Yeh cool story. Anyone else like to share some stories?

It's been a year since the original post. Did you start busking clown?

No I have been prcticing and practicing my routine. And I'm still in the market for the Gazzo cups or Paul Fox cups. I just turned fifteen so im still to young in my opinion to start. I might finish highschool first and then go out and try busking.

Haha there was a auction for gazzo cups a week ago on ebay. 400 dollars buyout

[edited] I missed it...ahhh well im sure they'll be more.

This is a really good thread, the best, it really helped me.

I have a story.

One day me and my friend wgere goinh to TRY busking, I started juggling to atract some people, and he was about a football feale away doing a trick to some one. As I was juggling, one of my balls flu into the crowd and hit someone. so at the end of the day he made four bucks, and made two, whitch was from my dad that was walking by as I was juggling.

Now I am going to make a routine and buy some books and go out and do it.

nine pages is alot to read I haven't read it all and I'm sure you have had your ear chewed by a few people already so I won't bother. I do encourage you to lots of research. Use your public library wonderfull resource for great books. That way you can see most of the books you want to purchase before you decide to invest in them for your library. Also check out my review under trick reviews for the Gazzo street cups dvd+book set here http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/vie ... p?t=133335

As well check out a book called \Passing the Hat ( A history of street performing in america)

Clownzippo, I haven't posted here in a while, but after just finishing a busker festival I decided to check back.

It's very commendable that you choose to study for all this time before going out and hitting the bricks, however something I don't think that has been mentioned is that studying isn't going to get you as far as you would think.

The only way that you can truely make a good show, and truely learn the art, is with performance. Your first time out, no matter how knowledgeable you are, you're not going to be great. You're going to find yourself abandoning many ideas you've learned from pros, no matter how much you origonally believed in the theories. All because some things just don't work for everyone.

This year, I was opening with Cellini's Linking Ring routine, and I had done it in the past, however it really wasn't getting the reaction I wanted. Before one show, there were some children around with their families, so I did a spongeball routine, and I then did a fork bending routine for the adults(all on a whim). But because of the great reaction I was getting, and the crowd that was building, I just scrapped the linking rings and starting doing the sponge balls and a mentalism routine to open the show. Did it really suit my show? No. But did it get a crowd? Absolutely.

This is just one of millions of stories where performers have to learn from the street, opposed to what others have told them.



What I said above is by far a well known thing to a street performer, however if you're new(like most people in this forum are), it could help you out of a jam. If I think of any good stories I'll post them, but right now, I've got nothing.

Thank You Matt. And yes I yes ki understand that. The only reason for me not going out and doing it yet is because I think I'm to young and definetly small for my age. i don't wat to risk getting jumped because I'm littel.LOL. Anyways...yeh thanx for the advice.

go with a friend

he could do some juggling or something

i was thinking of that but am still on the edge of deciding to though.

Heh, excuses excuses! This is the biggest problem with busking. No one wants to do it.

No one wants to fail, no one wants to be chewed up by the streets. But frankly there's not a lot you can do. Either go out and try it, or stop. Get a short routine together(about 15 minutes, as a starter), and go out with a juggler or someone. Someone to help attract attention, go into your short show, and try and pass the hat.

I'll go out when I feel I'm ready. Your not the one to tell me that.

Looks like you will never go out then. If you want to wait until you're ready, you never will be ready. When you start busking you will suck, BADLY suck. We all did, but we learned from every bad show and changed the show until we got it right.

You can not learn busking from any book or forum, you have to learn from experience

I know that paddy. Its just I haven't even recieved my cups yet so I haven't even started to practice that routine.