PalQ

Part of the excitement of Europe to me is the street buskers that you see practically in any place with crowds. Some are accomplished musicians, some not so accomplished, acrobats, jugglers, mimes, bagpipers dressed in kilts and, in recent years, a plague of human statues, all painted up to look like a statue as they stand motionless on a platform, only moving when someone throws some coins in their hat - but it's the weirder ones that stick out in my mind:

--the human dart board in front of the Pompidou Center in Paris - this man with a very ample girth had folks throw darts into his bare bulging stomach

--the pianist in Avignon - OK not so extraordinary except he claimed to have pedaled his piano/bicycle all the way there from Geneva - he had rigged up a piano on a bicycle
--and last December in Lincoln, UK, a bearded plump old guy in a Santa hat singing Christmas tunes with two dogs, one of which was trained to yelp a few times at the end of each song.

Have you witnessed any bizarre street entertainment?

suze

not bizzare but memorable-

*an edgy fire dance duo in Leidseplein square A'dam

*a frozen bride human statue that came to life on occasion in Latin Quarter Paris

eliztrav

Not weird, but we loved it. In London, Covent Garden shopping area close to Lush, a young guy in jeans with a boom box as accompaniment and another box for contributions, sang "O sole mio" and "Nessun dorma," to great applause by those hanging around in the area. And, from what I could see, lots of appreciative contributions!

Travelnut

...the 'Ninja' street entertainer that 'terrorized' all the tourists on the steps at Sacre Coeur. My face hurt very badly from an afternoon of laughter at this guy's antics, miming/mimicking the local 'flics', getting in/out of taxis, lying on the ground in front of the street cleaners, and sneaking up behind Japanese girls, who giggled and screamed as they scattered. Haven't seen him since 1999...

Poohgirl

In Montpelier, France, I remember a guy dressed in what looked to me like 1700's outfit. He had two cats who did tricks. Since the only cat trick I could do was to get my cat, the late, great Linus, to come when I called, I was pretty impressed.

cocofromdijon

I would love to see Julian Beever drawing on Dijon pavements!
http://www.rense.com/general67/street.htm
or
http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm
very impressive!

fritzrl

Again, not weird, but forever memorable:

In Dresden on the promenade, a young woman in pony tail and ski jacket, playing unaccompanied Bach on her violin -- astoundingly well done, too.

In Berlin, a clarinetist with a boom-box for accompaniment. He played a slow movemement from a Mozart clarinet concerto so sensitively and insightfully as to make me weep.

In neither case did these musicians draw a crowd. But the few of us who stopped in our travels to listen for a while were totally absorbed in what we were hearing.

Fritzl

suec1

Travelnut - I saw a performer like you described (mimicing passerbys) in the Piazza Nuvona in Rome. I actually saw him about four times on various visits to Rome in the late '90s. He would come around 9 pm, his face was painted white and eventually he would draw a huge crowd. I was happy to give him a few Euros's - the only performer I ever felt inclined to do so. On my last visit I went expectantly to see him and was disappointed that he did not appear. I tried asking the waiters in the cafes around the Piazza Nuvona about him but they were no help. Watching him mimic the tourists, esp. the women with their purses clutched tightly, was about the hardest I have ever laughed!

PalQ

Yes, just because they're busking doesn't mean they are not accomplished musicians using their talents to supplement their incomes and doing something they probably like. I read that Rod Stewart regularly played in the London tube!

Indygirl2

I was pretty astounded by the 10-piece string ensemble that I encountered in Place de Sorbonne in Paris. They seemed pretty ambitious as far as street buskers go, just because of the sheer size of their group.

Another memorable encounter for me was a guitarist in the London Tube playing "Here Comes the Sun." It was my last night in London and I'd gone there by myself (my first solo trip I might add) to get over a bit of heartbreak. The song put a smile on my face and was a fitting end to a wonderful trip. Now, everytime I hear it, I smile and remember that moment.

rex

I have to agree with covent Garden - - not bizarre - - just very, very memorable (i.e., very high quality, entertaining, talented musicians).

Likewise, Luebeck, though I no longer remember precisely where.

Best wishes,

Rex

kbrennan

On a corner in Milan, an old man with a boom box, singing great opera pieces (sort of like opera karaoke!) and in Venice, a man playing classical pieces by spinning his finger around the tops of water-filled crystal (is there a name for this?) You should have heard how this sounded - it echoed and echoed thru the narrow walkways!

fun4all4

Much like travelnut and suec1, my husband and I spent an entire lunch sitting in the Campo in Siena watching a performer make a show out of "teasing" unsuspecting tourists. We were laughing so hard there were tears in our eyes along with everyone else in the area. One of the few times I have ever wholeheartedly donated several euros for a street performance.
He attached a leash to a belt loop, spritzed water over heads, and more....ok, it was really funny at the time!

Another favorite was in NYC when some guys with boom boxes performed amazing acrobatics....their instructions: "Kids don't try this at home. We are professionals. That is why we work on the streets." My kids burst out laughing.

Lots of good memories!

Citylghts

I recall two teenage girls on the Paris Metro who performed "Those Were The Days." One played the flute pretty well. The other schlepped a boom box that had a taped accompaniment and played tambourine. She couldn't have looked less interested while she did it.

I always regret not asking the flutist if she gave the tambourine player an equal share of the take and if mom forced her to take her sister.

Intrepid1

..and as the pickpockets swirled around the folks totally engrossed in the entertainment...

PalQ

I wonder if the performers get a share of the pickpocketing! But Intrepid makes a serious point, intended or not, that these types of crowds with distracting entertainers could be a pickpocket's haven.

willit

I believe many of the classical buskers at Covent garden are students at the Royal academy and other prestigious music schools.

They are generally very good, but do tend to play a very small repertoire - a sort of "Greatest classical hits in the world ever compilation CD" music - presumably because most people have heard bits of the Four Seasons, so are more inclined to give money.

A group of street performers in Winchester included a 300lb man requesting money for NOT stripping !

ehughes

This was a horror to me as an animal lover. I saw a scruffy man on the Rue de la Huchette in Paris last year begging for money with at least 15 dogs and cats on leashes. Those poor animals, especially the cats. The whole thing broke my heart.

On the same street there was a man doing nothing much with toothpicks which was pretty strange. But that street is strange anyway.

SeaUrchin

In Russia there was a musician with a monkey who would grab women's crotches (can I say that?)

StCirq

How about the guy who's always outside the Galleries Lafayette with the little bed and the drugged-looking puppy and kitten lying together in it? I always want to smack him!