‘Pink alien’ threatened by a busker in ‘turf war’
MUSICIAN SAID ‘I’LL DO YOU IN’
A HULL musician was threatened with violence after trying to promote his event while dressed as a pink alien.
Dustin Kitsch, 27, was in the city centre promoting his Kitsch Co UV Ball playing some dance and house classics and improvising on his saxophone.
The saxophonist and composer was dressed in his full regalia for the event and described himself as looking like a “big grape-coloured alien” at the time.
It came as something as a shock when Dustin, whose real name is Stephen, was confronted by an angry busker who accused him of muscling in on his turf and threatened to “do him in”.
Dustin said: “I’d set up in the city centre and was playing a few club-style tracks, people were happily enjoying the cosmic sounds I was putting out there.
“I’d only got through about three songs in when this angry man with a guitar came over and started having a go at me mid-song, shouting at me about how loud I was and I had no respect for anyone other buskers around me.
“I stopped to hear what he was saying and he was going on ‘what are you trying to do?’ and ‘you’re in my pitch I come here every day’ and things like that.
“I tried not to engage with him and he eventually walked off.
“I was halfway up the high street across from the Christmas shop just doing my own thing, but he still came over from where he was tucked away near the Maritime Museum. It all seemed mad considering I was dressed as a big pink alien at the time.”
Dustin tried to laugh off the man’s approach and carried on playing his set which was to promote the Kitsch Co UV Ball taking place on Thursday, November 11.
The event is being promoted as part of Hull Jazz Festival, which runs from November 10 to 13.
The angry busker came back for a second round with the event promoter.
Dustin said: “I was laughing it off, there were people stood around wondering what had just happened, so I just tried to carry on with the set.
“I saw him coming back over though, he looked furious. I thought it was a bit ridiculous to be picking on a guy literally painted pink.
“He said ‘If I see you around here again I’m going to do you in. I know your face now, watch out.’
“I couldn’t get over how ridiculous it was. I just said ‘cool, see you later then’ and he stormed off.”
Dustin said the incident had not put him off playing in the city centre as he knows a lot of the other buskers.
He said he was surprised how territorial the busker was and said was disappointed that a fellow musician would be so aggressive.
For information and tickets to see Dustin, you can find his upcoming jazz festival gig at hulljazzfestival.co.uk