sidewalk performers, whos who?

HEY, I'M JIMMY AND THIS IS MY WHO'S WHO BLOG.

2009-09-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

ON THIS BLOG I UPDATE FROM TIME TO TIME.

SO EVERY ONCE AND WHILE YOU SHOULD CHECK IN ON IT, BECAUSE IF YOU OR SOME ONE YOU KNOW ISN'T ON IT YET, YOU MIGHT GET A SURPRISE ONE DAY!

ADMITTEDLY IT HAS A LONG WAY TO GO SO PLEASE BE PATIENT....REMEMBER I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME BANGING OUTTA LIVING ON THE SIDEWALK MYSELF.

I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, HAVE FUN.

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE NEW SIDEWALK PERFORMERS SITE!

the site is mostly for small acts busking for a living, but doing it because they love it first.

it´s not just magicians.

it´s any act;

musicians, clowns, mimes, balloons, jugglers, stautues,etc.etc.

the site is being designed to teach how to become and master the sidewalk.

this winter we will be filling it up with celebs and articles.

so if you would like to talk to some of the sidewalk performers you have heard of or get news about them please log on to the site.

it has it´s own forum and links to other important educational busking sites.

here´s the site;

http://sidewalkperformers.com/wordpress/

but be sure and sign up on the forum it's where we all hang out;

http://sidewalkperformers.freeforums.org
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ALEXANDER THE MAGICIAN

2009-09-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

i was on the road for sometime, hearing tell about alex back home in new orleans...but i had never met him.

I first met him in new orleans after returning home. my teacher doug conn had taken him under his wing after seeing how great alex was.

alex is one of those brilliant magicians with chops. he takes our art very seriously and is meticulas and fanatical about it. this of course can be seen by the trained eye after watching him work.

he is an american performer currently working europe.

he can build a crowd with no amp, table, or any props laid on the ground. he simply begins his show. he has a strong stage presence.

he can work any size venue from close up to stadium.

ALEX IS A REAL MAGICIAN...just watch and see.

MURRUGUN THE MYSTIC

2009-07-20T15:59:00.001-07:00

well here's a magician of a different color, heh, his stuff is real.....he's a sword swallowing bed of nails kinda guy.

I met him some years back in san diego, he has been performing for many years but has only in the past few years brought his act to the streets.

i remember him starting out and taking on the streets and the san diego entertainment venue world. i also remember tellin him he was wasting his time in san diego and that he was wasting his talent on this town, i knew he was good, but i thought san diego wasn't.

.....WELP, now i'm eating my hat, because he found the equation to crack san diego's uptight and sterile tendancies. they actually love him there now, infact he's made the local paper front page and he dominates the venue market.

this should all be understood that it didn't come with out many years of hard work and nay sayers {myself included}.

fakir, jadoo wallah, mystic, dement. he has worked every venue in san diego and has done some travelling as you'll see if you check out his myspace;

www.myspace.com/murrugun

his act is fire eating,blowing, exibition, sword swallowing and a bed of nails where a group of the audience stands on his chest at the end he lets them examine the holes in his back.

Fun show, all done with accompaniment, by the lovely miss Justine Bethel on her accordian, she looks like a doll.....a demented raggedy ann doll, making poses like a marrionette with mime smiles.

the show begs to be watched and the two of them deliver. they really are a striking couple doing some very interesting things.

his video clip of them working in sea port village;

murrugun's story is the story of EARNED success, this is a tuff town.

this is a great lesson to us all that, if you're stubborn enough, you can make it happen in the town you want it to happen in.

i have been working here in san diego now for a little bit and i have got to appreciate him more nad more.

murrugun you have my undying respect.

your pal jimmy

STREET SHOW KIETH AKA KEROSENE KIETH

2009-07-20T08:36:00.001-07:00

when i started this who's who blog, i started it to give credit, to some of those brilliant performers who have been doing it along time, but have failed to get the credit they deserve.

you see, many of them have focused all their time on the quality of their show and have not found the time to focus on promo. also some of them are not sterile and wont play by the rules of exploiters so they get neglected and even frowned upon.

i have seen many other more well known performers focused all their time on promo and their income and have left the quality to the way side and many of them have a sterile bubble gum show. not so with fellahs like Street Show Kieth Wolfe.

you wanna talk about a real street guy, well check this guy out.

he travels up and down the west coast of the u.s. the hardest to place to work i have ever been.

he does this making a living. he will crash festivals and over regulated spots. always in and out before they shut him down. the west coast is EXTREMELY over regulated for everything not just busking, businesses have a hard time here.

