WHAT IS THE BUSKER METRO SYSTEM? Playing in the Metro is free, and anyone can play. Certain metro’s have a blue symbol of a harp to signify a busking location, and anyone that desires to play must come early in the morning (5:30 at some spots) and place their name on a daily list. Time slots are worked out on a first come first serve basis, except at Berri UQuam where people convene at 11 pm to have a lottery for the following day. Will says that high traffic connector hubs like Jean Talon, Berri Uqam, and Snowdown are most competitive, and in the past there have been some cases of spot stealing. Gregoire the Stilts Man was a key instigator in organizing to gain legal recognition. Watch my video with him for the full story. It was a struggle for legal recognition and cultural power. Previous to 1983, playing music in the metro’s was illegal, and fines began at one hundred dollars. Gregoire was one of the few that still played illegally, but he was fined three times, totalling sixteen hundred dollars. In 1983 Gregoire helped establish l’Association des musiciens indépendants du metro to overturn the law against playing any instruments in the metros. After overturning the law in court, there was still a number of legal issues to be worked out with the STM police. The blue signs were set up, noise levels were set, and panhandlers had to be continually turned away for causing disturbances. For a long time there was no clear distinction between busker and panhandler because there was no organized system. Indeed, continual bureaucratic ranglings made it a very unstable organization, and it folded a few months later. In 2009, le Regroupement des musiciens du métro de Montreal was formed as a non profit organization who’s mandate is to “represent and fight for the rights of Montreal metro buskers”. After talking to some buskers about it, the general consensus was positive. “Having an organization will bring respect to musicians that play in the metro,” said one of the buskers. “[With auditions implemented] there would be a certain standard that would weed out the few people that think by picking up a guitar, it would be another way to squeeze money out of people.” said Ivan the Saxophonist. Gregoire, Francoise and Will were in full support of such a move, while Greg disagreed, believing in the anarchic spirit of busking. The hope was that organizing under one name would provide legitimacy, and hopefully improve public perception. The group held auditions in spring 2010. Of an estimated 300 or more musicians who play in the metro yearly, 165 auditioned and passed. Now more than 120 buskers have photo ID permits after paying $80 in fees. However, membership only ensure’s soft power over time slots. A heated debate ensued around this time over the issue who could play at the metro, and whether it was right to put restrictions. The debate was summarized succinctly by John Kerkhoven, who passed the auditions but will symbolically refuse the badge. “Part of what gives the metro its energy and interest is that you have all types of people who come and play. It’s all part of the dynamism and vitality of it,” Kerkhoven says, adding that the new system is creating an environment that’s closed and rigid.[i] BUSKER CODE I) GET YOUR ALIAS There certainly is an unspoken code in the busking world. The most pervasive one is the Alias, often directly connected to your instrument of choice. Will was tutored by Gregoire, but even though they had numerous interactions they never exchanged real names. Will was the Piano Man, and the Stilt guy was always the Stilt Guy. Will went on to say that he knows all the other metro buskers, but refers to them only by their alias. Greg is The Slide Guitar man, and Francoise is the Boat Guy. Despite this apparent social wall, many of them are friends outside of busking. I talked to Will the day after his birthday, and at his birthday party the previous night he said there were a number of buskers in attendance. Gregoire is aware of a lot of the buskers, and feels great solidarity for them, but does not socialize with any other performers. Certainly there is a shared solidarity in anonymity between the performers, and some like Gregoire the Stilts guy are very engaged in the bohemian underground community. He says he is busy working contract jobs when he’s not busking as the STILTS GUY. II) RESPECT YOUR COMMUNITY It is also customary to tip whenever you encounter another busker, especially during the turn rotation process. There is a shared solidarity in living on the margins of society and cherishing every penny earned. There are also unwritten rules about the sign up system. First of all, you are only allowed to play the same spot once in a day. The first person to reach a location starts a time list for the day. Will tells me that crossing names or flipping time slots has been an issue in the past, and how if someone is caught doing it they are not allowed to play for a week. [i] Joanne Penhale. “Subway Dues and Blues”. http://www.montrealmirror.com/2010/062410/news1.html . Accessed on March 20th, 2012.

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Business cards Here are two business cards from buskers around town. In fact, every musician i talked to had a card to share with me. This is evidence that busking is taken very seriously by most Montrealers

examples of busker videos examples of busker videos In October 2008 Julian Cope and the Black Sheep went on a three day busking tour of Britain, taking in 11 overlooked sites of historical significance. The tour was filmed, and is now due to be released as a documentary titled Revolution Blues. The forgotten historical locations visited by the busking clan included the site of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, the Carl Jung statue in Liverpool and the place Eddie Cochrane died.

assyrians image Music has had latent cultural importance since the dawn of man. Here we see Assyrians playing their hand crafted instruments

BUSKERS IN THE MIDDLE AGES Here are two minstrels, dating roughly form the thirteenth century. Dressed in traditional garments (bright, flashy colours and always with a hat). On the right hand side the man is playing a lute; an early version of the guitar. Check them out here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lute). The man on the left hand side is playing two wooden flutes, probably Tabor pipes (http://www.wood-n-bone.co.nz/musical_instruments.html)