Mai Dinh Toi - Mr. Amazing

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

So, here's how the story starts. I was working as a casting assistant for one of those big talent show reality programs as they came through The City. It's a pretty crushing experience, thousands of aspiring people pinning their dreams on this one shot crowding into a hotel on an overcast San Francisco day. I try not to be cynical about it, these people have dreams just like I do and for one of them, this will be the break of a lifetime.

But even though I tell myself this over and over again, sometimes I need an escape. That's where 'the run' comes in. The production staff needs something and I'm their monkey. I get to go outside, I don't have to spend uncomfortable moments while contestants try and size me up to see if I'm important enough to butter up (I'm not). It's fifteen to thirty minutes of minor freedom while I run to nearby store and pick up supplies.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

It's on one of these runs where I turn onto Market from 5th street on my way to one of the three Walgreens within a few blocks of each other when I saw him. A Vietnamese man is fiddling with a MiniDisc player rigged to a small amp with what looks like a chrome leaf blower over his shoulder that he's holding like a guitar. Because, as it turns out, it was.

I had just started doing the interviews, I had gotten the Lowery Brothers the week before and had just talked Kevin into coming along with me to do the photos. But I was on my actual job at the moment, I couldn't drop everything and do this interview even if I had my recording gear and photographer. I approached him to see if he'd be back the next day when I knew both me and Kevin would be free. Unfortunately, he did not speak English but a nice woman from Vietnam stepped forward to translate for me and the arrangements were made for both of them to be back so I could do the interview.

I had assumed that the woman, who introduced herself as Trang, was related to the performer. No, she clarified, that's Mai Dinh Toi who is a nationally famous composer in Vietnam and she just happened to recognize him. I have to admit, I was thinking "Okay...famous...", but what you'll hear in the beginning of the recording where I let Trang introduce herself before translating for Mai Dinh Toi is an excited conversation between Toi and a group of Vietnamese people. I had asked her if he knew them and she looked at me squarely and repeated, "He is famous in Vietnam." By famous, she meant famous.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

And I could see why. In addition to his motorcycle engine guitar he had a garden hose flute, PVC nose flutes, a Heineken bottle pan flute, and a rice bowl bells. This is apparently a small sampling of his collection of instruments made from found objects. Reminiscent of Harry Partch riding rails and leaving new instruments with people along the way, Mai Dinh Toi has decided to take his experimental instruments on a street tour of the US and decided to start in San Francisco.

You're going to hear Trang talk about 'Guinnesses' that he has, what she's referring to is an entry in the Vietnam Guinness Book for his instruments and the World Guinness book.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

While he was performing he was approached by a police officer who was concerned about his use of amplification. But a crowd had gathered already eager to hear what his bizarre collection of instruments sounded like and Kevin was able to step in and talk to the officer on Toi's behalf allowing him to continue playing. Trang mentioned later that it had been difficult to get the performance permit for amplification and he was doing what he could.

It was a struggle, his MiniDisc player ran through a series of worn adapters into the small practice amp along with the mics for the various instruments. No mixer, just both things patched into the tiny amp. He often had to start and stop trying to get the connections to work or the right backing track cued up.

When he did work it out, it was amazing to watch. Few of the performers we interviewed were able to command as large an audience as he was able to as people stopped on their way in or out of the Westfield Mall or to and from lunch.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

Mai Dinh Toi had performed in concert halls for big ticket recitals but felt that his music was for the people, all the people, so he took it to them. And they were happy to hear it and see it.

So, this is it. These are my street performer interviews. I enjoyed doing them and I wish I could have made them into the grandiose thing I wanted them to be, but I'm glad to have at least shared what I had and I hoped you enjoyed it. I hope that it brings a little light on to the incredible performances around you and if you're in San Francisco or any other city with street performers you stop and check some of this stuff out. And be sure to throw a bill or two into their hats, they deserve it. Thanks for reading.

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Jerome - Drums

Jerome Photo: Kevin Hazelton

First of all, two admissions. First is that I lost my notes and I don't know how to spell Jerome's last name. The second, we clearly caught Jerome on a bit of a bad day. We tried our best to not press the street performers who did not want to take part in the project, though we rarely encountered resistance. But we were taking up their time and if they weren't playing they weren't earning so we tried to take no as no. Somewhere the communication broke down with Jerome, I think he wanted to take part but just didn't like the way we were going about it. Ultimately he did agree to participate and we tried to keep things short.

