Every city has its street performers. In Madison, it's mostly musicians, maybe an artist making some cool paintings with spray paint, and maybe and occasional poetry reader or other. In Chicago (at least during the winter downtown), I've also really only seen musicians, and mostly in the Red and Blue Line stations. San Francisco, however, has much nicer weather in the winter, and a much wider variety of performers downtown and in the other high-traffic areas, such as Fisherman's Wharf, and the cable car turnarounds where people are inevitably waiting in line.
So, a quick review of some fascinating performances I saw on my walkabout.
The World Famous Bushman
Guy hides behind some branches, scares unsuspecting passers by, and it's hilariously entertaining. I wasn't scared by this guy (I kinda knew he existed), and I noticed his setup and watched someone in front of me get scared good, and he was highly entertained and tipped the performer well. And after walking past him, I set up just leaning against a construction fence, looking at a map of the wharf all tourist-like, and watched him work for several minutes. What surprised me most is that people in sight of the gag are so into their own little world that, by the time they reach the Bushman, he can startle them just as much as people who just walked by. So the rate at which I was entertained: surprisingly high. And yes, I definitely tipped him for some of most innocent fun I've had in a while. |
| This lady clearly suspected something. She was not a subject of his prank. |
Escape Man
So, there we all were, waiting in line for a cable car at the Hyde Street turnaround. Listening to a guy sing what sounded like a Neil Young cover of Hotel California, and taking in the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the late-afternoon sun-kissed Marin Headlands. And then we saw a guy chain another guy in a straight-jacket and a Mexican wrestler mask to a lamp post. Where he waited. Apparently he also like to soak in the music of this odd street musician.
Little did we know, that this interestingly accessorized fellow was ESCAPE MAN.
I was nervous that he wasn't going to perform his act before I boarded a cable car, or that someone had to offer to tip him to get the show started. Turns out that he was just waiting for Neil's set break. "And now for something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!" he announced in a dramatic voice. And then... well, I have a video, but its orientation is all wrong and I need to get it back to my real computer so I can fix it. *DRAMA AND SUSPENSE!* I will say, that this guy also deserved the tips he earned passing around the hat.
Steel Drum Band and Elmo for No Reason
At Fisherman's Wharf, right at Pier 45. The band was great. Elmo just waved at passers by and did not appear to be collecting tips of any kind, even for photo ops. Also, he had a denim purse.
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