i have seen the buskers in frisco repect him and let him work....for any one who has worked there you know how voilent and dog eat dog it is there, so this is sayin somethin.

he has various different shows and characters. sometimes he's painted up and some times he's gotta street costume instead.

along with the streets, he also works alot of circuses, cabarets, and private functions.

i have seen him personally in frisco and san diego and some other spots build a huge crowd when it was impossible for me or others to get a show off and to add insult to injurey he made some fat hats. his show is hillarious and he can work a sidewalk or large circle act.

his act is a bit gritty and pushes the envelope, sometimes a bit more then i would in my show, but it fits his character better then it would mine.

people don't copy his act because they can't it's so orininal it's to the point of.....of...well, frankly wierd sometimes.......the cocktail to success my friends.

he has a myspace and a presence on the internet and i would hope you take the time to look him up and watch some of his work.

here's his myspace;

http://www.myspace.com/streetshowkeith

here is some rough footage of him, it does not show alot of his tecnical skills, but the patter is great;

Kieth i get it.

thanks for your lifes work.

PEPPE MIME

2009-07-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sonny Holliday calls him a world class performer.

PEPPE comes from a high theater education, he has studied from and taught the masterers.

A WORLD TRAVELLER, but he is a covent garden icon, a celebrity, a myth, a legend, and a force to be reckoned with.

he is a dangerous street character and a loveable child like character rolled into one. he gets the largest crowds in the garden and for good reason. his show can be watched over and over and infact most performers do just that in awe and thrill.

when first meeting him you will notice a thick cockney accent and a rough exterior, with a grin that the cat has when it ate the canary.

his show for the most part is silent and he dominates the garden or any other pitch he chooses to work.

his character is that of a shadow performer who is curious and oblivious that what he is sometimes doing is outrageous. as he puts it he, "just plays" with the people.

he is a performer's performer in that he is a genious with the audience and the show can be watched over and over and it is still new and exciting everytime.

he watched me work silent and offered to instruct me for a couple of hours....when he taught me it was pretty advanced i could barely keep up with the instruction and fell short. his understanding of mime is mind blowing.

later on after years i finally began to understand and impliment more and more. he is loved and respected by all the performers.

everyone has their stories who knows him and i will be writing some in the future when i have more time.

this is A VERY IMPORTANT PERFOMER in the busking world. he sets the standards for what a quality performance is.

he has taught me and many others much and i am thankful.

i am posting this mini documentry below of him, be warned it has what some would think is vulgarity {bad words}, but i feel in this video he best expresses everything that is truly busking. i perticularily like his message at the end about money and motives for being out there.

it also shows some of his mime, physical comedy, and the bits of funny business.

an interesting note to magicians;

On magician's corner in covent garden, i have seen peppe do a sidewalk magic show with only cards, a table,a stick and his banter. funniest bit of by play in the world. he said he learned this from nick nicholis, gazzo, and a bunch more that he knows well and has for many years.
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....................................................................PEPPE..........AUTHENTIC.
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MICHAEL LEE

2009-07-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes fellahs write in and do such a good job i just put up their own story in thier own words......here's his in his own words;

Been busking for some 20+ yrs......

Hilights of my career so far have been,, Performing for President Bill Clinton , The birthdy for author Kurt Vonnigut, performing at the opening night Party for Siegfried & Roy....helping to Raise over $ 30.000 for 9/11 families. and performing over 100 FREE shows for NYC Fire & Police there families months after the 9/11 tragedy.

I have found that Busking /Street performing is Simply perfect not only as ways to generate fast cash, But most & more importantly as a way to keep your self & your material sharp !
Practing in front of a mirror once a week will not do ...If your going to do this thing called performing then YES get Your Material honed in front of a Mirror...... Then get away from the Computer, get away from the Dummy

Box (TV) Get away from those in your life that are non believers in you as a Person & get out in the real World & give em something that never seen...& I very strongly believe that that if you can't give em something that they
have never seen then the very least you can do as a performing Artist is to do your very best to Create & have your material evolve into somthing that equals ...YOU !
This will not happen overnight or even in a month...But hang in there, as the adventure is in the doing ....I firmly believe that Time Tell's !!!! and it will.

As a Professional Performer of 20+ Yrs.. , Im not really a fan of DVDs Im a lover of Books ...Im a reader ...Simply put there's "Gold" in them there books so as a rule I read everything...Reading takes work, Attention &
Focus....Sadly there is a "new " generation of performers (?) who seem to have little to almost no interest in the history of our Art.....Which is a verey sad thing to see.