He only had four hours in Larry "Bucketman" Hunt's spot and he was trying to make the most of it. We guessed that like the Lowery Brothers he had been moved from his other spots. Drums are a little trickier than most instruments, whether they are regular drums or buckets, in that they have to be packed up and set up, they take up more sidewalk and separates the performer from the passerbys. Plus, they are not particularly melodic, but rhythm is one of the things that effect us on a more primal level, so they have that going for them.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

Jerome had just returned to The City after staying in Japan for over a decade. He was on his way back through the states to catch up with friends. Shortly after we wrapped our interview someone approached having recognized him from years past. And that's sort of where it clicked. We were a little soured, we had upset a performer when we were really trying not to and it had effected our attitude a little bit, but here was a performer who was not the most unique (that's the next one) or most dynamic, but he was recognized and his absence was noted.

Because street performers matter. They matter to the city and the people who have to spend their time in it. They add to the texture and feel of the urban experience in San Francisco and any other city that has a street performing community. The addition of music and performance adds something to the life of the city where they perform. And like magic, we felt good about what we were doing again.

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Larry Hunt - The Bucketman

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

When I decided to do this project there were a few things that happened that sort of reinforced my notion that this was important enough. One of those I linked in the opening post on the project about Joshua Bell playing in a subway. The movie The Soloist came out. But perhaps the most affirming was the beginning of The Bucketman Campaign. From a blog post (one that gets more hits than I do...), people managed to unite to take care of what I had rightly started to consider a city treasure, our street performers. In this case, the famous Larry Hunt, or as we all know him, Bucketman.

It's easy, once you meet him, to understand why he particularly became beloved. He's just a genuely happy guy to be around. Even when he's scolding his compatriat, a man doing James Brown sing-a-longs complete with mic stand acrobatics who almost hits a passerby with it he's upbeat and likable. He's trying to tell him to conserve his voice because they have a street performer all-star band performance in Union Square later that day.

Oh yeah, he heads an all star street performer band that performs in Union Square. Ideally, I had wanted to cap off this whole thing by filming one of those concerts. Instead, I can only hope they are still going on and encourage anyone who reads this to seek them out.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

Hunt is also a tireless promoter. Talk to him for a minute you'll get his list of credits, starting with Will Smith's Pursuit of Happyness among other film and television appearances. Honestly, if you're watching a show that takes place in San Francisco you can tell if it's filmed in the city or not by whether or not they include a shot of Mr. Hunt.

His notoriety was such that I was sure he wouldn't need me, but I was wrapping up my first interview with the Supa Lowery Brothers when I turned to see Bucketman politely waiting for me. He quickly shook my hand and introduced himself and asked what I was doing and more importantly that I should do it with him. He gave me the times and places I could find him and any other information he could hurry out and seemed genuinely excited to participate even after I told him I was just some guy and hadn't even started the website yet. None of that mattered, he was anxious to tell me his story as he is anyone else who might ask.

Photo: Kevin Hazelton

A little less of a novelty then Bushman, Bucketman is still an attraction all unto himself. He is kind of an elder statesman of street performers, treating each of them that he encountered (at least three stopped by to see him) with respect and handing out advice when asked. He maintained a schedule that sort of worked like an unofficial version of the Port Authority's that allowed other performers to use his highly valuable space (a drummer had just wrapped up his time in Bucketman's slot, the James Brown singer filled in spots when Mr. Hunt would talk to tourists).

It was my job in San Francisco often to take visiting television crews on site seeing tours to get what they call 'b-roll' of San Francisco and the list was always the same...Coit Tower, Lombard St., Golden Gate Bridge/Fort Point, occasionally the Painted Ladies...etc etc. When you come to San Francisco you'll likely have a similar list. Let me add for you 4th and Market in the mid to late afternoon. Coit Tower is just a tower, Lombard isn't even the most crooked street in the city, the bridge is awesome enough, but it's still a bridge. Bucketman, on the other hand, is a man who enthusiastically plays paint buckets and will actually welcome you to the city. Check him out.

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