Passion takes man around the country
Neil says busking makes him feel ‘free’
TEN years ago Neil Pepper was in a rut; he was out of work, drinking too much and feeling really low.
He needed a change and a mate suggested a new hobby.
Mr Pepper picked up a guitar and learnt the one-finger blues.
It sparked a new passion for life and he hit the road.
For the past decade Mr Pepper has travelled the country busking from town to town.
“I’m a bit of a gypsy. I go up and down the coast, I play in the pubs or I play in the street,” he said.
“I’m free at the moment, because of the gratitude of people, busking pays my way.”
He’s set up in Warwick for the next couple of weeks as it’s a town close to his heart.
‘‘ I’M FREE AT THE MOMENT, BECAUSE OF THE GRATITUDE OF PEOPLE, BUSKING PAYS MY WAY.
NEIL PEPPER
“I lived here for five months, a few years ago,” he said
At the time Mr Pepper was travelling with his girlfriend when their van broke down.
His girlfriend urgently needed to fly home to Germany so the couple bid farewell at the bus terminal in Warwick. Mr Pepper stayed here until he had made enough cash to fix the van.
His life on the road takes him to far-flung places.
He has trekked across the country, from the beaches of the east coast to the big cities in the south and the goldfields of Western Australia.
“I went all the way up to Geraldton and then came inland through the Pilbara and down to Kalgoorlie,” he said.
He was busking outside a mining town pub. It was pay day and the hotel balcony was packed with thirsty miners.
One of the blokes threw a dollar coin across the road to him. Then a second bloke threw a coin, then another, and within an instant the whole pub was throwing dollar coins across the street.
It’s moments like these that changed his outlook on life.
“When you live in the public eye things happen to you that don’t usually happen to other people. There are a lot of good people in the world. I used to think it was the opposite.”
He loves a chat so if you see him, stop and say hello.