HOW TO MAKE BIGGER HATS AND A BETTER SHOW

I’ve been getting a lot of responses about how I hat or what Eric taught me to increase my hats.

I am not going to tell you my exact lines or my show’s content, but I am gonna tell you the formula. so that you can build a show that is more original.

Hatting is about selling a product.....You.

In sales there are two sayings: " Always be closing."

and

"Build value and get a receipt."

I believe that you should always be closing, in other words, through out your show you should mention money. But in levels of boldness.

More and more direct as the show progresses. And this should be done through humor to lighten it up and not seem so rude.

Before you start, you can mention that this IS your "REAL JOB."

Then after your first routine, you can say something about how you've been making money like this for a long time.

Your second routine, you get a little more bold and direct like, "at the end of my show I’m gonna hold out my magic hat and ask for money, I know it's a magic hat, cuz every time I do this, abracadabra every body disappears.....Well don't do that! This is how I make my living!"

Proceed with your next routine and hat em again this time, maybe talking about how much you want,

"A buck or 2 I’ll thank you personally, a 5 or a 10 I’ll smile real big, a 20 I’ll jump up and down, a 100......some body gives me a 100 I’m goin home with them!"

Finish up your show and just before you do the finale trick, hat em hard. This is a routine unto it self. You will need to write and memorize this routine it should be as entertaining and as informative as any of your magic routines. You will need to rehearse this!

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO HATTING IS -

BUILDING VALUE IN THE MINDS OF THE SPECTATORS AND GETTING A RECIEPT FROM THEM IN SOME WAY THAT THEY THINK YOU ARE WORTHY.

If your show, your magic, or your personality, sucks, so will your hats!

If you do not get a receipt from the people, they can act as though you are not worthy and not tip you,

But if you get a receipt you can REMIND THEM OF IT AT THE END OF THE SHOW WHEN YOUR EXPECTING MONEY.

For example; you can say, “Remember when I asked you if you were having a good time and we all cheered?”

Or

After you do the finale you can say, “you know I just realized some thing, we all had a good time, we've all been hangin out here laughin and goofin together, there's been twists and turns, but everything came out alright, so don't let me down now, and remember all your donations are tax free!”

This subtle “building value” idea is what Eric Evans taught me to increase my hats.

This single idea is what is scoffed at by many commercial workers with 45 minute shows, but it has allowed me to make incredibly large hats for very close to circle show size hats for only 10-15 minutes of work.

This is about taking the time to make sure you are showing a quality performance and getting the people to agree that is quality.

I hope this helps answer some of the questions.

In short, "ALWAYS BE CLOSING" will make sure you get paid even if your performance isn't that strong.

BUT

"BUILDING VALUE AND GETTING A RECIEPT", touching the people, getting them on your side and ADMITTING PUBLICLY what your doing is worthy......That will make your hats double and triple.

But the big point here is:

"This is the difference between a professional and a commercial busker.

The commercial busker is satisfied with a what he may believe to be a sure thing. He does not see the value in the shows proper entertainment impact.

With this formula your product will be a more marketable product for any venue you choose.

This is about BETTER MONEY, MONEY FOR QUALITY.

SOME GOOD REFERENCE MATERIAL FOR BEGINNERS

REFERENCE BOOKS FOR MAGIC THAT IS PRACTICAL FOR THE STREETS;




“The Tarbell course in magic” volumes 1-8 by. Harlan Tarbell.

“Hugard’s Magic Manual” by. Jean Hugard.

“Now You See It Now You Don’t” by. Bill Tarr.

“Routined Manipulation” Volumes I & II by. Lewis Ganson

“Swami Mantra” by. Sam Dalal.

DVDS;

“Cellini’s Magic That Can be Performed Anywhere”

“The Incomparable ROMAINE: The Monarch Of Manipulators” 2 dvd set
A virtual encyclopedia on manipulation.

“Eccentricks” volumes 1-3 by. Charlie Frye.

Secret Art Of Manipulation {With Jumbo Coins} by. Eric Evans.

Reference books on busking for magicians;


“The Royal Touch” by. Jim Cellini.

“The Dreamers Highway” by. Jim Cellini.

“The Secret Art Of Magic” by. Eric Evans and Nowlin Craver.

“Jeff Sheridan’s Street Magic” by. Edward Claflin and Jeff Sheridan.
A great history book of the streets.

