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This Episode proudly sponsored by:

 The Lawrence Busker Festival

 

Going into it’s 7th year, the Lawrence Busker Festival in Lawrence Kansas is one of the largest gatherings of street performers in the United States. The 2014 Festival runs August 22 – 24 and as it says on their website, it’s three days of family fun with some of the most talented freaks, geeks, artists and musicians around. Find out more about the festival at – Lawrencebuskerfest.com and HUGE thanks to them for sponsoring this episode!

Episode Notes:

* Interview by: Magic Brian

* Interviewee: Charlie Caper

* Original Recording Date: July 9, 2013

* Date: Aired: December 25, 2013

* Location: Charlie’s apartment in Stockholm, Sweden.

* Music:

* Intro: “Vino” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Other Music: “Cascade” by Tim Sars as played by The Carnival Band

* Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: When you get enough performers assembled at a festival all trying to work in a contained area where shows are almost on top of each other, it can become a bit of a contest as to who is going to be able to hold their crowd. This is the story of Charlie Caper’s first visit to Edinburgh and his Jedi-like mastery of his crowd and the pitch dynamics.

And thanks again to The Lawrence Buskers Festival for sponsoring this episode!

Find out more about Sponsoring this Podcast by emailing [email protected].

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Episode Notes:

* Content pulled from conversations with: Robert Nelson, Alan Plotkin, David Aiken, Henrik Bothe, Woody Keppel, Linsey Lindberg, Chad Taylor, Al Millar, Glenn Singer, Rob Torres, Amy Saunders, Joe Cobden and Gazzo

* Original Recording Dates/Locations (in chronological as clips appear in this episode):

* Prologue

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Alan Plotkin at the 1997 Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival • “…I’m ready to snap!”

* Robert Nelson with David Aiken, Henrik Bothe & Woody Keppel – October 28, 2011 (Pahoa, Hawaii/North Vancouver, BC Canada) • “Biggest Laugh…”

* Act 1 – Shows To Remember!

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Chad Taylor at the 2001 Windsor Buskers Festival • “In a Parking Lot in Windsor…”

* Robert Nelson with Linsey Lindberg –  February 16, 2012 (Pahoa, HI, USA/Austin, TX, USA) • “ABACs Bad Ass Cowboys”

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Chad Taylor at the 2001 Windsor Buskers Festival • “At This Point In My Career”

* Robert Nelson with Glenn Singer – January 11, 2013 (Pahoa, HI, USA/Lewisburg, WV, USA) • “The Church Show in Halifax”

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Chad Taylor at the 2001 Windsor Buskers Festival • “My Former Friend Gazzo”

* Robert Nelson with Al Millar – November 28, 2011 (Pahoa, HI, USA/Boston, MA, USA) • “Crowd Wars With Gazzo”

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Chad Taylor at the 2001 Windsor Buskers Festival • “I’m On Probation”

* Robert Nelson with Linsey Lindberg –  February 16, 2012 (Pahoa, HI, USA/Austin, TX, USA) • “Performing At A Bible School”

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Alan Plotkin at the 1997 Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival • “The Original Juggling Act!”

* Act 2 – On The Subject Of Where One’s Material Comes From…

* Robert Nelson with Chad Taylor from a video recording captured by Chad Taylor at the 2001 Windsor Buskers Festival • “Where Does Your Material Come From…”

* Robert Nelson with Rob Torres – January 29, 2012 (Pahoa, HI, USA/the Estudio Busqueda de Pantomima in Guanajuato, Mexico) • “Old Man Story”

* Robert Nelson from a video recording captured by Alan Plotkin at Butterfly Acres in Pahoa, HI, USA,

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Episode Notes:

* Interview by: Mike Wood

* Interviewees: The Silly People – Phil LeConte and Colin Franks

* Original Recording Dates: Phil LeConte: August 28, 2012 • Colin Franks: December 31, 2012

* Date: Aired: June 15, 2013

* Locations: Phil – Face to Face in Mike Wood’s Kitchen in London, England.

Colin – Face to Face in Phil LeConte’s Kitchen in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

* Music:

* Intro: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Opening Music: “Look at Me” by .357 Lover.

