kids who cannot get the magic folks too. But balloons are frowned upon by the flatfoots on the wharf (after all, that's "vending"). I don't know what his total hats are like, but more likely than not from what I've seen, usually, the folks he works do slip him a buck or 2...