My Friend / Teacher Jeff Sheridan was fond of Saying Creating material is easy when the work has already been done ! in other words DVDs = Xerox copy !!!! and leave's nothing to the imagination , Trust me ... Books are the way to go

The Wonderful thing about Busking is that once you geta tight show it can play any where !! and I have Cruise ships , Theatres, Festivals, TV, Corporate Events for Sony music, Harley Davidson, The Rockfeller Foundation Just to name a few... ..so inother words if you can make the audience like you than more than likely they will like your show.

I would also Highly reccomend The Jimmytalksalot book , "To Lure with Spectical" -First hand knowledge at a more than reasonable price. Just as I feel about my friend & another great teacher -Gazzo...There is no substitute for first hand Knowledge ! Gazzo has been rocking for more than 30 yrs !!! ......I remember him giving me advice on a very light Table I was using that was not up to his Standards ... he told me his opinion !!!! Believe me it was replaced the Very next day by a Heavy / Solid table top that met to his High Standards....I very much appreciated his advice from a good friend , I also very much appreciate his high marks on my Millennium Cups, somthing that I produced back in 2000 that are a Road worthy set of Cups that have been endorses by some of the Best in the Bizz ! (www.michaelleemagic.com)

Im not sure what else i can add Jim other than to say to anyone thinking to follow Busking as a career... Work hard then ..Work even harder , pay attention to your details but most importantly Do your very best & pay special attention to your audiences ..Give em a Great show.. one that YOU would be proud to even watch....Now get to work !

Cheers

Michael Lee
New York City
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ANDREW HARDING

2009-07-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

when i first started this who's who blog, it was my intent to give credit to those who went for years with out recognition for thier work......Andy is the perfect example of this for years he has worked london, sometimes at "Covent Garden", but the sidewalk at "London Eye" on the south bank, has been his pitch for years.

originally from his beloved Stoke he came to london many years ago and had it rough from the begining working his way of the streets and into public housing where he took me in the first time till some years later when i came again to london he took me into his new aparment and introduced me to his new love in his life "Cat" a lovely english girl he calls duck.

he has a big heart and takes care of his friends. very loyal person.

he does close up magic, his character is that of a strange and sometimes silly authority of the bizzar.

last i saw he was crowd buildling with a severed hand and finaling with card to glass frame an old anneman effect fro jinx.

he is a real london icon, working sidewalks all over the city.

some of the rougher buskers about town call him weasel out of love of course, he is well known and loved by all the other performers in london.

andy also has another act, he has a human robot act that he does mime and magic to, complete with suit.

he is an avid collector of magic, he has a huge collection and can be found almost once a day at davenports magic shop, a magic instution of england and the world.

if you ever wanna see a truly quirky and real london sidewalk show, keep your eyes peeled for andy.

thanks for everything andy your a real friend. this picture is special to me, it's me and him countin money in the hat. it was taken by a photographer impressed with our shows and way of life as buskers.

i wil be keeping an eye open for some footage, i would be curious myself as to what he's up to these days.

KENNY LIGHTFOOT

2009-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

i first met kenny in covent garden , but i had been hearing about him for years in san diego and new orleans.

the guy is one of the most interesting characters in busking i have ever met.

he looks sort of like an hasitic jew and has a beatnick artist sort of aire about him. he's a really nice guy and really intelligent.

as a magician the first thing that will stick out is that he does the magic square in a street show, this to me was mind boggling when i heard about it, but after watching it i realized it worked and it worked big, it was the sort of thing that only he could pull off, his show is incredably original.

i loved it.

when i met him i was hanging out with brian bloodworth and i found out that they were old friends who were street performing some twenty years in the past together in frisco.

hanging out with him always sets you at ease, you feel like everythings alright.

i shared a pitch with him and watched his show over and over i never got sick of it. the way he holds a crowd to me is like magic, people just feel comfortable with him and hang on what he has to say.

where ever i go i hear about him from the locals, where he has gone he has had that sort of impression on the communities he has amazed.

i wish i could track down some footage of him he really is brilliant.

he helped me out when i needed help and i appreciate it.

