The Buskers New York

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[ Plays harmonica ] Hi, I'm Jimmie Fadden with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and this is "The Buskers."

[ Typewriter keys clacking ] I'm sure that you have all passed a busker on the street, in a subway, or in some doorway and wondered, who is that person and what makes them tick?

Well, today we're going to meet six of those buskers and find out just what makes them do what they do so very well.

And now, for our first busker, who is a legally blind magician who can fool the sharpest eyes and totally blow some minds.

Take a card.

See some magic.

I am a legally blind magician.

From your perspective, where does it look like the card is being hidden?

Kind of right in the middle?

In the middle?

See, to me, it's in the past.

Time is a function of perspective.

I'm from Poland originally.

I moved here when I was six with my mom and my brother.

I've been doing it -- magic -- since 10 years old, and I was just captivated.

It just kind of took off from there.

I just started learning everything I could from reading and watching instructional videos.

So, if you were hypnotized, and I told you this was an envelope, you'd see, smell, feel, touch an envelope.

But this is not an envelope.

This is a deck of cards.

You don't believe me.

Not yet.

All right.

Well, where does it look like it's going?

Your pocket.

Okay.

And I'll take this.

Where does it look like the card is going?

Middle of the deck.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

You see, you'll realize I've had the envelope in my hand the entire time.

You see, inside the pocket, as I said, is actually where... somewhere deep in this pocket, the deck of cards went.

That's pretty crazy.

A little early, huh?

Wow.

Yeah.

I was diagnosed legally blind around the same time that I started learning magic.

And then, eventually, we went to a retina specialist, and he essentially immediately diagnosed me with something called Stargardt's macular dystrophy, which I think is a cool name.

What that means is the central -- the cells in the central part of the eye, the retina, I believe, those begin to kind of die out.

And, so, you're left with mostly peripheral vision.

Have you guys heard of alchemy before?

Yeah.

Mixing chemicals, making gold.

Yeah.

Making gold is the classic example.

The idea is, though, everything is made of the same stuff on the, like most basic level.

This table and this tree are all made of the same stuff on the most fundamental levels.

So the belief, the idea is that if you can reconfigure something's structure on the most fundamental level, theoretically, you could change anything into anything else.

So we're going to try to kind of do that with some basic elements.

I have a piece of, I guess, at this point, it looks like pocket lint, but it's just a piece of paper.

Does anybody here have a lighter on them Light the lighter for me.

We're going to see if we could transmute the basic elements.

Can you put your hand out?

Tell me if you feel anything.

Whoa!

What?!

Oh, my goodness.

I love the street.

I love the unexpected.

You know, when you busk, when you're doing magic for people, people are not expecting to run into a magician.

People might be expecting to run into a musician in New York City.

So I began busking as partly a matter of necessity.

One of the things I desired most in my early 20s was a sense of independence.

I was getting jobs through the state, you know.

Fortunately, there were programs to help people with disabilities.

So services for the blind was a program.

And the idea of going to, like, street perform had popped into my head before.

It had been something that certain friends had suggested doing, but now it seemed like it was something that there was a practical necessity or reason to do.

And, fortunately, I'd been making some trips into New York City at that time.

Norwalk is close to New York City.

There was a train there and ended up taking trips in there for different meditation groups and stuff.

And I ended up doing magic there, too, at these groups.

And it became very, very clear to me that, like, the opportunity for magic to become something greater was very much alive here in New York City.

So I decided, okay, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna try this.

I need this money.

And I went in every weekend for three weekends.

I went into the city, took the train in with the intention, okay, I'm gonna put this hat that I bought at the gas station.

I'm gonna put it down somewhere at the park, and I'm gonna start doing magic.

And I just couldn't do it.

I was very afraid, you know, all sorts of, you know, fears of what will they think about me?

How will I look?

Judged, perceived.

There was a part of me that felt annoyed.

It was almost like this, like, part of me that didn't want me to take this step forward, that was very comfortable in this comfort zone that I wanted to get out of.

I'm like, okay, I'm going to try one more time.

I went again, and Sunday night, this was my second day there.

I was at Washington Square Park.

The sun was setting, I'm like, if I'm going to do this, I have to do it now.

And I kind of decided to, you know, I'm just gonna to be -- I'm gonna just be okay being uncomfortable.

The worst that can happen is people laugh.

They won't like it.

Whatever.

And I'll feel uncomfortable.

And I'll get out of it eventually.

If it's that night or a few days, I have the resources, I have the practices, I have the awareness to get out of that kind of stuff.

And, so, I'm going to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

I put it down.

Heart was beating.

Jitters were going on.

But at the same time, all of that was kind of surrounded by this joy, and this joy came over me, and I was just smiling the whole time.

And I was shuffling the cards.

I was saying, "Pick a card, pick a card, see some magic."