* Closing Music: “Thank You” from .357 Lover’s ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording.

* Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian, Linsey Lindberg and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: The Silly People are Phil Leconte and Colin Franks two guys who take ‘not caring’ to an entirely new level. Though, truth be told, it’s how much they care about ‘not caring’ and how much their audiences buy into the sarcastic cynicism that they present that sets them apart from other acts on the circuit. The fact that both are incredibly good poker players also makes them a force to be reckoned with.

With out question, these two paid their dues, working as balloon twisters before morphing into a dynamic comedic duo with a very unique show and style. The fact that they weren’t ‘like’ anyone else made it easy for an older generation to mentor them and help shape their show and success.

Their’s isn’t a show that’s built upon the classic techniques of getting up on something high, or juggling dangerous objects (though they could have easily done either). Instead, they use the street as a venue to push the boundaries of humor all the while making a concerted effort to make each other laugh.

Wanna hear more from the Silly People? Check out this interview from CBC’s Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean!

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Episode Notes:

* Content pulled from conversations with: Robert Nelson, David Aiken, Henrik Bothe, Woody Keppel, Kim Potter, Amy Saunders, Eric Amber, Pete Sweet, Mike Wood, Jeff Moche, Linsey Lindberg, Baffle-o Bill Smith, Dan Menendez, Nick Nickolas, Jason Billows, Robin Chestnut, Al Millar, Kumi Nelson, Dave Altman, Brian Hulse, Ted Killmer and Haggis McCloud.

* Original Recording Dates/Locations (in chronological as clips appear in this episode):

* Prologue

* Robert Nelson with David Aiken, Henrik Bothe & Woody Keppel – October 28, 2011 (Pahoa, Hawaii/North Vancouver, BC Canada) • “Is it Bald and Tattooed in here or is it just me?” & “Oh Butterfly, Your So Funny”

* Robert Nelson with Kim Potter – January 11, 2012 (Pahoa, Hawaii/Martinborough, New Zealand) • “It’s been a great life…”

* Stage 1 – Remembering the Legend

* Amy Saunders – September 7, 2012 (London, England) • “Wake for Robert”

* Eric Amber with David Aiken – November 23, 2012 (Calgary, AB, Canada/North Vancouver, BC, Canada) • “Tattoo, Toothbrush & Guest Bathroom”

* Mike Wood with Pete Sweet – September 12, 2012 (London, England) • “Robert and Jason Garfield”

* David Aiken with Jeff Moche – October 29, 2012 (North Vancouver, BC, Canada) • “Who is this guy?”

* Robert Nelson with Linsey Linberg – February 16, 2012 (Pahoa, Hawaii/ Austin, TX, USA) • “Character”

* Baffle-o Bill Smith – May 14, 2013 (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) • “Any Adverse Reactions?”

* Robert Nelson with Linsey Linberg – February 16, 2012 (Pahoa, Hawaii/ Austin, TX, USA) • “Character”

* Dan Menendez – September 12, 2012 (Saint Jose, CA,

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Episode Notes:

* Content pulled from conversations with: Pee Wee Murray, David Aiken, Brian Hulse, Robert Nelson, Henrik Bothe, Woodhead, Dave Rave, Fritz Brehm, Dave Altman, Linsey Lindberg.

* Original Recording Dates:

* Peewee Murray and David Aiken: August 28, 2012

* Brian Hulse with Robert Nelson: November 25, 2011

* David Aiken, Henrik Bothe and Woodhead with Robert Nelson: October 28, 2011

* Dave Rave and Fritz Brehm with Robert Nelson: November 1, 2011

* Dave Altman with Robert Nelson: December 2, 2011

* Linsey Lindberg conversations: February 16 & 17, 2012

* Date: Aired: April 1, 2013

* Locations:

* Robert Nelson: Butterfly Acres, Pahoa, Hi, USA

* Peewee Murray: Bristol, England

* David Aiken: Toronto, ON, Canada

* Brian Hulse: Ashiya, Japan

* David Aiken/Henrik Bothe/Woodhead: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

* Dave Rave and Fritz Brehm: Butterfly Acres, Pahoa, HI, USA

* Dave Altman: Atlanta, GA, USA

* Linsey Lindberg: Austin, TX, USA

* Music used in this Podcast:

* Robert’s Intro Theme Music: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Additional Music: “Organordion Waltz” & “When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD.