BRIAN BLOODWORTH

2009-07-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

many years ago walking down royal street in new orleans i saw a well dressed southern business man, set up in the middle of the street on a artists suit case table.

i was learning to work the street and looking for all the acts i could find. there he was doing some of the most incredable magic i've ever seen, he was doing with a dean martin aire about him.

as he worked a cigarette would vanish and appea, over and over, as this happened he was nonchalant and acted as if it was nothing.

he announced that he waould make a signed card appear in his wallet along with a salt shaker in side an envelope in his wallet, he would take that same card and throw it up over the building next to him, needless to say i watched in disbelief with everyone else as he did all the things he promised.

one of the things about his character is that he can do many flourishes and stunts, so impressive that it stops the passer by in their tracks.

he is a long close friend of eric evans, and he knows many of the greats, gazzo gotta chance to see his act and told me he loved it.

a vetran street performer taking on europe again right now but he is known as an american performer.

he started on the street in 1980 & 81. a short time latter he met cellini, since he has had quite a life with the life he chose. he has worked all over the world on the streets and he has work alot of corprate gigs and over the many years just about every venue.

a full time pro, he taught me alot i owe alot to him.

i am hoping to get some footage of him to post here, so you could get an idea.

but the best thing is to see him live, so keep an eye out for him on one of your own busy sidewalks.

i hope all is well with you brian and thanks for being such a good friend.

CHARLIE CAPER

2009-07-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

well where do i begin?

i could go on for hours about the greatness and the rise to greatness of this street magician.

charlie is a full time busker from sweden, he makes his lively hood almost intirely from the streets.

he can work any venue, sidewalks, half circle, circle, stand up with no table, with a table, indoors, on stage, cabaret, any size any venue.

he won swedens got talent with the same humble attitude he has conquered thousands of venues.
he has integrity and honesty and a self critical attitude many are lacking in our industry.

he is a humble perfectionist.

i first met him at covent garden,we all called him carl, we became friends. he watched me work with out a table and i would complain about not having a finale i was satisfied with, two days later i saw him perform a show with out a table and he had a brilliant finale. it was simple and to the point.

all the biggest names including cellini know his name for a reason.

i could go on but i think his work speaks for it self

take the time to check out his amazing site.

http://catchmagic.com/

charlie is a stand up guy and the real deal, he's been all over the world showing people that he is a master at the art of magic and that real magic is alive and well even in our modern age.

thanks charlie for for your lifes work, it's an insiration to all of us.

charlie caper successful busker.

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE NEW SIDEWALK PERFORMERS SITE.

2009-06-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

the sidewalk performers now have a site!

the site is mostly for small acts busking for a living, but doing it because they love it first.

it´s not just magicians.

it´s any act;

musicians, clowns, mimes, balloons, jugglers, stautues,etc.etc.

the site is being designed to teach how to become and master the sidewalk.

this winter we will be filling it up with celebs and articles.

so if you would like to talk to some of the sidewalk performers you have heard of or get news about them please log on to the site.

it has it´s own forum and links to other important educational busking sites.

here´s the site;

http://sidewalkperformers.com/wordpress/

but be sure and sign up on the forum it's where we all hang out;

http://sidewalkperformers.freeforums.org
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Antonio Labella

2009-04-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

italian sidewalk magician working barcelona, spain. but he is a world traveler.

capable of any size show and working any venue, but he is noted here for his skills as a silent to music sidewalk performer.

his character is synical, sneaky, classy, and confident.

i have watched him work silent with NO music! and still pull off some of the most beautiful shows to my amazement.

class act.

he has the power to make you bust up in laughter with just a glance {his signature to be sure} and a moment later to take him seriously as the master of the show and all he sees.

one must see him to apprecaite his act, so look for him when your on the road.

he uses the zombie ball in a way never thought, he uses it the traditional way with foulard and with out foulard as a mime piece and uses it to draw his crowd as a steel ball with a mind of it's own interacting with the him and the people.

i am unable to find any footage, but i will continue to look for it because of the importants of this performer.

he has a strong respect for the art and it's traditions, and it shows in his work.

he has worked italy where he is from which is a tough thing to do. italian audiences set a high standard especially for some one from their own country.

i know how he feels because they are the same way in new orleans my home town, little forgiveness for mistakes and this takes alot out of the performer to master what he does.

he is a good friend and we have shared many spots together, and his ability to work impossible situations will always sit in my head.

he is good to his friends and is respected and loved where ever he goes.

it was an honor to learn from him.