And it was cold and nobody came up.

Not a single person came up.

Everyone just walked by.

And within 15 minutes, it was dark, and I was so happy.

Nothing happened, but there was this a joy that I'd finally just done it.

And that gave me enough courage to just say, okay, next weekend I'm going back and you know, I'm just going to set up in the subway where it's nice and warm now because it was already like at the end of October.

And I went to Grand Central.

I set up in the tunnel that leads from Grand Central to the Times Square shuttle.

I set up there and suddenly, you know, people started coming up, big groups.

Reactions were amazing.

The response was amazing.

And suddenly, I just knew, like, this is it, this is something special.

And then, eventually, you know, gigs started to come, bigger opportunities.

I was actually amazed at the things that started happening, the people I started to meet.

And I really took the whole thing as like a universal thumbs up, essentially saying, "You're on the right path, you're on the right path."

You guys know how a deck of cards contains pictures and numbers?

What do you want to take out, pictures or numbers?

Numbers.

You want to take out the numbers?

That leaves us with a jack, a king, and a queen.

What do you want to -- What do you want to use, a jack, a king or a queen?

The queen.

Okay.

Do you want a red queen?

Oh, by the way, do you guys notice there's a picture of a card on this Instagram?

Okay.

You said queen.

Do you want a red queen or a black queen?

The black queen.

Okay.

And what do you want?

Hearts or diamonds?

It's up to you.

Diamonds.

Final answer?

You can change if you want.

No, no.

You want diamonds?

Okay.

Can you guys see how this exists two-dimensionally, right?

It exists two-dimensionally.

Let's see.

If you raise its frequency, perhaps.

You said queen of diamonds, right?

Wow!

[ Applause ] Thanks.

If you go back, though, you could see it's actually gone from the outside of the phone, too.

It's not like the gallery and it doesn't, like, slide or anything.

It's just gone.

And it is your phone, of course.

I do get a sense of satisfaction when, you know, I perform a trick and there's a reaction of awe, but I think there's a genuine sense of satisfaction.

Something you did triggered something that is obviously pleasurable, life-affirming, that I added some vitality to that person's day and that person's life.

I think that I will always be a busker in the sense that, wherever my career takes me, which I am certainly aiming it to take me to larger audiences and venues and, you know, different places, and I certainly am aiming it to take me to a place where I feel like I don't necessarily need to busk anymore, but I believe I would still, regardless of wherever my career takes me, I will still busk.

I will still go there.

I will still practice tricks.

I will still perform for people on the streets, for one, just to keep, you know, keep the chops up.

And... And because, I don't know, like, I just -- It's part of who I am, in a way, to be out there and performing.

I think if my career takes me to a place where I don't do that anymore, then I don't know, then it's not where I want to go.

I want to be able to perform for people.

Oh, let's just do one more thing while I have you here.

Does anyone have a coin or a ring?

Something circular.

Perfect.

Ah, okay.

Is this ring important to you?

Sure, yeah.

It's very important?

Okay.

Well, there's no holes or anything.

Yeah.

Can everyone go like this with one hand?

Can you imagine you're emitting gravity?

Time will appear to stop for you.

See, there's a connection between time and gravity.

See, if you reverse the space-time curvature, gravity can move upwards, too.

Oh, oh.

You don't need this anymore, you said?

I could keep it?

Yeah, sure.

Okay.

Thank you.

Very good.

I guess, what I would want people to know about buskers is what I would want people to know about anyone, is that we're all the same.

There's, I think, probably still is, you know, a stigma against buskers that exist within the minds of some people, just like -- just like it exists with, you know, homeless people that you see.

And I understand this.

I see this arising in me where you see someone, you know, busking or something, and perhaps the mind will come in with some kind of judgment, like, you know, "Get a real job," or, "What do you do?"

You know, "loser" or whatever.

The culture has conditioned us to think that way because it puts forth, you know, the shiny, college, make it, dreams, which are never what they appear to be in that when they're presented to us.

And they're doing what they're doing for whatever reason they're doing.

And if you can come to them with just open attention, and if you can do that with any other human, I think perhaps you'll find yourself exposed to something that, you know.

Whereas before, perhaps, you had a judgment about, suddenly, you'll be like, "Oh, this is actually -- this is actually kind of cool.

It's kind of nice."

Take a card, see some magic.

Next up is a woman whose use of saws isn't to build houses or cut down trees, but to make some incredibly mysterious music.

[ Saw playing music ] Originally, I was a trainee with the Martha Graham Dance Company.

From early on, I chose to be a dancer.

But you know how they say that when you are busy making plans, God or fate or whatever you want to call it laughs and says, "No, actually I have other plans for you."

I was coming back from Lincoln Center.

I was crossing Central Park South, and I was hit by a car, and that put an end to my dance career.

My dream was just gone like that.