“Street Wise” by. Professor Gizmo.
This is a good book for working the west coast of the U.S.

A GOOD DVD INSTRUCTIONAL ON BUSKING IS;

“The Art Of Street Performing” volumes 1-3 by. Jim Cellini.

So this list of reference materials could be a start, but the fact is there is a huge body of material on the subject and I think it is money well spent if you tried to get your hands on all of it.

FAT HEADS, ART SNOBS, SELL OUTS, THE GREAT ONES, AND THE REST OF US.

FAT HEADS,
there are those who run around telling every body they invented everything they do and that they are the worlds greatest magician, but after they see your show their doin your act. and tellin everybody they were doin it first.

they've been doin magic for a year or two and they tell you they've been doin it forever.

the conversation always revolves around them and when they give you advise they speak from authority but you find out later they were talkin out their ass and it cost you alot of time and money.

they keep tellin you how to be great but their lives are in a shambles.

their always right even when their wrong and they never say "thank you."

this was me in my younger days before i got old and found out i don't know as much as

young people who think they know everything.

ART SNOBBS,

there are those in our community who focus an the mechanics instead of the show. who are consumed with the perfection of a move and perfect magical form, than fun and entertainment.

there are those who will only perform what they want or what they think is good magic, instead of giving the audience what they want or hope for.

the art snobb will starve before he will sell out. he wont bring himself to the fact that we
are providing a product. it is all about him. and his sacred magical family and tradition.

in show business he has focused on the show and little on the business.

the've spent their whole life to be great and they are great but they don't have the money that great men deserve.

they arn't being paid what their worth

if i was a good enough technition i would definately be guilty of this. fortunately for my own humility i am not good enough. unfortunatly i still ain't got any money!


THE SELL OUT,

the sell out thinks to be the best you need to make the biggest hats ergo he thinks he's better then those who make less hats then him. watching a number of street shows will tell you how wrong this is.
a quantity before quality mentality.

you see the sell out can't see the difference from "mozart" and "the back street boys" infact he would defend the back street boys because of their income and popularity...this is assinine of course but tolerated so everybody gets theirs.

the theme,

money, a popular product, simple vulgarity for cheap laughs, and pride in trash,

instead of skill,beauty, perfection and real wit.

their pride in their work is weighed by the money.

loyalty is the enemy because with loyality you need humility.

the sell out takes from the masters and claims it as his own.

you see the ugly truth about the the sellout is they want to look classy but their cheap.

and no amount of money can buy class or greatness.

being a magician takes to much disipline but posing as one don't.

the sell out could never apologize to some one above him for the sake of something greater if he thought he was right....because its about him and him bein right...not the art.
this was me as a pichman and shop owner back when i had money. it was about me and the money not the art.

THE GREAT ONES,

the masters with impecable shows and fat hats which are being copied to this day.

the masters who were like encyclopedias of magic with exstencive knowledge of our art.

the masters who touched so many and told thier students about the ones above them and did things for the ones above them.

the masters who got paid, or at least could support themselves. and when they were critisized during their finacial short commings, took it with humility and didn't feel the need to boast to defend themselves. and continued to provide for their students and family long after their retirement age.

the ones who left a body of work behind.

the masters with the enumerable other qualities i have failed to mention here but made it

necessary to call them masters.

all of these things i have fallin very short in, but they are still goals for all of us i believe.

THE REST OF US,

the rest of us are doing the best we can, to do the best we can.

but we gotta lotta obstacles. when we look for those to look up to we find folks like the art snobbs or the sell outs, or nilists or the whiners, or the ignorant with a beliveable story that could cost us alot of time and money.

the rest of us are just tryin to learn and fit in.

the rest of us just wanna be good at what we do and make an honest living like any other worker of any other lifes work.

i'm part of the rest of us.

EUROPE

Cellini said;

“ I don’t know why the artist stays in the U.S., there is nothing here for him.” “ you have to stand on your head and spit nickels to get people to watch you!”

Needless to say I have definitely learned to dance like a monkey and stand on my head and spit nickels.

I am an American sidewalk performer.

But the point that Cellini made is true. EUROPE IS HEAVEN.

I remember my first experience in Europe, I was in Barcelona with 5 bucks in my pocket never been to Europe before. I stuck my bank card in the machine and it ate it…..I was in trouble.

It was getting late so went out to the sidewalk on Las Ramblas with my bag of belongings….I was terrified.

