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Originally Posted by O-tacular
Sounds like Stratford has some shitty street performers. Any Great Big Shit covers?
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Yep. Just like everywhere, but there's a slightly higher concentration of them here cashing in on the tourist trade. The bad really do outnumber the good by a wide margin. Like everywhere.
My not all that well-informed impression is that London is probably the best city for street performers out there, just in terms of variety, compelling uniqueness, quality, etc. Paris I assume would be pretty high on the list as well. You don't see very much in the way of street performance in Asian cities; there's a real stigma in Confucian societies about it, it's akin to begging, an intolerable "loss of face." Though you commonly see European/North American artistes on tours of the sidewalks of major Asian cities.
Montreal and Toronto have a lot going on in the streets, as you'd expect. Probably not of the European quantity or calibre, but still, the vibe is up there. I remember when the Peruvian folk troupes were all the rage. They seemed to be everywhere, poncho-clad, tootling on their whistles and flutes. But not so much these days.
So-called busker's festivals have been a big thing in southern Ontario for the last decade or so. Every town and city of any size shuts down its main street for a few days to serve as an outdoor stage for jugglers, fire-breathers, face-painters, hot dog merchants, etc. Apparently the southern Ontario summer buskerfest circuit is a prime destination for Australians and Europeans. They're probably amusing for the kiddies, but when you've been to one, you've been to them all.
In 1969 the members of Can encountered Damo Suzuki busking on the street in Munich, and asked him to join the band after their lead singer quit due to a nervous breakdown. Which is how the world got
Tago Mago.
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Celtic's 16 years old for a while, etc.
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