The street performer best known as the Naked Cowboy has thrown his cowboy hat into the ring for Mayor of NYC.“Today, I would like to announce that I am entering the race for the office of the Mayor of New York City. Why? Well, right now this city can’t afford wasteful spending. What we really need is smarter spending. Folks come up to me every day and tell me they’ve lost their life-savings, that their small businesses are barely getting by. And small businesses are the key to getting this city back on its feet. So we need initiatives that help put them on the right track. But the city can't afford to back an 18-wheeler full of money into every problem. It’s time to tighten the belt, but of course that’s just a saying because I don’t even wear a belt. But that’s my point – I don’t need a belt. I don’t need the ...

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(LONDON) The story of busker James Bowen and his cat Bob has snowballed into an impressive miracle.
Reported here on Busker Central in November of 2012, the story was first picked up by the London press and spread around the world. The result is selling over 300,000 books and now a feature length sequel.

You can view the high-fiving feline in the inspiring film now streaming on various platforms including the free Tubi.

Played by actor James Treadaway, Bowen and the friendly orange tabby live on forever in film and lore.

There is a sad note concerning James the busker. Somehow, he is about to be homeless once again. Why? Bob the cat is no longer with us pushing James back into the world of drugs and, understandably, depression.

Click the link below for the debut film "A street cat named Bob"....

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(WWW) It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival around the world. Try not to get hit in the head with a coconut when yelling "Throw me something, mister!".

'Songs in the streets of life: Celebrating the long history of buskers in New Orleans' is an lengthy article showcasing New Orlean's busking & street performing. New Orleans, LouisianA (NOLA) has been around for over 300 years in the "new world". It's history is both enlightening and pitch dark so we'll focus on performance.

The famous French Quarter makes New Orleans second to none when it comes to busking and street performing.

Jackson Square and Royal street are the two main areas of performing. One street north is Bourbon which is out of the question for most buskers. It has an open-container policy...the first in the US....

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(WWW) Before the advent of the internet, buskers had to figure out which songs were popular enough to perform in public. Now, we can simply surf the net and and learn in a matter of seconds.Of course, sprinkling the list with an original here and there is always an option. But it all depends on the pitch and audience. Some songs are drunken sing-alongs and others are thoughtful hits. One thing most have in common is a upbeat rhythm.

Two lists we've found cover the "best" songs to play. One list has 31 recommendations and the other has a top 7.


TOP 7:

1. Friends in low places
2. Summer of '69
3. Sweet Caroline
4. 3a.m.
5. When I come around
6. Free Fallin'
7. Livin' on a Prayer

These are mostly 1990's songs that tend to go over well. However, the seasoned busker will have at least one song by the Beatles...

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A new coffee-table book for lovers of Venice Beach Street Performers has just been released.

In case you don't know, Venice Beach is the second most visited tourist area in Southern California with Disneyland being the first.

The writers of the book evidently found a guy who passed the 30 year mark. He was performing when most of today's self-proclaimed "king of the street performers" were still in diapers.

Also included is a humorous story from Mad Chad Taylor on how he first started juggling chainsaws thanks to some goofy commercial maker.

The book includes some killer photos...

Check it out