My plans, poof, out the window, and it was devastating.

And I didn't know what to do with my life.

Until one day my parents decided to cheer me up.

And, so, they took me on a trip to Austria, and while we were in Austria, we went to see a show for tourists, and one of the acts was a guy playing music on a carpenter's handsaw.

And something happened to me when I was watching him play.

I was mesmerized not only by how wild it is that a tool can play music, and not only by the angelic, otherworldly, different type of sound, but mostly because of the visual, the visual not being that it's a handsaw, but that it's an instrument that moves when you play it.

It's very physical, it's very visual.

It's like dance.

So I was like, ah, I felt this fire inside of me that I had not felt since the accident.

Excitement about something other than dance.

I dared to go backstage to talk to the saw player, and I asked him if he would teach me, if he would give me a lesson, and he said no.

He said, "Go home, pick up a handsaw like, you know, from a toolbox, and imitate what you remember me doing and figure it out.

Today, after having done a lot of research about the history of the musical saw, I know that he actually did me a favor by refusing because he enabled me to experience the art form in the old-timey, traditional way.

If you could figure it out, you are meant to be a saw player.

So I ended up inventing my own technique, which enables me to snap the blade and go faster and also go directly from note to note.

I became a busker by chance.

I did not plan it.

I got myself a job working at the Broadway Theatre, selling souvenirs.

So I used to bring the saw to work and I used to go out the theater.

There was a parking lot.

And I would sit at the most remote corner of the parking lot, I didn't want to attract attention.

I didn't want to you know, disturb anybody.

And I just, you know, I practiced, I taught myself to play the saw.

One day, a guy and his son came and stood next to me and listened to me play.

And then, the guy took a $5 bill out of his pocket and handed it to me.

And I was like, "Why are you giving me money?"

And he said, "Well, we really enjoyed hearing you play.

We just want to show our appreciation."

I was like, wow.

So I ran into the theater to tell my friends what just happened, and my friends were like, "You have to go and play outside of the theater during intermission."

That's when all the buskers come to play for people who go out to smoke.

So I started to play and people liked it.

People started gathering and clapping their hands for me and taking pictures.

And then, they started putting money in the box.

And at the end of the 10-minute intermission, there was as much money in the box as I was making at work that day.

And, so, I dared to go around the corner onto Broadway.

Big street, lots of tourists, lot of foot traffic, lots of people.

And the energy was buzzing, and people were so enthusiastic and encouraging.

Then, winter came -- cold, rain, snow.

I didn't want to stop playing on the street because it was so much fun.

So that's when I decided to venture into the subway, and I went to a place where I've seen a busker before.

It was the downtown N and R platform.

Sat down, started to play, and immediately, I heard the acoustics.

All of a sudden, in the subway, the space became the resonating box and the sound ricocheted from one wall to the other.

All of a sudden, my sound was so big without amplification, and I felt like a kid in a candy store.

In the subway, to grab people's attention, you have to be bigger than life.

So, first of all, also because I was a dancer, I incorporate a lot of big moves with the bow.

You know, when I play in the subway, everybody watches me, but I get to watch everybody and it's the best people watching ever.

Then, I noticed that, as I look at people, they look back at me, and it's like, if I look at someone in the eye, it actually draws them in.

And if I smile at somebody, they smile back.

And it's like it created this exchange of energy.

All of a sudden, it wasn't just me playing, putting out energy.

It became this exchange.

And it's addictive.

When I was playing at the Times Square subway station, and there were some people listening, and one of the people was a blind man.

He was obviously blind.

He had a cane, you know, and the expression.

And as he was listening to me, his face lit up and he was like -- you could tell he was feeling the music.

He was really enjoying it.

On another side of me, there was this lady, not related to this guy, and she, too, noticed his face.

She came over to me.

She purchased one of my CDs.

She went over to the blind man.

She put the CD in his hand, and she said to him, "This is the music you're hearing now.

This is for you."

And I just felt like, wow, such an act of kindness that my music should be the impetus of such an act of kindness.

I was really moved.

It's amazing, when you busk, the people who might walk by you, you never know.

And particularly in New York City, it's like a perpetual audition.

I don't have to play in the subway.

I choose to play in the subway.

It is my favorite venue out of all the preeminent concert halls in New York City.

And I've played in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden.

Out of all of those, for me, I consider the subway to be the most important stage of this city because the subway enables me to perform for each and every New Yorker and every visitor, not just to the elite, to the privileged who get to purchase a ticket for a show.

I have two loves -- music and people -- and in the subway, I get to share one love with the other.

To have the audience right there with me close by, not far away beyond stage lights.

Not sitting quietly, you know, politely clapping their hands, but coming to talk to me.

I can see the transformation on their faces as they walk by, even if they don't stop.

I can see, you know, they look at me, they smile.