* Mixed and edited by: Linsey Lindberg and David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: On August 27, 2012, the Busking World lost one of it’s GREATS when Robert Nelson, the legendary ‘Butterfly Man,’ passed away in his home in Pahoa, Hawaii. Whether you knew him or not, whether you loved him or hated him, whether you got to see him live or only on video, his personality, his performances and his legendary stories have become intrinsically woven into the rich tapestry that is the world of Street Theatre.

The Stories from the Pitch podcast was in part conceived as a way to get Robert Nelson to record some of his amazing stories while he was still with us. Though we didn’t really know what we were doing, we set out on this journey at the end of October 2011 and captured hours of conversations in which Robert ‘interviewed’ people via Skype and in person. The wonderful thing about most of these ‘interviews’ is that Robert was inevitably reminded about stories from his own life which he was more than happy to share with the person he was interviewing....

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Episode Notes:

* Interview by: Mike Wood

* Interviewee: Jeff Achtem

* Original Recording Date: August 26, 2012

* Date: Aired: March 16, 2013

* Location: Face to Face at Eliot’s” in the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland

* Music used in this Podcast:

* Intro/Extro Theme Music: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Additional Music: “Swamp Juice” as pulled from the YouTube promo video for Jeff’s Show Swamp Juice.

* Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: Jeff Achtem learned how to juggle, travelled the world playing the streets with a golf bag that carried his slack rope rig, sought out clown masters to study with so he could articulate to himself what it was he was doing, has immersed himself in the study of the cinematic language and is now cobbling everything together into a hybrid of all of his experiences in his highly inventive world of shadow puppet theatre. Oh, and then there’s the story of the bleeding Austin Powerses…

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Episode Notes:

* Interviews by: David Aiken and Linsey Lindberg

* Interviewees: Ted Killmer & Richard Renner

* Original Recording Dates:

* With Ted Killmer:

* January 10, 2012

* May 10, 2012

* May 18, 2012

* June 14, 2012

* With Richard Renner:

* November 12, 2012

* Date: Aired: December 18, 2012

* Locations:

* Ted: Danbury, Connecticut, USA

* David: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

* Linsey and Richard: Austin, TX, USA

* Music used in this Podcast: 

* Robert’s Intro: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* David’s Voice Over BGM:  “Fifth Avenue Stroll” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Interspersed Jingle/Closing Music: “Delancey Street Rag” as played by Natalia Paruz on her ‘I Saw the Future‘ recording available on iTunes.

* Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: Two producers, two interviewers, two different events, so many shared perspectives. For Episode 23 of the Stories from the Pitch podcast David Aiken connects with the producer of the New York Busker’s Fare from 1993 – 1997, Ted Killmer and Linsey Lindberg connects with Richard Renner who has been producing The Buskers Festival in Lawrence, Kansas since 2008.

This episode is a bit of a departure for the Stories from the Pitch Podcast because we took two separate conversations and mashed them together. We did this because we wanted to point out to performers that busking festivals don’t just happen. There’s a huge amount of love and sweat equity that drive these events and we wanted to get inside the heads of two guys who have chosen to do it, not for money, but for a love of the art form.

Though the New York Busker Fare ended after the 1997 Festival, Ted Killmer has since gone on to engage the street arts at the Belmont Stakes (Horse Race Track), Hokum Hall (Seattle), The Salt Lake City Arts Festival (Utah), and is now producing the First Night Festival in Danbury, Connecticut. The New York Buskers Fare remains as one of Ted’s greatest accomplishment so as a special bonus, Ted has contributed PDF versions of the Annual Reports from the 1993 – 1997 Festivals which read like a who’s who of the street scene at the time.