I banged my stick on the crowd and started digging in my bag for my rig I looked up and there was @ 50 people waiting, perfect edge. I started rushing thinking they were gonna leave….I’m an American [it’s hard to stop em here in the U.S.].

I did my show and made well over a hundred 12 min act, more then I had ever made at that time in my career and got a hotel.


a lot of my friends come here from Europe and they all ask the same thing;

“why do the people walk by disinterested?”

And I tell em the Americans are all Homer Simpson, they don’t know what we are doing.

It’s not just Europe that’s an easy place to work it’s a lot of places outside of the U.S.

STREET PERFORMERS ETIQUETTE AND MANNERS.

heres some things that street performers know universally about how one should behave.

these are NOT rules and are bickered about constantly they are sort of like guide lines sort of

1. don't touch another performers stuff unless you ask.

2. the first person on the spot has a right to be there.

3. don't ask some one to watch your rig unless there is a strong established relationship....or this could end bad.

4. never leave your rig anywhere it should be by your side.

5. don't set right on top of some one especially if the are doing something similar eg. performance.

6.if your sharing a spot don't hog turns you get one turn make it good.

7.if your on a big pitch and the acts are 45mins and yours is 15-20 mins ask if you can go twice on your turn to get equal time.

there's a bunch more keep your eyes and ears open for em.

ART,TRADITION,PROFESSIONALISM,AND MONEY,IN THAT ORDER.

Art, tradition, professionalism, perfection, and money,in that order.

If you consider yourself a magician, then you’re an artist and you belong to a tradition whether you like it of not , with expectations from your peers and the laity.

This form of art can only function gracefully if the operator works with perfection in his mind, otherwise it appears clumsy and transparent to the spectator.

Professionalism in character, showmanship, technique, and in the work place, sadly seem to be the most neglected in the world of busking.

Money of course is a need and must be on the list, But should remain at the bottom of the list in it’s proper home. One drives a car from the drivers seat not the roof of the car.

Art, tradition, and professionalism, are absolutely mandatory, because they involve preserving the art so we all can benefit. They are also important because using these three you can still learn and progress so that you can get perfection and money.



For those who do not consider themselves magician yet persist on doing magic in their work on the street and only see the value of making money and cannot see the value of the rest of the list, I would hope at least one day they may have the intellect to understand that PROFESSIONALISM, is and always has been an important part of capitalism.

Professionalism;

do you look professional in your costume of dress and in your character and behavior?

did the people think they saw talent and quality theater at the end of the show when being asked for money?

or did they just think, "that guy was funny and he had alot of audacity for a street guy."

when they approached did they know emediatly that there was a talent infront of them?

or

when they saw you perform magic did they see a huge "tell" that the person infront of them couldn't be a magician because he didn't act or look like a person involved in that sort of funny business.

worst of all did they think you were just an average guy who learned a couple of cheap tricks and were foisting them on the passer by to get money.

did you hound them for money over and over to where it appeared more like a commercial then a show?

was it a "street hustle" or "street theater?"

don't get me wrong i'm not downing the money or hatting the people with strong lines, i love it, i do.

but i love my art to much to cheapin it by making that the main emphasis of my show redunantly.

SO YOU’RE A GOOD MAGICIAN AND YOU WANT TO BE A BUSKER.

YOUR GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR MIND SET.

Street performing and magic 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS!

The first and hardest thing your gonna have to embrace is that IT DOES NOT MATTER IN THE LEAST HOW GOOD YOU ARE AT MAGIC!

Read it again!

Your magic is useless when you first hit the street!

Let that sink in for a moment and don’t blow it off, think about it!


YOUR FIRST JOB IS TO SELL THEM THE IDEA THAT WHAT YOUR DOING IS INTERESTING AND THAT THEY LIKE YOU. Always be closing them on that idea from beginning to end.

Now stop thinking magic and read that again!

Another thing if you’re a good magician this will be the hardest;


YOU ARE GOING TO SUCK!

Not only that but you are going to have to suck to get any good at this.

Infact if your not sucking out there at some or all points your doing something WRONG! LIKE BRAIN WASHING YOUR SELF THAT YOU DON’T SUCK.

As hard as it was to learn magic it should take the same time and effort learning how to street perform.

You will need to engulf yourself in busking info and huge huge huge time on the street…..stage time is what makes you good at busking, not magic.


In short if you want to be a great street magician you will have to put forth the same effort into street performing as you do your magic and I would suggest since your already good at magic FOCUS ON BUSKING.

