58 comments on “Wordless Wednesday: Subterranean Blues”

  1. Sometimes, it’s not what they want to do as much as it’s what they have to do. If they’re unemplyed or have just left a job they were unhappy with then this is what they probably have to do. It’s hard because some do it to get noticed by big record producers except they don’t travel by subway. Of course, I’m talking about New York.
    Thought provoking WW …

  4. It’s amazing how they can bring a smile to people’s faces but loads don’t at least acknowledge them even if to show them their smile. It can lift the mood of commuters who’d ordinarily walk around stormy faced. Love it when I hear a harmonica, not many people play them so it’s quite rare. But only when played well!

    • Yes, music does have a cheering effect on people, but you still get the stony-faced people who find it impossible to crack a smile. 😦 I find this when I’m playing the piano. I want to go and tickle some of them, just to make them smile. 😆

  5. buskers do look lonely sometimes ad, others seem perfectly content and lost in their music … a funny thing to do … one of my sons did it too about 20 years ago 🙂

      • I love how British English can be so different from American English. Bonnet for hood, lorry for truck, boot for trunk, etc. Busker is a word I’ve never heard used in America! 🙂

  8. I read somewhere that those London buskers are now licensed for their spots as there is so much competition with all the unemployment 😦

  10. I am so glad for this post! A gentle reminder to me to appreciate anyone who gives music to the world. Thank you, my dear friend.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.”
    ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of

  11. I love the buskers when they fill the streets and underground with music! I remember when I lived in London there was this amazing busker with his saxophone 🙂
    Great post!

    • He didn’t look or sound very enthusiastic about what he was doing. I guess he was feeling quite disheartened, and I felt sorry for him.

  14. I deal with buskers weekly for 6 months of the year and my experience is they love what they do and for the most part are very happy to be entertaining… having said that the buskers I interact with don’t use busking as a form of employment which makes a huge difference.

    • I agree with you that musicians love to entertain people, and I’m one of these, but I think people react differently to paid entertainers than they do to buskers who are asking for donations. I always give them something, but most people hurry past and don’t make eye contact, probably because they feel guilty about not giving anything.

      • Sadly you are correct…paid entertainers are just that, respected entertainers while a street busker is often seen as begging…I like to think of it as payment in the amount of how ever much I choose, for their time and music. The buskers I coordinate are at a Farmers’ Market, were they are highly respected and very well tipped…a few of these people busk on the street as well…I do think there is a difference in peoples feelings when it comes to the Market buskers and “street” buskers…I like to think, live and let live… 🙂

  15. It would be wonderful if we could have them here, but I’m afraid there’s too much crime and they would be robbed. We used to have two mimes near the Dome at one time. I loved them!

    • I agree with you, adee. It wouldn’t work well here, not these days. My teenage son used to play his guitar at a flea market, about 20 years ago when he was still at school. He had quite a following, especially the young women, and he always came home with a sackful of coins. 😀

  18. I love hearing people sing or play a music instrument in the underground. 🙂 Sometimes they do look cold and lonely. Hugs Paula. Xxx

    • Me too, Paula. This guy in my photo had an air of desperation about him. He smiled though, when I dropped money into his box. 🙂

      • So many walk by. Mainly because their in a rush. So, when someone stops, it must make their day. Go you for taking the time to stop! Xxxx

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