I get so much energy from it.

There is no sense of retirement at the end, or like a pot of gold at the end of -- of busking.

I think that busking is, you know, when you're -- When you're doing busking for the sake of busking, I think you do it to the end.

I know buskers who are in their 80s, and they're still doing it.

I think it keeps you going.

Maybe it keeps you young.

[ Chuckles ] I would like people to know that buskers are not homeless.

Buskers don't play music on the street because they're not good enough to play elsewhere or because they can't get a job elsewhere.

This is so an erroneous misconception.

We're not homeless.

And we don't have to play on the street.

We choose to play on the street.

The life that I gained from that car accident actually happened.

Turned out to be exactly what I needed.

[ Laughs ] So I'm sure you've all heard about graffiti artists, right?

But have you ever met one?

Well, I'm happy to introduce anything, from your shirt to your sneakers.

My name is Joshua Morales.

I go by NYC Customs.

I'm a graffiti artist from New York City.

Actually, I'm an all-around artist.

I don't like to say I'm a graffiti artist because it kind of puts me in a box.

You know, I've been doing art almost all my life.

I didn't get to do any graffiti until I was in junior high school at 13.

My friend, Shore, I put his name out there because he's the one that inspired me to do actual graffiti.

Like, he was tagging up the desk, notebooks, and all that.

I was like, oh, I could do that, too.

I mean, I started off with markers and then I started meeting other people that used spray cans, and I was a part of a crew.

It was called 333, Half Evil.

I mean, I was like 14, 15.

So, my friend, my friend actually, Zeke, he spray painted a lot, and I started doing, you know, what we call bombing, going to different, you know -- We see anything that's empty, like a gate or a truck.

It was illegal at that time.

But I say -- I say it's crazy.

So, one of my slogans is, is graffiti got me into trouble, but it also saved my life.

Just went crazy with it.

I did graffiti illegal because, you know, I didn't have permission to actually paint something, you know?

But one day, I just went to my -- to Broadway in SoHo, and there was these guys doing hats, trucker hats.

And I literally just got arrested probably like one week before.

Ironically, on Broadway for stenciling on the floor.

And this girl that I know, she was giving me $2 every stencil that I did.

So guess what, I got caught after the first stencil.

So I made only $2, got arrested, and at that time, Giuliani was the mayor.

So it was like you could get arrested for like, you know, you could stay locked up for like a whole year.

And I was like, I ain't trying to get locked -- stay arrested for -- for a whole year for spray painting.

So one day, I'm just going down SoHo in Broadway, actually in NoHo.

And these guys were doing hats and I asked them if they were looking for any artists, and they like, "Yo, we got enough artists."

So this guy next to them, his name was Mike.

He's like, "Hey, you want to work for me?"

So, I started working with him, and then he kind of like took advantage.

So I ended up getting my own, you know, permit and stuff like that and started just doing my own thing.

Most of the time, it's like a 80/20 rule, right?

Like 80% of the people would probably just walk by, 20% will stop.

So, when they do come up to me, they'll ask me for my prices and stuff.

Sometimes people are like, "Oh, you know, it's too -- you know, I'm not going to pay that much," or whatever.

But, you know, I don't like to undersell myself neither.

I'll give 'em a deal here and there.

I usually do the foundation first and then I just like start cleaning it up.

You know, there's certain things, certain times I have concepts of what I want to do.

But most of the time, I kind of freestyle.

You know, a lot of people sometimes ask me for sketches, and most people that know me for years, they know I don't sketch, you know, I just, I said, "Listen, just trust me, you know."

In the beginning, when the piece starts coming out, it looks kind of like a little crazy.

And I'm like, you know.

You know, they may get nervous or something that's not coming out the right way.

But once it's done, it's like, okay, oh, I see where you were going.

Drawing.

I'm kind of like freestyling, too.

I just go with the flow.

Like, I'll start off with the can.

I do something on the wall, and then I just keep adding on to it.

And you know, of course it's not healthy to do it, but I would do it outside.

Like, you know, I wouldn't be like, you know, in a way where I'm kind of like breathing it in.

You know, most of the time, like subconsciously, I just kind of like don't inhale when I'm spray painting.

Hopefully that helps.

You know.

I've been doing it a long time.

I can't really do anything about it now, so... Well, SoHo was my favorite place, but Washington Square Park is actually my favorite place.

When I'm on the street busking, right?

But the reason why I say that is because, in SoHo, it's very fast paced.

People are were just walking by.

A lot of people are rushing to work.

You know, they're just going fast pace.

And Washington Square Park is a little bit more chill, more relaxed, more engaging.

There's more artists, there's more inspiration there.

A lot of people that are walking, they're just walking slow, you know, slow pace.

They're looking at everybody's work.

They say, "Oh, that's cool," you know?

And, so, I like Washington Square Park better.

