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Rex Boyd
I was born in Texas, but moved to Kansas City in 1977 at the age of 11. That year was my first trip to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. I don't remember much of what I saw that year, but a few years later at the age of 17 I was working at the same Renfest as a street character/wanabee juggler when I met Bryan Wendling and Scott Burton performing as "Sideshow." They had just won the teams competition at that year's juggling convention so you can imagine what a mind boggling site they were to a beginning juggler like myself. Even today I am no where near as skilled as they were back in 1983. ( I have to admit that I have given up on skill actually, but I still love watching those guys juggle. ) I also met Stevie G at the Renfest. He now lives in Zurich performing with his partner Susie Q. Another brilliant performer there was a mime named Danny Lord.
A couple of years later I went to the first Buskerfest in Key West Florida where I saw the Butterfly Man, Gazzo, Johnny Fox, Murph, Avner the Eccentric and numerous other established acts who inspired me and who I still look up to as great performers some 14 years later. The other young, fresh-faced guys at that festival were Brian Hulse and Mickey O'Connor who are both still at it today. Around that same time period I took a couple of trips to Boulder, Colorado and got to see Airjazz doing their annual, one-off street show. They were perfect as you can imagine.
In 1988 I spent a year working Covent Garden in London when I seriously got involved in street performing. For the next 6 years I travelled just about non-stop doing street, festivals, and fringes in Australia, NZ, Canada, UK, and a bit in the States. During those days I met a lot of people who I still condsider my closest friends, even if they rarely hear from me and may not realize that I hold them in such high esteem. Some of them may even visit these bulletin boards on occasion.
I have lived in England the past 6 years and have settled down to doing mostly gigs (indoors and outdoors), but I can think of no place I would rather be than at a big street performers festival, watching other great acts, hanging out, and being a bit creative. Luckily, I still get the chance to do that every once in a while, if not as often as I'd like.
I hope to meet you all out there some day.
Rex
A couple of years later I went to the first Buskerfest in Key West Florida where I saw the Butterfly Man, Gazzo, Johnny Fox, Murph, Avner the Eccentric and numerous other established acts who inspired me and who I still look up to as great performers some 14 years later. The other young, fresh-faced guys at that festival were Brian Hulse and Mickey O'Connor who are both still at it today. Around that same time period I took a couple of trips to Boulder, Colorado and got to see Airjazz doing their annual, one-off street show. They were perfect as you can imagine.
In 1988 I spent a year working Covent Garden in London when I seriously got involved in street performing. For the next 6 years I travelled just about non-stop doing street, festivals, and fringes in Australia, NZ, Canada, UK, and a bit in the States. During those days I met a lot of people who I still condsider my closest friends, even if they rarely hear from me and may not realize that I hold them in such high esteem. Some of them may even visit these bulletin boards on occasion.
I have lived in England the past 6 years and have settled down to doing mostly gigs (indoors and outdoors), but I can think of no place I would rather be than at a big street performers festival, watching other great acts, hanging out, and being a bit creative. Luckily, I still get the chance to do that every once in a while, if not as often as I'd like.
I hope to meet you all out there some day.
Rex
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