Fellow buskers, I shall explain my snappy title! Before I was a busker I was a teacher of English Literature and being so, such phrases of wit and humor as expressed by the wraiths above would always jump out at me whilst I was woolgathering! The 19th Century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, I’ve always liked and I know why:
His name seems similar to mine – it’s a simple as that!
My name is Neil Fredrick; his name is Friedrich Nietzsche.
As for the 20th Century French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, I’ve really no connection; he was really, really smart!
And Sumer is Icumen In is from the English Middle Ages, that same time from whence cumen, 14th Century English writer, Geoffrey Chaucer, from whence cumen my Chaucerian Parade (which shall begin in the very next paragraph). I just love the Sumer is Icumen In: Lhu-de Sing Cuc-cu! Fellow buskers, this is we – as Summer is coming in: Loud, we cuckoos sing!
Not only does busking provide for me a pot of coins, it more importantly provides a parade of metaphorically rich characters very necessary for my blog!
***Fellow buskers, if ever you have tales and characters from your own Chaucerian Parades that you would like to share with the world -- (at last count this blog is read in 102 countries), please send them to:
child@accesscomm.ca.
Thank you! (And no attachments, please.)
And here is my Chaucerian Parade of characters from this last week of parking lot busking:
- · The cool cat wearing the cool shades while still seated in his Chevrolet Cavalier commanding me, Play! Then I’ll give you some money!
- · The strung-out beery who kept insisting that I go over to his place and tune his twelve-string guitar!
- · The cadge who wanted me to fix the bridge on his banjo.
- · The tittuping hippy, hippy lass who wandered over to say hello and If I had some money I’d give you some.
- · The young and eloquent, Josh Allen, the first person to whom I’ve given my blog business card!
- · Do you take drive-through? asked a laughing man who pulled in really too close for comfort and tossed two toonies into my banjitar case from his driver’s window!
- · The rapscallion who grabbed my banjitar stating, I gotta play this thing!
- · The Jesus Freak who used to be a busker clown in Vancouver, Canada.
- · No, thank you! said the very generous lady in response to my usual and perfunctory, Thank you, Ma’am.
- · You’d better have a permit for that! firmly stated the municipal police officer who actually stopped to issue this warning and shake his finger ... in the midst of his hot pursuit of a shoplifter who within seconds of this verbal and visual threat, he wrestled to the pavement and handcuffed!
And a few Psychology Candies to crunch on -- from Nietzsche, Sartre, and Chaucer:
- · Without music, life would be a mistake (Nietzsche).
- · All those who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music (Nietzche).
- · If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company (Sartre).
- · There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk (Sartre).
- · The lyf so short, the craft to long to lerne, the’ assay so hard, so sharp the conqueryinge (Chaucer).
Sumer is Icumen In: Lhu-de sing Cuc-cu!
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