Whatever time of day it is, there's a busker making his living playing "American Pie" to a group of passersby at this very moment. What makes them tick? Is yowling on a corner better than sitting at a desk? Which songs bring in the big bucks? I asked four street musicians these and other questions, and you'll be surprised to find that buskers are sort of just like us.
Eric Garcia was at First and Pine talking to a security guard who was telling him he had to move.
Where are you from?
I'm from Everett.
How long have you been playing music on the street?
For like a year.
How much do you make on an average day?
Fifty bucks.
What's the best way to keep warm when it's cold?
Just keep singing and singing until you're warm.
What song is the best for audience response?
"Wonderwall."
By Oasis?
Yeah.
Do you have another job?
I work as an office assistant.
How many songs do you know?
Fifteen.
How old are you?
Twenty-two.
What's your favorite song?
Well, "Wonderwall" is the moneymaker.
Adam Cullum was in the University District, though he's just visiting from South Carolina.
How long have you been playing music on the streets?
I've probably been doing it 10 years.
How much do you make in an average day?
It depends on the city. In Columbia, South Carolina, I've never really made anything. In Asheville, a lady gave me three apples.
What's the best way to keep warm?
Play music on the street in the summer.
What song is the best song for making money?
One song that almost got me a gig in a bar is that Lifehouse song.
I don't know what that is.
It was a terrible song from the '90s. It went, "I'm falling even more in love with you..." Oh my God, I shouldn't have sung that.
Do you have another job?
Yeah, I deliver lunch on a bicycle.
Do you have a favorite song to play?
"Come On Eileen" is something I usually end up playing.
Do you have advice for other street musicians?
Don't do it for the money.
What are your favorite foods to eat while busking?
Apples.
How old are you?
I'm 30 years old.
How do you feel about people who ignore you?
A little perturbed, but I understand. It's really annoying. It's a pretty annoying thing to do. It's very similar to any other job where you work for tips.
Howlin' Hobbit was on the bridge at Pike Place Market.
How long have you been playing music on the street?
This will be my 28th year at the market.
What's the best way to keep warm?
I finally invested in some longies, but in the wintertime, you're cold.
And you're wearing a fez.
Yes.
Do you always wear the fez?
No, but I have five of them.
Do you get hassled by the police?
As far as being on the streets in Seattle, it's legal. If you're hassled by the police, tell them politely to go fuck themselves.
Do you have another job?
This is enough.
Are you from the Pacific Northwest?
I was born in a little town called Lebanon, Oregon. I've been in here since just before my 19th birthday, and we're a few months before my 54th birthday.
How many songs do you know, would you say?
Sixty-ish.
Do you have advice for other street musicians?
Yeah, you know, listen to your mom.
Yaacov Reuven was in front of the Pike Place Bakery at the Pike Place Market.
How long have you been playing street music?
It's been about six minutes now, but I've got the rest of the hour.
You have an hour?
You get an hour at a time, unless someone's lined up behind you.
So you pay for a license here at the market—how much does that cost?
Thirty dollars—it's amazing!
A year?
Yeah, you might be able to make it back the very same day.
Do you have any memorable encounters that you can recall?
Oh yes, people come up to you sobbing and they say, "Oh my God, you're like a healer!" I do a lot of time capsule–type songs.
But not like "American Pie."
No. Not that that's a bad song—that's like half my hour.
How do you feel about other buskers?
They're few and far between. The rest of them are like some sort of codependents with opportunities to try to make a few shekels for their necessaries, or seemingly so.
Do you have another job?
Actually, I do. I'm an evangelist for kettlebelling.
What is that?
It's a form of exercise.
Pike Place security guard (name withheld)
Do you have an opinion on buskers? Do you find them annoying?
Most I find annoying—their talent varies.
Can you think of a song that you often hear being busked?
[Laughs] Black Sabbath.
What song? Do you know?
No, I do not.
