Monday, July 20, 2009

MURRUGUN THE MYSTIC


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.


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your pal jimmy

STREET SHOW KIETH AKA KEROSENE KIETH


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.

kieth

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.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

PEPPE MIME


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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Friday, July 10, 2009

MICHAEL LEE

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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;

July 10 / 2009



In Michael's own words -





Been Performing and when time permits busking on and off for some 20+ years...



To date, my career highlights include: Performing for President and Hillary Clinton, the Birthday party for renowned author Kurt Vonnegut, performing at the opening night party for Siegfried and Roy, and lastly, helping to raise over $30,000 for 9/11 families and performing numerous shows gratis for NYC Fire and Police personnel and their families months after the 9/11 tragedy.



I have found that the age old art of Busking is not only a great way to keep yourself and your material sharp and at performance level, but it is also a way to generate an independent income.



Practicing in front of a mirror once a week will not do... if you're going to do this thing called performaning, then YES, get your material honed in front of a mirror... but then get your material in front of an audience. They will tell you what works but more importantly, what doesn't. It's important to get away from the computer, from the Dummy Box (TV). Get away from those in your life that are non believers in your talents and get out in the real world and give your audiences something they've never seen- you and your Unique Talents!



This will not happen overnight, or even in a month or two. But hang in there, as the adventure is in the doing. I firmly believe and have seen it, that Time Tells!!! and it will, if you approach your rehearsing and preparation the right way.



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As a professional performer, I'm not really a fan of DVD's. I really am a lover of books. Simply put, I believe there to be "GOLD" in them there pages. It's very important to read the classics on Conjuring, and as a rule, I read everything.

Reading takes work, attention and focus. Sadly there is a new generation of performers who seem to have little to almost no interest in the wonderful and vast history of our Art...which is an incredibly sad thing to observe.





Over the years, I've had a number of mentors, the most notable being Reveen- the noted Illusionist/ Hypnotist and Master Showman, The 2nd being Bruce Armstrong of Canada, others being Frank Brents (Americas favorite Black magician ) and

Jeff Sheridan. My Friend/Teacher Jeff taught me the Art of Card Manipulation , His only other students were Jeff McBride and David Copperfield.







Jeff & I met over lunch daily for yrs and we would talk on a wide variety of topics including Art and Magic and we would both try out new material on one another.

Jeff was was fond of saying, "Creating material is easy when the work has already been done!" In other words, purchasing a DVD equal Xerox copy!!! And if you have 200 people who have purchased said DVD, you end up with 200 Xerox copies, which is simply a bad thing for the evolution of the Art of Magic or any Art.



The wonderful thing about the art of Busking is that once you get a tight show, it can play anywhere and everywhere. I have played Cruise ships, Theatres, Festivals, TV, private parties ,Galas and Corporate Events for Sony Music, Harley Davidson, the Rockefeller Foundation and the NEA just to name a few.



It goes without saying, if you can make your audience like you, then more than likely they will like the show that you've developed.

As a formula, most 30-50 minute shows equal somewhere between 3 and 5 acts or more, unless one is doing a shorter "Doorway" set which normally runs about 8-10 min.




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I would also like to Highly recommend the Jimmy talks-a-lot book, "To Lure with Spectacle." It contains first hand knowledge at a more than reasonable price !



As has been stated many times by the performer and teacher, Gazzo, there is no substitute for first hand knowledge Or for using equipment that is not the best you can afford. Gazzo has been in the trenches of street performing for more than 30 years. I recall him giving me sound advice on a very light table that I was using that was not up to his standards. He gave me his opinion on it in so many words! Believe me, it was replaced the very next day by a Heavy, Solid table top that met his approval.



I'm also appreciative of his comments on my Millennium Cups that I began producing back in 2000, when so many performers were constantly asking me where I got those great cups (www.michaelleemagic.com) My Millennium Cups have been endorsed by some of the Top performers in the Magic field.



I'm not sure what else I can add, Jim, other than to say to anyone thinking of following Busking as a career...work hard, work even harder, pay attention to details but most importantly, Do your very best and pay special attention to your audiences. Again, they will tell you what works and what doesn't. Give 'em a great show- One that YOU would be proud to watch.



The purity and sincerity of busking entertainment is really what appeals to me. Over 300 yrs ago Shakespeare said " All the worlds a stage " More true than ol William could have ever imagined ! I believe busking to be in the truest sense the most essential depiction of the Conjurer's Art.



Michael Lee



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Friday, July 3, 2009

ANDREW HARDING


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.

jimmy and andy southbank london

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


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


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


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.

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charlie caper successful busker.