Where in the world am I today?: Ketchikan, AK, USA on my way back to North Vancouver
In the last week I’ve watched the Documentary Film “Buskers – For Love or Money” a couple of times. This may in part be because I was working aboard the GOLDEN Princess and had lots of time on my hands, but I think it’s also because I’m a huge fan of trying to capture moments from the world of street theatre on either video or in still photos myself. In my case this has been accomplished by getting people to come and perform at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver and recording their shows there.
Mad Chad Taylor took a different approach on gathering footage. Instead of getting people to come to him, he went to some of the most famous street performance pitches around the world and captured many of the legends of the street in action both on stage as well as behind the scenes. Chad’s piece is a window into the world of street performing and street performers. A collage of images, experiences and stories from some of the most well respected street performers from around the world – from Amsterdam to San Francisco, Key West to Halifax and as far afield as Japan and New Zealand.
I struggled a bit after my first viewing to find the thread that held the piece together. A story line that moved the footage forward because on first viewing I didn’t really find one. I think that’s why I ended up going back and watching the piece again. The film opens on Venice Beach with Tony Vera ‘The Fireman’ setting up his show and ends with a shot of Tony walking away from the pitch after a day of work… Everything in between captures the characters, the lifestyle, the challenges and the joys of what it is to be a street performer. It’s not the story of any one performer, it’s not the story of any one street performing pitch, it’s a snap of venues around the world and many of the unique performers from around the world who can take a street corner and turn it into a stage.
I love that this documentary exists because it brings together so many of the members of this often dysfunctional family into a sixty minute film. Some of the performers featured aren’t doing street shows any longer, so to have footage of their shows and see their impact on this world is a pretty great gift.
Recommended viewing for anyone who’s a fan of the art form.