Washington Square Park, now they kicked out a lot of the artists in the park, even the musicians that play in the park.

And that's crazy because I feel that the artists and the musicians are what make Washington Square Park, because once the artists and the musicians left, it's kind of dead there.

I can make you a smaller one.

I don't want to say that there's some days -- You know, sometimes I just want to be at home with my family.

I could be working from home.

You know, I have things that I do from home, too, that I could work from home.

As far as the, like, going somewhere, you know, there's times that I go -- like, I don't feel like going.

I don't feel like going to SoHo or Washington Square Park.

And then, I'll go and somebody, you know, like you said, they'll ask me for something.

You know, I have so many situations like that when you don't feel like doing something, and then, when you do it, it's like, well, I'm glad I actually did it.

It's not a 9 to 5, you know?

It's not something that, you know -- But I treat it -- I treat it like a 9 to 5.

Well, my wife supports me everything I do.

My son, they, you know, they believe in me of what I do.

So, you know, I did have some family members that would say it wasn't a real job, you know, but it's cool.

Now they know that I actually do well with what I'm doing.

What compels me to do it?

I mean, it's just like, when I wake up in the morning, that's all I think about is art.

You know, I'm always -- Sometimes I have trouble sleeping because I'm always, you know, thinking of ideas and how I could actually apply what I'm thinking.

My goal is for the whole world to see what I do.

You know, I can express myself where, you know, I can inspire other artists and, you know, to stay consistent.

Like I said, you know, always stay motivated, stay self-motivated and just be passionate about your work.

And do something that you're passionate about doing.

Don't just do something because.

You know, just find something you're passionate about and just do it.

And next up, please meet the Spider-Man of subway dancers.

Kids, don't try this at home.

My name is Ikeem Jones, also known as Mr.

Jones, also known as "Teeth."

I'm a professional dancer, but also I'm a subway dancer.

That's the journey I've taken.

I've been dancing on the train for like five to six years now.

I'm from the Bronx.

I really am proud of where I'm from because I'm not just from, like, oh, in the Bronx, like, I'm right where hip-hop was created.

Like, I'm from Soundview.

So I'm like in the Mecca.

Then it was like, I'm from a neighborhood that's like people killing each other and all this other robbing, stealing, all this stuff, craziness, crazy house parties people don't come out of.

I've seen these people who were like gangsters, and they would dance, but they was moving.

You know what I'm saying?

Then they would go back to doing the gangster stuff.

You know what I'm saying?

It's like when the party was on, I was watching it and just mesmerized by, like, how unfazed they was of the people around them.

I wanted to master that.

I wanted that, I wanted that.

I was like, what is that?

Because I was just a little choppy kid.

Like, you know what I'm saying?

Just wet behind the ears, just looking for a place to be part of, you know?

We are the youngest generation, basically.

So we're the leaders of the new school.

For my style of dance, we do something called "no music" also.

So we're definitely different from a majority of these dance cultures because a lot of them need their own type of beat or some music.

You know what I'm saying?

Like we more in a tribal realm mixed with the streets.

Like, if you're from New York, it's like you kind of like feel like, entitled, like, you know what I'm saying?

But only because you didn't ask for what you was given.

Like, I didn't ask for this, like, this essence of attitude, you know what I'm saying?

So, me on the train, I'm just somebody that feel like I got to do something new every day.

When I first started dancing on the train, I was looking for moves, like, to learn, like, so people -- There are foundations on the train, as well.

You know what I'm saying?

So like hanging upside down was like the Batman.

You get what I'm saying?

But it's just little things that people do, like flagging and the twirls, like all of us do that.

But we're not sitting there saying like, "Oh, you taking, you know, my stuff."

Like, so that was something I was like, all right, everybody could flag, right?

Cool.

The flag is like when you see like a -- it's like an Olympic when you straight out, legs straight out.

Arms holding on the pole.

Just straight out.

That's what that is.

And I'm really good at that.

The moves I have is hard to duplicate.

Like, you're not going to just do it.

You can't just go up and just do it.

And it takes a certain amount of strength and IQ because it's not just about swinging and hanging on a train all day.

It's also about, like, presentation and, you know, having a mind-set to show people that, like, I'm not a statistic.

Yeah.

Pretty much, like.

And I'm New York.

That's what you're gonna feel off rip.

The worst time was when COVID first hit.

The worst time was the scariest time because I realized how important the trains are to New York City.

They took out the veins of New York, the world gone crazy.

So, say, like, you see me today, right?

We were hitting car to car, but we didn't see any train dancers, so it was smooth sailing.

You get what I'm saying?

So, now, say there was a train dancer next to me while we were waiting.

I will politely take one side of the train.

He will take the other side of the train.

But here's the cutthroat -- if one don't want to do that.

You get what I'm saying?

