meandthestereo

I have been in LA for about a week now, and I have seen many fascinating things. Besides the traffic on the 405, the tar pits on La Brea, and the tasty waffles and grits at Roscoe’s, I have seen performers who know how to lock, pop, and just plainly entertain. These artists come from all over the country, while others come from abroad. The most common story I hear is that they want to make it big in Los Angeles; well who wouldn’t?  Some of the performers live off of the donations that the crowd gives and some are already well established and are taking their careers to the next level.

It doesn’t take a lot to get your street gig going. On Hollywood Blvd, the street where the famous walk of fame lies, you need a costume of your favorite actor and need to possess the ability to quote lines from that actor’s movies.  Similar gestures and accents from the original movies are needed to make the character come to life. I have seen many performers come up to families taking pictures and showing them a good time, and in return, they receive a donation.  Many of these performers start out at dawn and end at dusk, “Captain Jack Sparrow” once told me that he made $300 in one day. Not bad for a day’s work.

A lot of performers also do their acts at the promenade on 3^rd street and at the Santa Monica Pier. These are beautiful places where tourists as well as native Californians go to enjoy themselves.  The musicians who play there come with an amp, a microphone, an instrument, a jar for donations and an amazing ability to connect with the audience.  Most of the artists have recorded an album, so they are able to get their music out there and build a following. The weather is mostly beautiful, so I am sure they don’t have a problem drawing a crowd.