Back in March of this year, Magic Brian spoke with Amelia Cadwallader, aka Maple Staplegun as well as one half of Las Cossas Nostra. Amelia’s journey as a performer started out at thetender age of 5 as a dancer. She studied photography in University then headed off to Edinburgh which is where she discovered street theater. She talks about spending time in Tasmania and the big influence it had on her as a performer, being surrounded by opportunities to learn and watch circus and street. She talks about going to Spain to study clown where she met her future partner, Kiki (whose story you can listen to on Episode 108 of this podcast), and how they cut their teeth doing street shows in beach towns. We talk about her involvement in the Edinburgh Fringe and where she, along with Hazel Anderson, Matthew Keys and a handful of others have been advocating for the rights of the performers in the midst of the pandemic and for the future of street theater at the Fringe. If you’re not familiar with what’s going on check out the Facebook page dedicated to it called Edinburgh Fringe Street Performers and Buskers - Artist Led Feedback Group.

In this very special episode, The Human Knot, Al Millar talks to the 2021 inductee into the Busker Hall of Fame, the one and only Sharon Mahoney. Sharon is hilarious, direct, and has a big personality.
Sharon shares her journey as a performer starting out with an interest in improv in high school, pursuing a degree in theater arts, and getting to do workshops with the clown duo of Mump and Smoot. It was there she found her love of character and it's where the very beginnings of her character, Talulah, were developed.
She talks about working Australia and getting addicted to street performing, using her tenacity as a street performer to improve her stand-up comedy act, and being influenced by Abi Collins (who was featured on Episode 122 of this podcast) and how it changed her thinking about female street performers.
Sharon has a great perspective on the world of street theater as well as the role of females in it. This conversation is peppered with some great stories and insight into our industry from one of the strongest acts out there and now the newest inductee into the Busker Hall of Fame!

In this episode, Clarke McFarlane, aka Mario Queen of the Circus takes his first stab at interviewing and I think he did a fantastic job aided by the fact the couple he interviewed he’s known for quite some time and they have a great rapport and history together. That couple is Uri and Noah of Cirque No Problem. They are one of the many fantastic acts that have come out of Israel. Noah and Uri talk about their long history together and how they built their first show in India in 2002, put it out on the streets of Europe, got booked and then married. They talk about creating their signature trapeze act and not being aerialists. Uri talks about how he took a leap of faith and started doing shows in Tel Aviv at the age of 13, and of the dramatic shift of going to Lecoq, which he thought was a juggling school, when he got out of the army where he taught the deadly martial art of Krav Maga. They tell Clarke about the joy of traveling in a van throughout Europe, which Uri calls the nuclear submarine, and their shift to becoming a non-traveling act and now performing their current stage show. There’s a ton of content in the interview as well as great stories and plenty of laughs.

In this, our 125th episode, The Human Knot, Alakazam connected with one of his mentors AJ James. AJ takes us through the day in the life of a street performer in London, he talks about getting his start doing gymnastics where he discovered his talent for entertaining a crowd and his journey from acrobat to street performer. He talks about what he’s been doing throughout the pandemic and how he got stuck in Panama when everything shut down. He shares stories about meeting his heroes, Skate Naked, working Sydney where he and Al met and being a part of a double act. In an added bonus we get a glimpse into Al’s process when it comes to script writing for his show. This is a great conversation, peppered with some fantastic stories, with two veterans of street theater who have a ton of respect for one another.

In this episode, Magic Brian spoke with Pete Anderson, aka Pete Dobbing about his journey through the wonderful world of street theater. He talks about how his desire to hang upside down in a straitjacket and forming a juggling society in university set him on the path to becoming a street performer. He talks about the evolution of his show, his hesitation to work Covent Garden, and his first time in Glastonbury playing invisible drums for Herbie Treehead. He shares stories about his 9 month tour of the world, past versions of his shows, working cruise ships with George Orange, and in his early days balancing a teaching job with street performing.

Isaac Girardin spoke with the Mallory Square legend, tightrope walking juggler, Will Soto. Will has been street performing for 43 years and has the stories to show for it. Will talks about what it was like during the laid back, free living early days at Mallory Square and how in the 80’s they fought to keep the nightly Sunset Celebration alive by creating a non-profit corporation. He shares stories about performing over an alligator pit, his willingness to always take chances, and saving a man’s life during one of his shows. From starting out as a sculptor selling his art at renaissance festivals to being the face of Key West’s Mallory Square, Will Soto has definitely left his mark and his legacy on the world of street theater.