One want to go take the whole train, the whole side of the train, and knowing there's four teams out, you're going to do like eight carts.

So you left no carts for nobody.

And then -- But the thing is that that's cuttin' throat.

You get what I'm saying?

And especially if you just say you've been waiting for that train for 20 minutes, this dude just gets off the train that comes up and just pops up on your side, not knowing you waited 20 minutes, and then jumps on your side.

That's crazy.

But that's something I never go through because I -- I'm from New York.

Then another thing is, like, stealing moves is another thing.

And how you treat the elderly.

And that's the main thing.

We don't play none of that.

We don't -- Nobody should be disrespecting nobody.

That's old.

To me, I feel like, when you're dancing on a train, you represent all of us.

So, when I do it, I represent all of them.

Usually, when you get locked up, it's really your fault.

Like 100% your fault.

When I usually get locked up, I laugh because I'm the GOAT at getting away.

So I laugh if you catch me, I really, really laugh.

I'm that cocky.

I really will bust a gut and be pissed off at the same time.

It's like, yo, ooh, you was just -- You got me just like that?

You -- Yo, bro, look how you came up on me.

You had ear loops.

This dude had an African ear, jump off -- If they on a cart, then you not supposed to dance on that cart.

That's one.

So, if you get caught in the next cart, given.

But if they right there, like, when you see them at the butt of the cart, to go to the next cart, then that's disrespectful, as well.

You get what I'm saying?

They have to do their job, at the end of the day.

They're not just gonna stand there, but if you're damn good, they'll stand right there and watch, I tell you that much.

If you're damn good, they not -- I had -- Yo, there was this cop.

I kept running into the same cops, like no lie.

But they started to notice that I was good.

You know what?

You know why they left me alone?

I was hitting with my bros, and then the cops come through the cart.

He's like, "All right, da da da, we're getting off the" -- They take us off the train.

They runnin' IDs.

I'm like, "All right."

He's like, "All right.

So y'all already know what's about to go down, right?"

I was like, "Listen, my boy right here, he's from Arizona.

And my boy right here, he got a kid, and he got to go pick her up.

I'm gonna get locked up for this."

He's like, "What?"

I said, "I'm gonna take the charge.

They don't even have nothing to do with it."

He's like, "All right."

Later down the line, they in the car with me like, "I ain't gonna hold you.

I ain't never see a train dancer do that."

And he said, "If I ever see you again after this, I swear I'm gonna tell them to leave you alone."

And that's what happened.

Ever since then, I don't get locked up.

Well, for me, I feel like this is a route to immortality.

And I'm kind of like a monument.

That serious, because I -- I'm monumentally doing stuff like this all the time.

Next, we have a busker band whose stage is a coveted spot in Central Park.

These guys need to get up early in the morning claiming this location, which means high foot traffic, which means money in the till.

I'm Ray Rubio.

I'm Imhotep Williams.

And I'm Nate Christensen.

And now I'm dancing, yes, I'm okay No longer dancing my heart away So I think that, like, we're doing something that is pretty old school, but it's working for us.

I'm trying to find No peace of mind, it's just Are you happier than I was?

I started busking in Central Park and even in Times Square.

But Central Park always was like more just a better -- It was a better environment.

There was like people passing by.

It's not too loud.

It's quiet.

So you actually get heard.

There has to be a consistent amount of people walking by.

For sure.

There has to be good acoustics.

It has to be a place for you to set up.

Yeah, yeah.

A place that we enjoy being.

A place that people will actually want to hear the music.

Not just anywhere where people will complain, you know, because you got to be considerate.

I'm a mess, I'm a mess Oh I'm a mess Whoa, oh, Lord Busking really is the funnest thing.

The parks people like our music a lot, and they know all of us.

And it's the same crowd that's always doing that job.

So they're always driving by us on their golf carts and they're, like, waving to us.

Time is on your side But are you?

On mine Time is on your side Are you on mine?

Time is We've just been really consistent with the busking thing.

And the more we do it, the more we have people, like random people -- Show up to our shows.

Those people have, like, become like our supporters and our fans.

And they've -- They stop by and they see us regularly.

Maybe they walk their dogs in the morning and it's like, It's created this community within itself, for us at least.

And I'll give you raincheck Cash it in, my love Can I give you a raincheck?

Cash it in, my love Hey, Ray.

Excellent, man.

I'm Rex from Aztec Two-Step.

And I'm very impressed.

Thank you so much.

We had a little start here ourselves 50 years ago.

Call the Whiskey Man Go and lay your money down Oh, especially up and down this line here, which is the main thoroughfare, going into the band shell.

About every 20 or 30 feet, there'd be another folk singer there doing something, or a singer, guitar player.

And all those guys were doing cover songs.

What I admire about them is they're doing original music, which is what Neal and I did in Aztec Two-Step, and guys would come by in the music business and give us their cards and stuff.

