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Musings of a Madman

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Article: 20060130

A Pain in the Ears

Buskers - what the heck good are they?

If I were to plonk down an old ghetto blaster in the middle of a busy public subway, and start pumping out and singing along to some of my favourite music (such as Static X, American Headcharge, Korn, or Iron Butterfly) I'd be treated, quite rightly, with contempt and carted off by the local constabulary for creating a nuisance.  How come, then - and I ask this quite sincerely - when some drunkard sets up his mini Marshall-and starts his fiddle squealing, or some bint starts warbling away to the strains of Carmen on a tinny CD I'm supposed to walk by, smile sweetly, and donate a few coins for the privilege of having my eardrums assaulted?

Don't get me wrong - my musical tastes are far more wide-ranging than any of the examples given above, and my CD collection encompasses all of it and more.  I'm quite eclectic in my tastes.  I have nothing against Carmen.  I'm quite fond of Irish fiddle music.  But I want to hear them at a time of my choosing, when I'm in the appropriate mood.  I don't want to be confronted with someone else's insistent performance to a captive audience when all I'm trying to do is get from A to B with the least disruption or discomfort for myself or anyone else around me.  There's enough hustle and bustle in city life to keep us occupied, without having unwanted "entertainment" shoved down our lug-holes.

London Underground have a policy of overtly discouraging begging and donating to beggars, yet at the same time they collaborate with Carling brand lager to sponsor "licenced" buskers.  I simply cannot grasp the logic.  To be perfectly frank, provided they don't offer menaces, I find beggars to be far less of a nuisance or intrusion on a peaceful journey than buskers ever are.  At least beggars are honest.  At least they're not deluding themselves into believing that they're offering commuters some kind of "service" when all they're doing is, in truth, making the journey more uncomfortable for the majority.  And by and large they have the courtesy to say "please" and "thank you", and not to assault us with unavoidable noise in an enclosed space.

If I had to be confronted by someone, though, I'd prefer it to be an accredited Big Issue vendor.  Those guys I have nothing but sympathy for.