DIOGO ALVARES

2009-04-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

BARCELONA MAGICIAN.

master brazillian manipulator who has made his home in spain. ordinarily his show is silent done to music, his crowd build is simply his manip skills with cards, billard balls, cigerettes, and various other ungimmicked items.

people walking by and "discover" a good looking sympathic character doing his thing, to a great sound track of easy going but subtley edgy music. it puts the people in the mood for a good time....and he delivers.

a highly skilled pro made famous in brazil on t.v. with illussions and every other form of magic, he chose the spanish streets as his dream.

he has invited me to his home and let me stay in hard times and i watched him as he taught me, it was my mecca for parlor manipulations. he was so advanced at parlor manips it took everything for me to keep up with him which is funny to me because i used to pride myself as a parlor magician, well i learned from him who a real parlor magician is.

it has been difficult for me to find a great example of his work on video, but if you look it up your self and watch enough of it a pattern will emerge and i know you will agree with me about his genius.

DIOGO has a dry and sneaky sense of humur and puts out an aura of relaxed class and confidence that sets the audience in a mood that leaves them in the right place to see the beauty in what he does. you hear them ooh and awe and laugh in shocked disbelief.

the film does him only a little credit to see him work and feel the atmosphere is where it's at.

another thing, he reminds me of my teacher doug conn in that he is so humble and it isn't until a fourth of his show that you realize just how skilled he is and that he has been taking you on a well manipulated ride with out you even knowing, yep you were believing in magic and the moment you realize that it startles you.

here he is inna studio doing some of the manips he might do on the street to stop a crowd.

if your wondering what type a person he is, when he not performing, i assure the reader he is a decent, loyal, intelligent, adventurious guy who loves his friends.

everyone that knows him respects him as it is the most natural thing to do he is a master. he takes care of his friends and is a compassionate leader.

the thing that makes him the most unusual is that he is a very successful SILENT sidewalk act, having travelled the world and proven his abilities can work anywhere.

there are only a handful these in the world.

STEVE' LUCY

2009-04-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

walking in the plaza of a cathedral in barcelona me a some other buskers walked up on a show. it was silent to old sad french folk music. there was a massive circle. he did many beautiful stage effects many with birds.

what we noticed right away was how all the women in the audience reacted to his show, they were all crying to his sad magic mime act with sad puppy dog eyes.

the men just stood and looked on with awe.

this happened show after show, me and the other performers asked each other if we ever seen any one cry in a magic show and none of us ever had.

we were jealous with envy, we hated him......he was to good and we had to work there too!

we approached him and he was incredably humble {like all the greats} he asked if we liked his show and we said yes, he asked if we liked him and we said no! but we just couldn't hate him he was such a good person he even charmed us.

he asked i had any suggestions {to my amazement} so i suggested he try a comedy approach to his middle trick.

his next show he did and the girls stopped crying for a second and laughed with sentimental sniffling and then when the show went back on track they went back to crying.

after the show he rushed up to me and said, "jimmy, jimmy, they cry, {and with emotion in his voice he said,} then they laugh, and then they cry.... i love it jimmy."

where ever we went girls tripped over them selves for him and he was shy which only drove them more crazy for him.

well now he work sidewalks too.

he is a french magician who began in montplier, his brother johnny is also a magican and i will be writing about him soon.

here he is performing my favorite trick where he draws a bird.

notice the tone of the girl filming it when she talks about him and see if you can hear all the women cooing in th backgroung twards the end. this is just a small reaction because he is just doing sidewalks you would have to see his long full circle show to get full audience impact.

steve' is modest, kind polite, street wise, and an absolute master at our art.

i am honored and humbled that he would even call me his friend. his silent magic street show has had the biggest impact on me in my career. he will leave you in awe, really.

i should also add that his abilities as a master slieght of hand and manipulator with any and all objects are impecable, he learned from one of the old greats back in france.

his knowledge of stage work is also incredable.

steve' is so kind he even spent time with me on my show and i still do some of the manips he taught me in my show to this day.

he has a great site with footage of his stage shows and street stuff, check it out;

http://www.stephenlucy.com/index_uk.html

steve' if your reading this thanks for everything.

your pal jimmy.

