Street Walker Dude

     I love street performers.  They add a level of culture to a city that nothing else can.  Sometimes it’s as simple as the Bushman in San Francisco.  He hides behind a bush and pops out of nowhere scaring unsuspecting tourists that walk by.  Or it might be an incredibly talented musician like Spoonman in Seattle, who makes you wonder why he isn’t playing on a concert stage somewhere (and he has).

     I remember when I was in Amsterdam in the late 80’s and there was a guy doing a comedy routine with balloons.  I know… sounds childish, right?  Except he told incredible stories to the crowd as he made Daffy Duck out of a balloon.  I knew I recognized him from somewhere and sure enough, later that night he was in a bar doing more “adult oriented” balloon figures.  It was hilarious!  After talking to him one-on-one I realized he had spent 10 years in Seattle and had performed on the J.P. Patches show several times.  (Seattleites over 40 might remember him.) 

     This picture is in New Orleans.  Uncle Louie is seen all over the French quarter.  If you see him out of the corner of your eye, you’ll think he is just crossing the street.  If you stop and look, you’ll realize he is as still as a statue and he holds it for…well, forever.  I got my wife, Gayle, to pose with him.

     The thing about street performers is that they perform their talent simply for the love of performing their talent.  They don’t get much money - usually not enough to earn a real living.  But they love what they do and they do what they love.  In most cases, it’s at the expense of everything else.  I admire them for sacrificing so much for their passion and envy them for their talent.  I bet if you would poll street performers, they wouldn’t choose anything else other than to perform.

     This blog is the first of many.  I will write about things that I see that emulate people, places or things that are examples of a quality life.  My goal is to be sometimes inspiring, sometimes entertaining and sometimes to cause you to think, ”hmmm”.  Life is about the journey.  I think Uncle Louie has figured that out and is uncompromising in his journey.  I bet that’s a pretty good quality of life!