Eventually, it led us to Elektra Records.

That's also kind of what Rex was saying, too.

He was just like, this is a great way to promote the work.

You know, it's a great way to promote the album, the single, the show, and we're using it that way.

Like, busking just gives you the opportunity to make community with people who are actually around you instead of being online.

And just, like, heavily pushing posts in people's face, like, it doesn't really work that way.

It's funny you say that because I've always thought of it as, like, the Internet.

Like, it's like the physical Internet, people walking around.

It's the real world.

It's the real world.

I mean... Whoa.

What a concept.

And for me, it's my ADHD I get distracted a few times a week, a few times a day There's a few kinds of ways to say you're my work of art Thank you.

Why can't I speak it so loud?

Lift your feet right off the ground Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah That's where we had our little tree picked out over there.

And that was our spot.

I want to go on record.

We were -- We had a tree over by the band shell, which is something.

But you got the best freaking tree I've ever seen.

Isn't this incredible?

He has his -- It just fits Nate's body perfectly.

If we had a tree like that, I'm telling you, we could have -- That is the greatest tree I've ever seen for busking.

But you guys, I hear a lot of wonderful influences, Thank you.

And I wish you the best.

Oh, thank you so much.

Thank you for stopping by and listening.

My pleasure.

Thank you so much.

He said to keep busking.

He said, "Just keep doing it."

Yeah.

And I think we're gonna -- we're gonna do that.

We're gonna continue to keep pounding the pavement and getting out in the park.

And, so, it worked then for Aztec Two-Step.

And I think it's working for us.

Even if we end up playing the biggest shows one day, I think you'll still probably find us in Central Park from time to time.

'Cause you can change your mind any other night Lay your head to rest Without you is enough for me to feel in love But with you, I'm a mess I'm a mess, I'm a mess [ Applause ] Thank you all so much.

Last but not least is our poet in the park, who uses her trusty 1950s typewriter to help you woo your honey, celebrate your parents' anniversary, or stab your ex in the heart where it hurts.

Oh, take it away.

My name is Brooke.

I'm a Brooklyn-based comedian, poet, collage artist, event planner, professional gay person.

I wear many hats.

Like, my whole life, I was obsessed with typewriter poets.

And I always thought, like, that's my dream job.

The first memory that I have of writing poems is when I was in fifth grade, I wrote a book for my class that was called "The Clumsy Life of Brooke and Her Poems."

But I didn't really do anything else with poetry until I was in the end of college, and I'd been doing stand-up for a few years at that point, and I started doing live poetry during my shows.

So I would have my typewriter, and I'll talk to the audience like I'm doing crowd work, but then I'll write a poem about it, and then I have a friend who I met online who she does busking like pretty much full-time.

Like, that's her main shtick in Central Park.

And she was like, "Oh, you, like, lost your job.

You're really good at typewriter poetry.

Like, you should just start busking.

[ Indistinct conversation ] Where are you from?

Dubai.

I'm actually from here.

That's amazing.

I forget that poetry is not something that comes naturally to most people, and it's really cool when I really, like, find something within someone that, like, they hadn't told me, like, I almost feel like a psychic sometimes.

I'll have these little details that will just kind of come to me as I'm writing a poem and they're like, "Oh, my God, I can't believe you wrote about a fig tree.

Like, we had a fig tree outside my house growing up my whole life."

It feels like this really, like, cosmic way to connect with people.

And people are brought to tears all the time.

And I mean, it's the best job I've ever had.

It's so much fun.

It's really nice when you get someone who's like, "Oh, my God," like the fig tree, you know, like, "Oh, my God, how did you know?"

Like, how did you know that?

Or, you know, people will be like, "Can you write something about like my grandma who passed away?

Like, I just want to know what you come up with."

And a lot of times, I'm right.

And I don't know, like it's -- It feels a little like woo-woo and, like, spiritual, but I do feel like a psychic sometimes when I'm able to tap into those things, I try to tune into, like, what their specific goal is with this because everyone has, like, a thing they want to talk about.

You know, you just kind of have to find what that is.

It's really about listening.

I take a lot of lines from things that people directly say to me, and I'll put it in the poem and people are like, "Wow."

And I'm like, "Literally, you said that, you're the poet."

You just came up with it like that.

You guys gave me a lot to work with.

I love it.

And, yeah, I mean, it feels amazing to be like, oh, I'm like impacting someone's day, you know, because it's a really hard job and it's a hard lifestyle, you know, like, being an artist.

It's not easy, like, paying the bills, you know, schlepping all the way to Manhattan to, like, maybe make $0 for the whole day, you know, like, it can be really disheartening.

It is like a sacrifice you have to make.

But in those moments, I'm like, oh, it's so worth it because what I do is meaningful and I'm impacting someone.

