Remember when ... He who pays the piper...

IT WAS the summer of 1983, and Glasgow shoppers and office workers were being entertained by all manner of buskers, who were playing everything from The Beatles to the Alexander Brothers, via Don Mclean, Neil Young and Simon and Garfunkel.

One of the few “electrified” buskers on view was David, a 34-year-old from Roystonhill, who had taken to playing in public a fortnight earlier after losing his job.

When a Glasgow Herald reporter caught up with him, he had only managed to collect £3 in the past three hours. “The batteries in his eight-watt amplifier have hardly enough power left to light a torch, let alone power his amplifier”, the reporter wrote. Nevertheless, in the timeless spirit of “the show must go on”, David was playing Roamin’ In The Gloamin’ on his six-string electric guitar.

Further along on Argyle Street, Dan Speaker, a Californian who was studying at Glasgow’s

RSAMD, was attracting some attention, above. He had busked in Edinburgh during the festival, but was finding Glasgow tougher, having been moved on by the police on more than one occasion. Dan, it was reported, was looking for a job as an actor. Today he works as a stunt co-ordinator and sword choreographer in Hollywood.

A third busker that day was Peter, a guitarist, who was playing for passers-by in Buchanan Street. He had just finished Don Mclean’s American Pie when one of his guitar strings broke. “I’ve busked in London, but that was hopeless”, he said. Glasgow was much better: “It has been good here over the last few days. People will come up and speak to me and some even make requests”.

The Herald had recently sponsored a busking festival, during which buskers had been allowed greater latitude. The police and the district council had described the event as a success, and since then, the musicians had enjoyed greater freedom. But even so, as David discovered, they had to work hard for their money.