In this episode Magic Brian talks with the infectious bubble of energy that is Abi Collins. In their conversation, Abi talks about how she started as a dancer, got her masters in drama, but discovered her interest in street theater when she saw Stompy performing at her first Glastonbury then meeting David Cassel there the following year setting her off on her path to being a street performer. She credits David with teaching her everything she knows about street performing and how he convinced her to write her first show on a train ride from Poland to Belgium. She talks about getting a wake up call when she first started working the street in Melbourne, how she offended a crowd with gigantic fake boobs, the value of street theater, her novel, due out in March of 2021 called Everybody’s Doing It, and so much more. The conversation is also peppered with some of those great little stories from the pitch that happen when you push the envelope as Abi has done her whole career.

Dino Lampa might not be a name you recognize right away but after you hear his story, I’m sure you’ll know many of the folks he's met along the way. In this conversation, Dino talks about walking on his hands at 10 with no training but only a desire, building his own props, juggling clubs, a unicycle, and juggling with bocce balls, touring through Europe for the first time in 1984, being influenced by Cotton McAloon, being embraced by the performers in Amsterdam, his duo act with Henry Camus currently one half of the act, Full House. We talk about how a car wreck shed light on a shady agency he did shows for and he delves into the evolution of his cook character that he performs as. He talks about his worst year ever and his work towards recovery. His whole story is very inspiring, I hope you enjoy the ride!

In this episode, done in late March of this year, Al Millar connected with the multi-talented Shep Huntly. Shep talks about getting his start by taking an acting course and realizing that circus arts was the path for him. He talks about meeting Lucky Rich who became his mentor and inspiration, bringing Shep with him to Europe for the first time. Shep tells Al about doing a double act with Anthony Livingspace, how he created the Happy Sideshow with Chayne and Frodo, and doing his silent stage show, The Dark Party. Amongst all of this Shep squeezes in a ton of great stories from his 30 year career as a performer.
You can also watch the interview on our YouTube Channel!

This is a short story pulled out of an interview Magic Brian did with Pete Anderson, aka Pete Dobbing, aka Unstable Acts when they were doing a gig in Sharjah back in January. Some of you listening may be familiar with this story, you may have even been there when it happened. It involved Pete, Herbie Treehead, Pepe Mime, and a garbage truck. We'll be posting the full interview with Pete in a few months.

In this episode Al Millar sat down with Kenny Lightfoot to talk about his nearly 40 year career as a street performer starting out doing shows in San Francisco at age 21. If you’ve never seen or met him, Kenny has one of the most unique magic shows on the streets and a finale that you can watch over, and over, and over. He and Al get into some specifics about many of the pitches he’s worked especially in the US, Australia and New Zealand, and they talk about his approach to street performing and building a show. He shares stories about working Pearl Street in Boulder starting back in the 90’s and runs through many of the performers that worked the pitch and talks about how that is where he came up with his very unique finale, throwing a playing card on the roof of a building. He has definitely put his time in on the street, working up from sleeping on a bench, to his car, to a weekly hotel to traveling the world.

In this episode Eric Amber, handy with a recorder at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, runs into the legendary Rumpel, aka Jolly Goodfellow.
It's the rare occasion another performer says that they don’t know who he is or have never met him. More often than not everyone has at least one Rumpel story. He is a one of a kind, true original.
The interview was done at the Edinburgh Fringe, recorded outside of City Café so you can really hear the festival vibe in the background. There are also some great cameos by J.P. Koala, Anthony Livingspace, Dynamike, and Byron Bertram. In their lively conversation, Eric tries to di-mystify some of the accounts of Rumpel’s adventures but much like a politician he talks around the answers keeping the truth a mystery. Among many other things, they talk about his car accident, his time with Crique, getting a nose job, why he does marathon shows, and staying with Tiny Tim for three months. It’s got to be one of the most entertaining interviews we’ve had on Stories From The Pitch and it’s no wonder with Rumpel as the subject.