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Episode Notes:

* Interview by: John Fealey

* Interviewee: Linsey Lindberg (Mama Lou)

* Original Recording Date: November 1, 2012

* Date: Aired: November 15, 2012

* Location: Austin, TX, USA

* Music used in this Podcast:

* Busker HOF Intro: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* Additional Music: “Rockabilly Beatz and Vera” by: Linsey Lindberg

* Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: Linsey Lindberg has spent years crafting her Mama Lou strong woman character and and has the scars to prove it – both physically and emotionally. It’s not easy crushing an apple with your bicep, or bending a steel rod with your bare hands or ripping a phonebook in two with sheer might, but these are all a part of Mama Lou’s act and she does all of these classic feats of strength legitimately. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but with greater risk, comes greater reward, and this is certainly the case in a career that continues to grow and flourish.

One of the earliest supports of the Stories from the Pitch podcast, Linsey eventually became our co-producer. The determination she’s shown in bringing an original concept to life in her street show is no less prevalent in the work she does for the Busker Hall of Fame.

The intimacy captured in this recording is a really nice testament to the notion that vulnerability does not equate to weakness, it in fact equates to courage and Linsey Lindberg has that in spades.

—-

As mentioned at the end of the Podcast, we’ve set up a number for people to call and share a memory they have about Robert Nelson for a tribute episode that we’re hoping to put together before the end of the year. The number to call is:

+1-416-613-0003

We’ve also released Free Downloadable ring tones crafted from classic moments from our catalogue of episodes. Swing by the Ring Tones page and download to your heart’s content and while you’re there, leave a comment and let us know what you think.

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Episode Notes:

* Interview by: Mike Wood

* Interviewee: Mat Ricardo

* Original Recording Date: September 11, 2012

* Date: Aired: November 1, 2012

* Location:  Shoreditch House, London

* Music used in this Podcast: 

* Robert’s Intro: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* “Side by Side” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD.

* “The Entertainer” as played by Hokum W Jeebs on his Piano ala Cart CD.

* Mixed and edited by: David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: Mat Ricardo is the very definition of a Gentleman Juggler. Starting out as a street performer at Covent Garden in the late 80s, Mat is now a fixture on London’s flourishing Cabaret Scene. He is the producer and host of Mat Ricardo’s London Varieties (which has its own fantastic podcast)

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mat-ricardos-london-varieties/id496063288

Mike and Mat sat down for a couple drinks at Shoreditch House in London and got their natter on. What didn’t make it to the recording is how much food they ate afterward, and how many miles Mat jogged the following week in an effort to work off his caramel parfait.

Check out Mat’s photography here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matricardo/sets/

As mentioned in the Podcast, we’ve set up a number for people to call and share a memory they have about Robert Nelson for a tribute episode that we’re hoping to put together before the end of the year. The number to call is:

+1-416-613-0003

 

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Episode Notes:

* Interview by: Linsey Lindberg

* Interviewee: John Fealey

* Original Recording Date:  March 25, 2012

* Date: Aired: October 15, 2012

* Locations: Recorded via Skype between Linsey: Austin Texas and John: Liverpool, England

* Music used in this Podcast: 

* Busker HOF Intro: “Pendulum” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.

* “Bring Me Sunshine” and “King of the Road” by Skiffledisco

* Mixed and edited by: Linsey Lindberg and David Aiken for the Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: John Fealey has been ‘off the radar’ for the better part of his career. His brilliance as a performer and director have lead event producers to seek him out and provide 100% artistic control to a guy who doesn’t even have a business card.

John was originally contacted by ‘Foreign Correspondent’ for the BUSKER HOF, Nick Nickolas, but the audio quality from that original recording was compromised due to a computer glitch. Even so, we knew we needed to reconnect because we felt that John had some very important ideas to share.

‘Instigator of Big Ideas’ for the BUSKER HOF, Linsey Lindberg, conducted a pre-interview with John on March 25th and David Aiken ended up speaking with him a few times there after, but we opted to go back to pre-interview recording because of the spontaneous feel that it had and because it recorded the very first meeting between John and Linsey, a meeting which sparked a friendship.

As mentioned in the Podcast, we’ve set up a number for people to call and share a memory they have about Robert Nelson for a tribute episode that we’re hoping to put together before the end of the year. The number to call is:

 +1-416-613-0003