New Orleans buskers in exile

[Irina]

Hi, Jim

I wonder - what can international street performers community do for New Orleans street performers and street artists, who, hopefully, will emerge on the dry land within the next week or so. Most of them lost all their worldly possessions and have no place to go and no money. There will be obviously no tourism in New Orleans for the next year or two...I personally started doing fundraising to help my friends, but wouldn't it make sense to organise some sort of centralised fund with charity/non-profit status to help them out financially? Can you do something at your end? If you have non-profit status , we can get internet account and raise funds. There so little business right now in USA with skyrocketing gas prices, the only way you can make any $$ is by asking for donations for hurracane relief...

I have another crazy idea I want to get your opinion and advice on. I heard European countries are trying to help victims of Katrina, but Bush doesn't accept the money. May be these European countries or Art Councils of culturally rich cities can temporarily "adopt" jobless artists and performers from New Orleans - give us work visas and may be help with housing and equipment, so we can take our talents there for a while, till we can go back home? Take Mardi Gras on the road, so to speak...Again, it would be easier to make this kind of appeal not from individuals, but from credible organisation, representing performers.

I will not have net-access for a couple of weeks, so I wanted to share these ideas with you now.

[circusboy90210]

well I ...

know of one new orleans street performer I owe alot of ..... and I wish she would get a hold of me .... things whent wrong ... they should have whent right.... I'm so slack..... hey I don't have much...... do I have to beg.... plead???? really though I would like to hang out and drink some rum, can we talk? Youknow who you are. I have made some big mistakes in my life. I barely know you and I whant and need to know more. you intrique me like a puzzle that I need to ... spaciva. please look me up if you need anything and I will be there for you. Angel

[zoobie]

I can't imagine any performers actually staying in New Orleans right now. I think they've probably hit the road in favor of Key West and Boulder.

I think they may set up a relief fund at the non-profit www.BuskerCentral.com

Not really sure how it would work...

"Yeah man...(cough cough)...I was performing in the Quarter and got wiped out."

"Can you prove this?"

"Uh...no..."

[martin ewen]

correct me if I'm wrong

Zoobie
YOU RUN Buskercentral. (yes/no)
If yes who are 'They' in "they may set up a relief fund."
If no, how do you know they're a non profit?
Are they/you an association? charity?Limited liability?
Exactly what kind of non profit?
Just sort of wondering as I'm kind of getting the impression that your using this tragidy to whore your website.
(Not in the best of moods, must lash out)
See someone saying they were performing in Orleans and got washed out without proof would be similar to someone owning a website and floating the idea (indirectly of course) that that website might be collecting cash proportedly to help out.
You want to put a red cross link up on your site?
go here

http://alvey.weblogsinc.com/2005/09/04/adding-the-red-cross/

[zoobie]

You know..."they"...all those voices in my head.

I happen to think this is a great idea and cause. I just worded it like that because I wanted to get some feedback on how it would actually work.

I also know there will be million of dollars in fraud due to hurricane Katrina.

If I could legitimately get $ into the authentic buskers hands, I would gladly do so. That's why I said "may" in the post before. It simply may not be possible.

First, I would need a concrete plan. Secondly, people would have to actually donate in order to have a fund.

Busker Central doesn't need any promotion as it's in all the major search engines and visted by people from over 75 countries all the time. People are free to download a ton of stuff without obligation of membership.

So I'm looking for ideas...

[martin ewen]

Glad we cleared that up.

There was one popular website that started a fund and you paid them because they wanted your email so that they could send you free stuff (tshirts, stickers etc)
Can't remember the name offhand but about as big as Fark.com.
Paypal froze their account.
So thats out.
You know it comes back to the community thing.
You(and your committee of voices) have a newish website. (That has a lot of work put into it.)
Its a good idea. Personally I have no objection to your lifting one of my vids from my site and putting it in a windows format in your vid gallery. However it is copywritten (as is probably Dan the one man band, Mr Quirk and others)
If you had involved us, by asking for permission, then the beginnings of a community would have formed as in some small way we would have participated in your site.
Some people would have not given you permission but those who did would be assets/allies of a sort.
In my opinion you've eroded your capacity to be trusted with other peoples money by your attitude towards other peoples property.
Your a looter.

[gav]

martin, how do you know he lifted those videos without permision? I got the impression that people wrote to him and asked to have their videos put up there in order to get a bit more promotion.
hopefuly someone with a video up there will clear this up for us.

[martin ewen]

Stop reading so fast

Well because under 'Stilt dancer' (hardly does me any favours with that generic title) My Christchurch buskers piece is up in his gallery.

[gav]

ahh, i see. thats enough evidence for me.
continue to harass the guy by all means
perhaps i'm there too under some generic title.

[Daniel Craig]

Or better yet Gav, a title which tries to capture you but fails completely.

They *may* have a picture of you with a caption that states:

"Tiger-Man juggles."

[gav]

here in zagreb, everybody calls me tiger when I walk by. You think they would be a little better educated about wild african felines.

[martin ewen]

back on topic

I think we should have a party, lets say october 10th in connecticut and if any performer from Orleans can make it then they get the passed hat.

[worldwidese]

I dunno!

Actually, it seems most buskers were already out of here and up north for the season.

I heard that Valentino was airlifted out, and is now in Helena, Georgia?

So far there's only "Willow" out daily, but I noticed Dante (magic) chilling out at a party recently.

Things are starting to return to normal in the French Quarter, most bars are reopened, (some never closed) Many restaurants which have enough staff are also up and running.

All the returned local residents are back hanging out in their favorite spots, and by night all the National Guard guys, and people from NGO's are out and enjoying the hot spots. There are even a few tourists around.

[zoobie]

I heard the fudge packers were resuming production...

Denver Buskerfest Video

[clara]

i'm heading down for new year's and mardi gras...

i'm immensely curious about how it'll be, but am quite positive it'll be glorious fun.

anyone else already head back, and have any specific suggestions?