The next thing you will need is a “set show.”

STREET THEATER VS. STREET HUSTLE.

THIS IS ABOUT PROFFESSIONALISM!

First of all if your goin out there with money in your head your walkin out there with a big sign on your face and the public can smell it a mile away. And it’s gonna be a long hard day for you!

I have seen guys go out and hound, harass, and intimidate every single passer by, tryin to stop them.

The people stop not because they were interested on their own, but because they were blatantly cohersed into it, they were hounded for money over and over and over again and saw little too no entertainment.

This same “busker” would come up to me at the end of the day and tell me he made a $100 and think he was a great street performer because he made all that money.

First of all that ain’t street performing that’s street hustle intimidation pan handling!

Secondly I got news for this “busker” street performers have been known to make a whole lot more then $100 a day and they didn’t have to harass anybody they simply performed and instructed the audience that it was their job and that they expected to be paid.


This is called SERVICES RENDERED!


I’ve seen guys go out and clap and cheer a large audience up then hat them with out ever showing any other skill then building a crowd, no magic, no juggling, no laughs, no nothing! I watched in utter disbelief as the crowd came in and put money in the hat.

I’ve seen them do this three times in a row then I saw an actual performer go up and no one would stop for fear of being duped again……later in the day I also saw a group of performers beat those clap and cheer guys up for it.

AS BUSKER WE ARE NOT PAN HANDLERS, TIMESHARE SALES,BUMS OR STREET CONS.

WE ARE ARTISTS WETHER IT BE PERFORMANCE ARTIST OR ANY OTHER.

LIVIN IN THE 3RD WORKIN IN THE 1ST RUNNIN WITH THE BIG GUNS!

Livin in the 3rd workin in the 1st runnin with the big guns!









This is by no means a rule, merely a lifestyle of the big guns.

So here’s how it works.

You work in 1st world countries on the best pitches and crash all the festivals you can or get booked for pay plus hats. Try and hit the big ones.

You work north of the equator in the summer and jump south of the equator in the winter because down there it is summer and you work the same way down there.

You do this till you save up a floater bank account of about 10 grand.

Once you’ve done this you can vacation in the third world and live off your floater.

If you do this long enough you will be self sufficient and as stable as it can be possible for a busker.

In my travels I have met quite a few fellahs doing this and some live well, very well.

If your needin a wife Asia or Latin America awaits.

STREET TOLERANCE

Since I have been exploring the forums and the internet, I have been exposed to some thing that has just reached it’s boiling point with me.

I have been attacked for smoking, bad spelling, bad font, bad grammar, being tolerant for dumpster diving, have photos of me unshaved, posting to much, not posting enough, HAVING A CRASS SENSE OF HUMUR, being to opinionated, and on and on and on!

These people are not regal or civilized they are tyrants!

This is inhuman intolerant behavior.

When I go on the pitch I meet weekend warrior buskers who are experimenting with the idea of going full time.

they complain about the same and more about me and other full timers. they call the cops on other performers and want permits and zones and venue directors, and on and on and on it goes.


THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT REGAL!

THEY ARE TYRANTS!!!!!!!!





IF YOU WANT TO BE A BUSKER YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TOLERANTS!



IF YOU WANT TO BE A BUSKER YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TOLERANTS!




IF YOU ARE THINKING RIGHT NOW IN YOUR HEAD THAT, “HEY I AM JUST AGAINST THIS ONE THING OR THAT THING” YOU’RE THE INTOLERANT ASS I’M TALKING TO!

The street is the street! It is not the Ritz Carlton gig. IT IS NOT YOUR HOME.

IT IS THE PUBLIC STREET STUPID!

Busking is hard enough with all it’s intricate hurdles, why in gads name would you be wasting your time complaining and trying to fix the area so it feels like your special private place at home.

A REAL BUSKER IS AT HOME ON THE STREET….ANY STREET, ANY WHERE.

YOU DO NOT CHANGE THE PITCH,

YOU CHANGE FOR THE PITCH!


If you want people to like you and watch you and pay you and if you want to appear as a fun person YOU WILL NEED TO LOOSIN UP AND ALOW PEOPLE TO BE THEM SELVES EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIKE THEIR HABITS, FORM OF DRESS, WHAT EVER….DON’T BE AN ASS.