TAFFY

2009-04-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

a welshman grown up in the inner city of london with cockney accent. way back in the day he was a mod, complete with clothes, scooters and lingo. he's a rough but educated guy.

great friend to have, pulled me outta many a scrape.

started performing with a diablo many years ago in italy, he learned from an italian master there and 2 of his english mates ed and adi, he got so good so soon when he went to greece next he made personality of the week on all the t.v. stations and newspapers.

he performed since 1998 in london and is currently in amsterdam workin the sidewalks there.

here he is working james street covent garden.

the unique thing about him is his skill at a sidewalk show, like all diablo or jugglers he can do big shows but what makes him so unique is his absolute mastery of a sidewalk show.

watching this next clip you can see him working the crowd building for a bigger show.

i have shared many a pitch and a squat or two with him for a while. along with his obvoius skills, he is also a master mechanic, and can work on anything inna building.

he is also an inventor. if you are a diablo worker and you are lucky enough to catch his act live one day you may notice that he is doing some unique moves that couldn't usually be performed.....it's the sticks they are a special design, they are tubes so the strings can be pulled in and out to adjust the diablo as it spins.he does some really unique cat's cradle type effects by pulling the sticks in then letting them drop and untangle magically yet still keeping the diablo on the spin.

anyway he makes em and sells em, ask him about it and he might be able to direct you to the people he's got selling them.

here's another of him working a smaller sidewalk show.

in his younger days he was quite the acrobat.

he's a true sidewalk performer and as street wise as they come. he is a bit of a legend in london and knows all the vetran performers there.

my pal TAF

MATT RAMBLES

2009-04-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

originally from kentucky, but cut his teeth as a busker in the streets of L.A. calif.
traveling the world, up and down sidewalks silent or spoken shows.

jimmy talksalot's number one student, matt rambles.

he's a tough street wise character, with a punk anarchist traveler back ground....survivor/ performing talent.

you'll recognize him emediatly by his modern jester look and masterful manipulations.

with a back ground in the arts back to his childhood, not just street smart but school and self education can be detected from him also. much like a younger sonny holliday.

no matter where he is at he adapts.

he has a serious respect and love for our work and is constantly thinking and creating.

true friend, truly loyal to his work and his friends.

he is a better student then i am a teacher, he's my right hand.

right now he's taking on europe with nothing more then a small bag and his talent.

i have always envied his silent sidewalk work, it's the hardest work to take on and he knows how to do it.

i am looking for some footage because my words can't do him justice.

MR. ISTVAN

2009-04-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

for well over twenty somethin years of performing straight on the street mr. istvan is amazing.

i was at his house and saw all the passes for some of the most prestiges festivals in the world, these passes were what he wore from being hired by them. he said he keeps them as trophys. he has a silent act backed with an incredable sound track,his act has often been copied, but never performed at the level istvan does it.

he is a class act no question, to say he has the royal touch is an understatement.

istvan holds court in barcelona. he has forgoten more then most magicians know. he's not only a real nice guy always willing to share, but he is incredably intelligent and well read on just about any subject.

he has what we call here in the states gumpshin, a tenacious optomism to occomplish what others think is impossible. and this is exactly what istvan does he does what others only dream of, i have never been so impressed with a master performers will, as i was with istvan, he meets all his goals and refuses to fail.

he is extremely disiplined in what he does and it is evident in his work. this is why i am always telling my students to be disiplined and fanatical in thier work.

istvan took me in and let me stay at his house in hard times and instrcuted me in my performance and in my life. he is the major inspiration in my rope work and gave me permission to use some of the things you may see me do.

istvan in my opinion is, classy, graceful, intelectual,a real magician and a close friend.

istvan, master magician.

LORD LUCAN {COVENT GARDEN PAUL}

2009-04-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

here he is finishing his sidewalk routine. i know it's his sidewalk show by what i see on the table.

he has a larger show and his larger show is hands down the best cups and balls i ever saw.

he is my favorite cups and balls performer. his larger show finales with everything you see on the table plus a key of "coke" [salt], a huge slew of coins, and thousands of marbles, all of which listed of course flows from the cups.

orinally paul began as a giant circle act walking glass and various other stuff. he is good friends with peppe, sonny holliday, and several other edgey street performers.

he is a true sidewalk performer, bangin out show after perfect show rakin in the respect, awe and laughter of his audiences.

you probably wont catch any footage of him, he's too old school to allow filming.

i have squatted with him and some other performers for a while in london.

the thing about paul is he is real london, every town has it's icon. for example dr. john is real new orleans and tom waites is real old time american city.......paul is real london. when i think of inner city london culture or cockney or rhyme slang which he taught me and i ain't tellin a porky....i think of paul.

A TRUE FRIEND.

he follows the rules of the street like his bible and the thugs tremble with respect.

one of the most original and old school sidewalk acts in the world, a world class talent as sonny holliday calls him.

highest point in my career was meeting paul.......LORD LUCAN.
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i found this very very rare footage on the net, please excuse the commercial in the beginning, his performance follows it....and it is just the finale of one of his shows....and a very unusual finish, i have never seen him finish in this way.