In this episode I spoke with someone who is not a street performer but has had to deal with street performers for many years, Andy Meldrum. Many of you know him from The Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he is the Street Events Manager, others may have met him working a gig for Dolphin Creative. I thought it appropriate to release this episode in August since this is the first time in the history of the Edinburgh Fringe festival it is not happening and Andy has been such a big part of it, especially for the street performers.
I talked to him in January back when the pandemic was centered in China and as far as anyone knew, the festival was going on as usual. I was doing a gig in Sharjah and he was kind enough to sit down and chat with me, I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Andy and learn about how he went from working the box office at the Gilded Balloon at 17 to his 11 year stint as Street Events manager, and living a life he never thought he’d have.

Al Millar traveled to Kanab, Utah to talk with Bob Besmehn, aka Bob At Large. Bob is one of the hardest working street performers I’ve ever met. I first met him in on Pearl Street in Boulder in 2002, he was the most welcoming performer on the pitch and had a hilarious show that involved a treadmill, amongst many other things. This was early in his street performing career when he displayed just about every skill he had, and he has many. They talk about him starting out and becoming obsessed with juggling at 13, doing the odd gigs, working construction for a time before joining the Jordan International Circus as a teenager. He talks about going to the Adelaide Fringe for the first time and working in Oz where he really tightened up his show. If you’ve never met Bob he is a friendly, down to earth kind of guy and his personality really comes through in this conversation.

In this episode Eric Amber has a very interesting conversation with Mat Boden when they were at the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer of 2019. They touch on so many different things from his start on South Bank in London manipulating a glass ball, how to evolve as a performer, his philosophy on the art of street theater, using conflict to your advantage, art vs. craft, and so much more. I spoke to Eric about the interview and he said Mat is the Pepe of his generation. He felt he was a throwback to the past generation of street performing when Eric first started out in the early 90’s. He pointed out his edginess and anything goes approach to performing. If you’re not aware, Mat has been doing a series on Facebook Live called Whining on with Mat. He has interviewed loads of street performers, many of the legends in our field. See the link in the notes section of this episode.

Al Millar talks with Mad Chad Taylor over a meal during the Halifax Busker Festival in 2019. It was Chad’s first festival in 18 years and you can easily feel his enthusiasm and energy in this interview. He talks about getting his start at age 13, working the pitch at Venice Beach, one of the notoriously hardest pitches to work in the world, and how he first got into chainsaw juggling. He talks about his early influences, working the college market and a great story about getting on the Tonight Show. He also talks about his documentary, Buskers for Love or Money.

In this episode I talk to Rob Collins. I was staying with him and his family in York, England for about a week in July of 2019. I’ve known Rob for years but I never knew his whole story. He talked about being inspired to perform by his brother who was doing a street dance show, his duo show with Bendy Em, and being in Australia when they were cracking down on international acts. We talked about the big step in his career when he convinced his wife to quit her horrible job and basically become his manager which got him more festivals than he’d ever had. We also chat about his company, Covent Garden Entertainment that has been booking acts internationally for several years, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

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Episode Notes:



Interview by: Isaac GiardinInterviewee: The Red Trouser ShowOriginal Recording Date: September, 2019Date Aired: May 1, 2020Music: Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording.Closing Music:“Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on the ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording.Mixed and edited by: Al Millar and Magic Brian for The Busker Hall of Fame



Links:Winnipeg Circus ClubPrairie Circus Arts Whining on with Public Performers

Eric Amber journeyed from Calgary, Canada to Edinburgh, Scotland where he caught up with the seemingly illusive, Dyna-Mike. As with most interviews conducted by Eric this one goes many places. Mike talks about starting out at 16 doing acrobatics and juggling with a partner, being a Mormon and leaving the religion, producing the Vancouver Busker festival, getting rid of his giant unicycle in favor of working on a silent show, the thought of quitting busking, and the power street performing has for an audience. This is just the tip of the ice-burg. It was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2019.

In this bonus episode I got on a Skype chat with the two new inductees voted into the Busker Hall of Fame, Al (Alakazam) Millar and Jim of The Jim Show. In the midst of this pandemic I wanted to talk to them about their thoughts on the situation, the future of street theater, as well as talking a little bit about their history and when they first met. Al also talks about the posthumous inductee, Sam Scurfield who passed away in December, 2019.