One thing I don’t like is vulgar shows but I DO NOT TELL A SEASONED PRO HOW TO DO HIS SHOW, THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT AND SHOWS A LACK OF RESPECT.

NOW IF YOU THINK RUNNING OUT THE BAD ELEMENT IS GONNA HELP JUST REMEMBER NO MATTER WHAT, THE POWERS THAT BE CONSIDER YOU THE BAD ELEMENT ALSO…..NO MATTER HOW NICE A MANICURE YOU HAVE.


IF YOUR UPTIGHT, WHEN YOU COME TO THE STREET LEAVE YOUR PURSE AT HOME, CUZ EVEN THE BUSKER CHICKS ARE TUFF OUT HERE.


STOP WHINING AND COMPLAINING.

OR STAY INDOORS BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT MORE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUT THERE THEN IF YOUR FRIEND SHAVED TODAY.

THERE’S CRACK HEADS AND WHORES AND BUMS PISSING ON THEM SELVES BEGGING FOR MONEY FROM YOUR AUDIENCE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR SHOW.

AND WHEN YOU SEE ONE OF US FULL TIME BUSKERS DON’T EXPECT US TO PUT OUT OUR CIGERETTES OR NOT SAY WORDS THAT OFFEND YOU OR WHAT EVER BECAUSE WE ARE THERE TO WORK, MAKE MONEY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

WE ARE NOT THERE TO HOLD YOUR HAND BE YOUR MOMMY AND PET YOUR HEAD AND TELL YOU EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE THE WAY YOU WANT IT.


IF THIS IS BOTHERING YOU REMEMBER THERE ARE PEOPLE WAY WORSE THEN ME OUT THERE.

….AND YOU CAN’T FIGHT THE WORLD AND STREET PERFORM AT THE SAME TIME.

AND REMEMBER YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE A MARKED MAN OUT THERE...BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN ON THE STREET.

you can be a gentleman out there,

but not a gentle castrated emasculated neurotic bundle of nerves, because they smell fear, your audience, the bad guys, the cops, everybody.

and you wont make money and you will be marked.

the audience will mark you boring or a hack.

the bad guys will see fresh meat,

the cops will see a hassle that they have to put up with instead of chasing bad guys or eating donuts....and that pisses them off!

this uptight attitude may work for you at the corporate gigs or the back yard show, but this is exactly what you don't want to do busking!

THE SET SHOW

IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER THE FIRST THING YOU'LL NEED IS A “SET SHOW”!

You need to create a set show and I’ll explain why and what it is, in a minute.

But,

If you’re gonna go out there for the first time there are 3 huge mistakes you wanna avoid.

#1 don’t ask people if they want to see a trick! - just tell them to watch and begin your trick…DON’T ASK!

#2 don’t plan to do a new trick, no matter how good it is! -only begin with tricks that are tried and true, the one you can do in your sleep and have been doing for ever. And do it the old way. NO NEW ADDITIONS TO IT!

#3 only do “improv” after you have a SET SHOW! that’s the real secret to “improv“!



A SET SHOW, is a show that is scripted, memorized, has a beginning, middle, and an end.

It is the same show every time except for the occasional “improv” that seasons it.

I once saw a film of a show done by Gazzo 20 years ago and it was the same show pretty much that he does today.

I’ve talked to old timers who saw Cellini’s show 20 years ago and they described the same show I saw recently.

The list goes on, even and especially to T.V. and stage shows….you think David Blain or Chris Angel aren’t doin a set show?

think again! They are!



For most of my life I did improv magic. I’d look at the people and judge what I thought they should see then I’d reach into my bag pull out the props and do that trick when I was done I’d look at em again and decide which trick was next and on and on…..

I got away with it for a lot of years and made plenty of money, but that’s not gonna work here if you want to make a living or a career or get any better…..

If you want people to watch and pitch like some of those statue guys who don’t do any thing this might work for you but if you want to be any good at this you need a set show. Even the good statues have a set show they do in between standing still.


The way to create this set show is put it together and practice it out on the pitch over and over wether or not somebody stops and watches….you’re like an infomercial.

ONCE YOU HAVE THIS “SET SHOW” YOU HAVE A PERSONAL BELONGING, THAT TAKES CARE OF YOU AND YOU CAN TAKE IT ANYWHERE AND SURVIVE…IT’S YOUR SHOW.

After you have made this set show you will start to see how much it is capable of paying and you’ll we begin making adjustments for it to pay more.