NICKOLI - DR. STREET

2009-04-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Dr. Street - He's not a medical doctor nor a professor of history,

but rather a philosophical doctor

and professor of mystery.

His high energy street theater show and gritty sense of magical comedy has folks not only asking how he does it, but "Why?!" Either way

they ask for more.

Because of its traditional street theater style, Dr. Street's magic

can be performed in any location

or venue. You'll never be more amazed, amused, and possibly confused than when you witness

the mesmerizing operation of Dr. Street............

OR SO IT SAYS ON HIS WEB SITE, nicksharpe.com

i met nick some years back and have shared a pitch with him many times. he has been street performing for many years and has worked and ran with many of the greats. he has helped me emncely in my life and in my work infact if you go to my other blog on learnin street performing and look him up there you will find he taught me a valueable lesson and he has allowed me to pass this wisdom of to my readers.

THE NEW SIDEWALK PERFORMERS SITE!

2008-08-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

ZU ZOO MAN

2008-05-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

New Orleans icon, you may see him sellin praline candy or pecan or sweet potato pies, keep an eye out for the zu zoo man rollin accross the waters of the mighty mississippi. famous for his singin and new orleans eccentric antics he is truly a jewel and a fine example of our culture. you might be able to catch him on royal singin jimmy hendrix new orleans ocopello style or the metors my favorite.

started in 1959 in front of a live audience, started on the street some odd 15 years ago full time inspired by tranpa and stoney brooks who you may have seen in documentries or on commercials about the city.

he hand makes all his goodies and is a self taught musician.

he is a spiritual man a christian with a love of his own unique form of gospel, he considers himself saint with saintly ways which gives him a mystical orah that motivates him to wanna convert, "to be better then what i was, not better then anybody else."

ALBERT OWENS

2008-04-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

this is what albert's student The Great Wilsoni or Keith balloonatic says about his teacher;

Hi there, this is for Albert Owens.

I brushed shoulders with a genius a linguistic genius of words,wits and comedy.

Some considered him the king of the park(Washington Square Pk), I know I did.

He was a great entertainer, a comedian with no match. Everybody copied him and his comic humor. who at a drop of a dime could play the blues , R & B, or classical music on his quitar, harmonica or piano (who knew).

He was the Lenny Bruce of the 80s 90s. Washington Square Pk had a few great acts, his was tops, He loved life and hated few, always had a bad word for someone but meant no harm, I am very much indebted the the man Albert George Owens, He took me under his wings and taught the ropes I owe much to this man larger than life. God Bless.

Dynamo

2008-04-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dynamo, some of you may have seen his huge body of work on you tube.

some of you may have seen his t.v. specials or caught him in vegas with snoop dog.

i met him before that in covent garden. he used to do an extremely small doorway act on james street.

he was sort of like a white rapper type who would moon walk to his incredibly difficult and amazing close up card tricks. he had a very small crowd 5-8 mins. he had modest but consistant hats all day long.

the other performers at the time were unanimus that he was one of the most talent, humble, close up magicians they had ever met.

they all said how much potential he had. i was skeptical until i met him and it was all true. he was a genuine giving intelligent person and incredibly talented. he was entertaining and he fooled me bad.

sure he didn't make the bigger hats like the half circle shows or circle shows but everybody believed in him.

everyone incouraged him to seek public greatness......

so he did.

as the story goes if i can remember what he told me and some of the other guys told me; snoop dog came down saw him discovered him and took him to vegas , he also put him in one of his videos, after that Dynamo got signed for a t.v. show in england.

i am embarrassed to say that i have not followed his career enough to know exactly what he's done so far.

immediately after his first break some that had told me all those nice things about him changed their story, they said, he wasn't talented enough, he didn't have enough experience, he was arrogant, and it was much to soon for him to think that he could represent our industry with his new exposure.

funny enough he had just done everything they had taught him and told him to do and they were right he could be successful.

after his success, i went and talked to him and he seemed even more humble and talented from what he had learned from his new experiences, he wasn't aware at the time about the efeect he had made on the other performers.

in my judgment they were wrong about him. i made this judgement even though i was just a vagabond traveling sidewalk show guy {and still am}

this story of course is a similar story with blain and angel.

point is.

