When I was a youngster, I nurtured a unrealistic desire to be a musician and belonged to a skiffle group. It was a rather flexible affair and consisted of anything from four to seven or eight depending on the direction of the wind. We had two singers, one sang like Nancy whiskey, and was last heard of (some twenty or thirty years ago) living with an old farmer in Somerset and pickled in Cider, the other actually made a living for a while in the entertainment industry, but not as a performer, even though he managed a quite camp Act that he performed local Workingman's Clubs. For my part, I had a guitar, and could play at least four chords, but unfortunately did not know when or where to use them.
It is a blessing, to the world in general and me in particular, that no photographs exist of our attempt to find fame. If they had, feel that I would have had to expose them to the derision of my colleagues in the wider Bloggery. As they don't exist I feel free to use this pictures I took on one of my sojourns to the North of England.
I enjoy listening to street musicians, some are very well trained others are a little more basic, but nonetheless genuine. They were playing in Keswick, outside the Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop and were not part of the Blue Cross event. I asked if they had any discs but I was out of luck. The band was particularly pleased with an old Japanese couple, he put a tenner in the banjo case, and she - not to be outdone - put in a score.
In the following pictures I've taken the liberty of borrowing them the Net
I'm not exactly sure but this may be the same three guys as above
The next two images are of New Orleans Marching Funeral Bands. It has long been a desire to have a Marching Band at my passing, but only if I'm allowed to watch
And, finally just for the aaahh.
Nice stories Mike. I’ve always loved real street musicians. I first heard Pachabel’s Canon being played in the Library Passage in Salisbury many years ago, and got hooked. Funnily enough the remark about watching your own funeral is very topical, as in the paper today there’s aman who did just that, complete with a jolly picture of him smilingly stepping into his coffin.
ReplyDeleteThe first photo's a classic. I suppose if you're going to get performance space for free, you can't complain too much about the decor.
ReplyDeleteWe have a band of one in the local town. He plays the same three tunes (badly) all day long.
ReplyDeleteI know that woollen mill shop but without the band.
And aaahh!
Perhaps you should feature him Bob. You never know might kick-start his career. Surely can't be as bad as some of the Mush served up over the years.
ReplyDeleteMike