IF YOU LEARN NOTHING FROM ME OR ANY STREET PERFORMER PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE MOST IMOPRTANT FOR BEING A PROFFESSIONAL BUSKER!

costuming

YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE RULES BEFORE YOU CAN BREAK THEM.

I’m not suggesting that you have to or even should wear a suit please read this whole post before you start bitching.

when i first became a magician and was learning the rules, the first of course, is always keep it a secret.

and there seemed to be many after that.

one of these is that "as a magician you should always be dressed just a little more formal then your audience."

in the beginning even David Blain was wearing the suit until he created his character to what it is now.

one of the most practical reasons for this, for the -BEGINNER-, is to add credibility to himself so

#1 the people stop

and

#2 they don't give him such a hard time when he sucks.

And

#3 maybe the most important is when you tell them your gonna do magic, do you look like a magician or some body that knows magic? Because if you don’t look like that to them you might have trouble.

Well a suit is a nice generic costume that also gives off a little authority.

My suggestion here is if you havn’t “found” your character you might want to think about this.

Now the most common opinion about this is that you want to look nice, but not so nice they don’t pay you…..ya get it?

Now I’ve seen guys in wizard costumes complete with pointy hats and david copperfield or eve david blain stlye of costumes but the point is YOU GOTTA KNOW THE RULES BEFORE YOU CAN BREAK EM.

Heres some suggestions;

IT SHOULD LOOK PROFFESSIONAL.

The costume should match the character.

It should attract attention. A friend of mine bought a bright yellow suit at one of those suit shops for the distinguished black man down town.

Make sure it’s comfortable and portable.

If you’re a traveller you might want a costume that you wear all the time as your regular clothes even sleep in it till it’s comfortable.

street tuff, child like, and a royal touch.

when your on the street your on stage and every ones watching.

every ones looking for a chink in your armor.

"THE BAD GUYS" are looking to take your spot, your money, and maybe your life, so you want to have a danger element in your persona and you don't want to dress too extravigantly. you need to give off the impression that you could be somewhat dangerous if pushed the wrong way.

a good example of this is of course; Gazzo or Sonny Holliday

THE GOOD AND DESENT TYPE PEOPLE who are probaly gonna tip you are looking at you to see if your a con or a threat in some way, so you need to have a child like disarming side to your persona. it should be saying "i'm a harmless and a good man to harmless and good people, but i don't like bad people."

mimes are a good example of this.


AND EVERYONE is looking at you to see if you truly are what you claim to be...a magician, so you need that royal touch that something that says your of a higher class, a wiseman, a man who could hold himself with proper breeding even when he's wearing rags. a man capable of being a gentleman even if he's not always behaving like one.

a few good examples of this royal touch are of course; Cellini, Eric Evans, Tom Frank, Doc andrews, and Paul Nathan.

you need to have all three of these to some extent, some have more of one then the other but they all have all three at some point.

strangley i've noticed that Danny Hustle has almost all equal parts to this. i think it may be his heavy entertainment background.


stranger yet theres a guy in london named "Pepe" who pushes "child like" and "street tuff" to an extreme that can only be explained as ominous in a clown car wreck sort of way and it's no wonder why he would get the largest crowds of all.

yet he holds himself like a dignitary even in rags. Pepe has been to the best schools of theater and recieved many awards from the hoity toity theater powers that be, but he chose the street as his venue, and rejected the high institution. every now and then they come and give him awards and recognition and he throws them in the trash and says,

"when are you gonna bring money i can't eat these."


here's a tiny clip of him;



a true genius but don't push him the wrong way. it's also no wonder that him and Sonny Holliday hit it off big when they met this last summer in london.

of the three of these i think the royal touch is the most ignored by the performer in the u.s.

when infact it should be on top of the list. this is where we need it most, people think we're bums and cons here.

you can go out there in shorts and a "t" shirt and without a costume,

you can go out there and be loud mouthed rude and demanding money over and over,

and you can disregard the importants or value of our art,

you can do all these things and make alot of money, they'll pay you good, and you'll make big fat hats,

BUT THEY'LL STILL THINK YOUR A BUM WITH A GIMMICK. DON'T FOOL YOURSELF.

so many buskers out there are fooling themselves into thinking they are greats because their hats are always big.

and sure they figured out how to hustle, big deal, so what. they should go into time share sales because theres way more money there for a good hustler.

ask yourself if you made a bigger hat then Cellini,Tom Frank, Eric Evans or Sonny Holliday, would that make you a better magician or even a better busker?

of course not. because these guys have been doin it for years they have forgot more then most people know on the subject.

but there are actually fat heads out there who think their better because of their hats and i'm sure you'll be hearing responces from them here.