IF ONE OF OUR PEERS IS BECOMING SUCCESSFUL IN MY OPINION WE SHOULD SUPPORT HIM OR HER TO BRING OUR INDUSTRY AND OUR SELVES UP!

it should be understood that i am not talking about myself, thinking i am becoming successful....i'm a sidewalk performer for christ sakes, i am getting old quick for the work i do and i am just trying to make ends meet on what i make on the streets and i am selling products for money to give to my children, WHICH BY THE WAY I WONT SEE A CENT OF AND I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.

i just thought i would give my 2 cents about Dynamo's good character. so if your a fan i think you should know on top of it all, in my opinion he is a really decent guy.

of course that's not just my opinion he still has quite a few friend around that would say the same thing about him.

here is an interesting interview by him and i am proud to say he mentions new orleans and their workers.

unfortunately, i wasn't in new orleans when he was there so he's talking about the other guys there.

please watch this interview and go to some of his performance videos because i feel he you could get a better feel of his performance from some of the other videos. but i think what he says is very import to us.

THE AMAZING JOE JOE

2008-01-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

the amazing JOE JOE

home pitch; MYRTLE BEACH

JoeJoe has traveled through
38 States, performing his
unique brand of magic and
illusion on Main Street USA.

joe joe is legendary. regretfully i have not met him yet, but have admired his work and reputation for many years.

he sent me a small bio and i'm gonna post it because i think it is best in his own words;

Background: "When I was 18 living in Ocean City I was working the usual dead end jobs - you know, dishwasher ... busboy ... mcdonalds.

It seemed I was always looking for a new job, and got the bright idea that as a street performer I could make money anywhere in the world without ever having to actually apply for a job.

It didn't happen overnight, but eventually I figured out how to do it".

Influences: "To me, Penn and Teller are successful street performers. Harry Anderson is a successful street performer.

The one thing they have in common is they are not actually working the streets. I hope I get that break and get off the streets, as all the streets are just dead ends.

I don't care how much money you can get in a hat ... it is still nothing compared to what Robin Williams can earn just for showing up at a party! I am amazed at how many street performers don't realize this little fact.

Your goal should not be a fat hat, your goal should be a great act - that is what makes a street performer successful".

Mentor: "There is an old timer here in town, Master Magician Jim Lee - he is featured on my Floating Street Lamp video. I've been working with him for roughly 15 years now. You want a who's who, he would be the one to do one on.

He is the real deal, toured with the carnie circuit doing the bed of nails longer than I've been alive. I don't know how old he actually is, but I hope I'm in as good shape when I'm his age".

The Act: "I try to be original and do my own thing. I think my sword-through-body is the people's favorite. It is tricky to pull that off when half your audience is under 13, but I figured out how to get away with it. Its really not the kids I worry about, its the parents - they are so over sensitive.

I grew up watching Tom and Jerry and the Road Runner ... my sword is nothing compared to cartoons".

here's his site;

http://joejoeonline.com/showtimes.htm

here's his blog good stuff;

http://joejoeonline.com/blogger/

joe joe has a large body of video clips on his site and throughout the internet displaying his talents with illussions on the street...which is a rare nitch.

watch him lure with spectacle.

BOBBY MAVERICK

2008-01-25T11:18:00.001-08:00

BOBBY MAVERICK

Teacher; KOZMO

Home pitch; Urbana, Ohio

Fulltime Busker during the warm months and a Corporate Entertainer/Magician during the colder months.

Been workin 6 or 7 years now. Fulltime for a couple three years.
Works all over the U.S. doin sidewalk/door way acts or circle shows depending on the pitch.

I’ve shared his pitch with him and it was a pleasure bobby is pure pro.

We were workin New Orleans during a festival it was dangerous and insane but bobby didn’t flinch he just tore up the shows one after another a real worker.

Bobby is not just good at what he does he’s got to be the most stand up guy out there. He’s loyal to his art, his peers, and his teacher.

And like his teacher he makes big hats and has incredible contact with his audience infact I think in a few ways he has surpassed his teacher in our art and that says a lot for Kozmo’s teaching skills.

But anyway,

I could watch bobby’s show over and over I learned a lot from him about circle shows and it has increased my hats and show skills.

He’s just as comfortable in a suit as he is his street costume.

The thing about bobby is he can adapt to any pitch small or big tough or family or corporate he’s just that versatile. If you go to his site you see what I’m talking about.

here he is doing a quick one.

Bobby Maverick at IndyFringe 2007

Add to My Profile More Videos

thanks bobby for everything.

thanks for being a credit to our art,industry, and our tradition.

ALSO CHECK OUT BOBBY'S MYSPACE;

http://www.myspace.com/bobdabusker