"Makes their step through the skies a little lighter.

That's you, my little star.

But we're not separated by light-years.

We are lucky to be at a time when the stars don't cross, they align.

And on December 5, we'll say 'I do' under my little stars and a sleepy moon."

[ Laughing ] Oh, my gosh, you're so talented.

Can you write my wedding vows?

I will say Washington Square Park is like one of the most diverse places you can go busk.

Like, you really get every single type of person there.

It's kind of a lawless place, where I feel like Central Park is a little bit more wholesome and a little bit, like, higher brow.

Washington Square Park is, like, feels very, like, in the New York of it, you know?

It feels like a little bit less idyllic in a way that's like kind of fun.

But I get such a variation in the day, like I'll get some really, like, raunchy requests, like... Which is really fun to write about.

And then, the next poem is like dead grandma and the next poem is like, "I'm getting engaged."

Like, just like the back and forth is very funny.

I will, like, set up at, like, different areas of the fountain, depending on the day and the time or, like, who's there.

But it is kind of interesting to navigate because, like, everyone has a spot.

There is kind of like we're all in this together kind of vibe.

Or the other day, I was in this guy's spot and he was like, "Hey, what time are you headed out today?

Like, I usually set up there, but, like, no problem, I'll just set up when you leave."

And I'm like, "Oh, yeah, I'm gonna leave at 2:00.

You can take over."

And he's like, "Cool, sounds good."

And also, like, it is nice.

The other buskers will buy poems from me, which is sweet.

Or we'll do like a trade.

I'm like, "Oh, I really like those earrings."

They're like, "Oh, cool, I'll trade a poem for earrings."

So that's kind of nice.

Oh, that's so cute.

Oh, thank you.

I really appreciate it.

That's so nice.

Yeah, I don't know, I guess that, like, we're, like, we're just like you and we're just actual people.

Also that, like, you could do this if you wanted.

Like, I remember my same third grade teacher who taught us origami.

Like, he took us to Chinatown for a field trip.

And I remember him being like, "This is how you talk about people who are performing on the street.

You're not like, 'Oh, look at that man, like, playing the fiddle.'

You say, like, 'Oh, wow.

That is such an amazing song.

Like, I love that that man is playing the fiddle.

Like, let's go give him a couple bucks.'"

Just thinking of that like, "Oh, yeah, it's not like a weird thing that, like, oh, why is that man doing that?

It's like that is a person who is, like, giving us an amazing performance, just like there are, like, tangible ways to figure out how to support yourself with your art.

And it's not, like, embarrassing and it's not, you know... Like, I always thought of it as like a little bit, like, lowly almost, like, I wouldn't go work on the street, you know, I need to go get a real job.

But it's like so empowering and so fun that it just took like letting go of, like, my shame or of my preconceived notions of people who, like, work in the park or people who, yeah, like, busk or sell their things on the street, you know?

But it's like a really beautiful, like, ecosystem of people who are, like, learning to support themselves through their art.

And it's really empowering and it's really special.

It's really fun and exciting to take a risk on yourself.

And I find also that it's an amazing way to, like, find other opportunities for myself, too.

It's just like you talk about networking, you know, like you make someone cry in the park, and they're like, "I'm a Comedy Central exec and you're, like, amazing.

Want to get coffee?"

You know, like... So, it's just opened so many more doors for me than I ever thought it would.

Like, that's what makes New York, New York.

You walk around Central Park and you hear, like, beautiful violin playing.

You know, you go to the train and you hear, like, people tap dancing to, like, Bill Withers, you know?

Like, where else in the world can you go and that's what's happening?

It's like they are -- Busking is what makes New York City a rich and beautiful and exciting place.

This is not something that I have to do, you know?

But it is, like, what, like, sets my soul on fire.

And it's so much fun.

"18 years of our love.

Can you believe it?

Our love has grown.

Our love could go off to college, buy scratchers and cigarettes, try for the mega lotto, learn from missteps.

Our love could fly a plane, explore Brazil, even Spain.

Our love is just at the start.

So much more to see, so many more cavities in the heart.

Can you believe it?

18 years.

How many more, my love?

Your voice singing in my ears."

So that one's kind of cute.

And, so, I truly hope that you have enjoyed these amazing talents and their wonderful stories.

And I hope that the next time you see a busker on the street, that you fish out a couple of dollars from your pocket and help them keep on keeping on.

So long, and thank you for tuning in.

Until next time on "The Buskers."

Funding for this program has been provided in part by... The land remembers.

It remembers the hands that shaped cedar into boats and the stories told around the fire.

It remembers the steps that came before and the ones now walking beside us.

Time moves slowly here.

Like tides that don't ask permission.

This is where tradition isn't behind us.

It's beside us.

This is Maine.

Rooted in time, forged by nature.