MAKING ALOT OF MONEY DOESN'T GIVE YOU CLASS, IT GIVES YOU ALOT OF MONEY.

YOU CAN'T BUY CLASS.

and the people watching you know this, they maybe watching you like they watch a white trash t.v. show every nite at 7pm.

but that doesn't mean they think you or that t.v. show is important to our american community. THEY STILL SEE TRASH. and americans buy alot of trash.

i've seen it go so far that some guys who can't even tie a tie and who look like junkies will call other buskers "bums" because they arn't making hats as big as theirs.

money is important, but you can make money doing any thing.

it's about dignity.

and it's saturday, so if you'll exuse me i gotta put on my clown shoes and grab my horn and go to work.

chasing a pitch

chasing a pitch is where you work a spot for a short time become impatient and move to another spot in the hopes of the grass being greener.

generally this is a bad idea, usually the best thing to do is to find a pitch you know has been reliable in the past and do your work day there, the money might be a trickle, but slow and sure is still sure.

while your chasing a pitch, your losing money.


NOW i began this with "usually" because usually this is the rule, but i assure you not always the rule.

"toot" said, a pitch can make you or break you.

when i work new orleans, i got an old grandma bike i ride around following the movement of the tourists.

the tourists have their own schedule they start out by "cafe du monde" and the river in the morning and work their way into the quarter until nite time they end up on bourban street.

different attractions at different times and i show up before they are letting in or letting out depending.

but i still lose money, so why do i do it? cuz i don't like fighting with the other buskers for time on a pitch or dealing with cops about upstruction because they got familiar with me in one spot. some times i even make more then i would if i secured a spot....alot of times i don't.

if you have a small 5 min. doorway act, {like a one trick sandy} moving every show up and down the sidewalk could be the best.

in a situation like this you can work any where and the cops will have an impossible time catching you in the act and they probably wont get any complaints anyway because your in and out so quick.

but you know if your in a town that sucks it matters little, it would be best to work a reliable spot all day practising if nothing else. but definately keep your ears open for a spot you may not know about and maybe do a little exploring now and then.

busking indoors

you learn a SET SHOW, so it's yours, so where ever you go you have it as a tool to provide for you.

what do you do when you can't street perform as a busker?

what if it's snowing or busking is illegal where you're at or what ever, what do you do?

i worked for years in doors all venues from walk around to stage and was paid.

but busking indoors?

i saw an old street performer's video called "doing magic all the time and anywhere people will watch it."

great tape, sorry the name of the guy escapes me.

this guy's tape really had an impact on me.

you can busk any where you go, heck look at amway....ok maybe a bad example but it's true if you want it, you can make the money and and make the dream happen where ever you are, you just need alot of drive.

cellini told me a story;

him and his wife had got to the hotel she told him they were out of money it was late and snowing, so he told her,"i'll be right back" and he headed to the restaurant in the lobby.

he walked in picked up a glass and a butter knife clanged the glass got everyones attention and began his show. he hatted em at the end went back up to the room and dumped the money on the bed infront of his wife.

they had enough money for thye room and the rest of their needs......that's another reason why he's the master.

remember it's your show it's there to take care of you when you believe in it.

i asked cellini how he gets permission to work and he says he just tells the guy in charge, "hey i'm a travelling magician and i'm gonna entertain your guests" and when the guy asks how much, cellini tells him "nothin!"

after he does his show or shows the guy in charge might ask him to do this on a regular basis on certain nites, thats when cellini would hit him with a fee and stips.

you see it's like a paid audition.

cellini would also keep a book or a log with all of the places that would alow him to busk them and also the places that would pay him.

my friend peter at http://www.buskerscafe.com wrote this;

-Bro. Paul West in his DVD "X Marks the Spot" talks about working indoors. He tells the story of a guitar player that walked into the bar and passed around a half page flyer stateing he was going to play 3 songs and ended with the phrase "No Drinks Just Tips." He did his 10 minute show, passed the hat and walked out to the next bar.

Bro Paul then describes how he did the same thing with just 3 quick magic effects and supported himself just doing several guick 10 to 15 minute shows in different bars per night.-