Busking on Blisters - Chapter 10

Busking On Blisters

By Paul McCann

Chapter 10

The Back Of Beyond    

Rita joined a cluster group in the church community and tithed a portion of her wage each week to go towards paying running costs . She told me that I would always be in her thoughts and prayers . It was great to have met Rita and the people on the crusade .  As a busker it also gave me the opportunity to give my talent freely and share some songs with others . While we are here on earth we get so wrapped up in life . What we give freely I have found always comes back in different ways .

Above the clouds and far away and on my way back to Australia .  I gazed around me at some of the people in the seats of the jet . They looked like an audience waiting for the show to begin . I wanted to do some busking but my guitar was in the cargo hold . Most of the passengers sat in their seats with headphones for company and magazines to read but they were unable to see beyond the horizon to a world of imagination where strange creatures drove their colourful far out cars along the highway to the stars .       

The early morning sunrise coated the huge wings of the 747 gold and below the plane a clouded carpet of white stretched out like a desert as far as the eye could see. My thoughts drifted to think about Luke Skywalker and I imagined that he was leaving footsteps through the sky for others to follow .

 

It’s only when you leave a place are you able to see the qualities that it has .

I missed the people and places where I lived in Australia and as I sat there in my seat on a jet taking me back to my home I reflected about what makes Australia  unique in many ways . The places and people , the wildlife and wilderness , the weather and way of life . There is no where on earth like Australia and you can hear it when the kookaburras giggle and see it when the frill neck lizards wriggle .

You’ll smile at the sight of a kangaroo jumping and relax a while to didgeridoo tunes pumping out a sound like an echo of a lonesome holler in a hole .

You'll walk down a dusty track with bush flies hitch hiking rides on your back out in the sticks where no one ever goes . You’ll see a wild dingo chase the brumby and on a Sunday far away you can get a cold tinnie in your hand . You can throw a throw boomerang in the  outback , see a crocodile in a creek , but  if you should ever see the waratahs flying like some pretty pink galahs , you better get yourself a flying doctor while you can .

You'll find almost every night, people will tell you she’ll be right , no worries mate .

Australian people are easy going . They enjoy sport and the outdoor life .
Bathers and splashers in the surf , mad punters playing on the turf .

In the country there are farmers battling the drought , cutting the cane , gathering in crops , shearing sheep in dusty sheds covered in sweat and dirt . All guts and no fear , mustering cattle and going droving . In the cities , smog fills the air and there are traffic jams everywhere , blocking up the streets where nothing moves at a steady pace . In the suburbs mums and dads grow herbs grow in small pots and salad produce in back yard gardens where the barby waits patiently underneath a blue sunny sky .

Native Australians are very tolerant with how their country has been invaded by new Australians who are immigrants from all over the world . Irish, English, Scottish, Slavic's , Spaniards , Asians , Arabs , Jews and Greek . All living together in peace as present day pioneers . Cultural diversity is something that brings challenges and also many rewards . The benefits of a multicultural society are many and it brings change in attitudes and lifestyles . Other changes Australians have got used to are living with a climate that is also filled with challenges over the four seasons that bring bushfires , floods and droughts . Most of the population in Australia live around the coast leaving the massive interior inhabitable.

On my return to Australia I wanted to do some busking in the country towns and in states far beyond where I had ever been before .

 

After the long flight from London the place touched down in Sydney . I was met by my sister and bushing muso friend Chris was living in and looking after my flat in the Western suburbs . It was good to be back home in Sydney but I couldn’t wait to get back on the road to do some busking .

The morning after I arrived I got up and cooked breakfast .

Chris smelt the bacon and eggs and came to join me .After we ate ,  I sat at the table looking through some magazines while Chris was washing up the breakfast dishes. He was humming away to himself .

“Has it got words ? I asked ‘

Chris stopped washing up and said  , 

“What do you mean ?” 

I smiled and  replied

“Your tune .“ 

 Chris had a smirk on his face  .

“No , its just something that’s been in my head you know . It started as a whistle amd ended up to be a hum   .”

I said .

“You know what Chris I think you should keep humming it but give it some words . Its a catchy tune you have there Chris  .“

He replied , 

 “Thanks Paul . I must have heard it on the radio or somewhere . It’s in my head and I can’t get it out ?

I  tried not to laugh and said .

“You know what I’m thinking, maybe you should enter that TV show , Australia Idol or the X Factor and hum them that tune Chris . “

He actually took me serious and replied . 

“I’d be too nervous to get up in front of those people and I’d probably forget the tune so its best I let  that one go .”

I almost burst out laughing but composed myself and said . 

“ You might have a future there Chris , like a champion hummer .”

Chris nodded and replied ,

“Ok , that’s enough . By the way , thanks for letting me  stay here in the flat . How long can I stay ?”
I smiled and said ,

“I’m thinking about heading up north to do some busking in Coffs Harbour.”

He replied ,’

“Are you for real mate . You’ve just got back .“

I nodded and then said .

“It’s in my blood now and I can’t settle Chris. So you’re welcome to stay on here for a few weeks until I return .”   

“That’s mad as. “

He said .“

 

“ Maybe but Its something I want to do . Maybe on Friday we’ll have a barbecue and get some of our mates over , I’m thinking . We could have a few drinks and sing a few songs. Kind of a welcome home get together Chris .“

Chris was excited and replied ,

“Ok then , no problem , a barbecue with the boys .”

“So let’s get what we need for the barbecue .“

I said and Chris replied ,

“Ok so let’s make a list ”

I wrote a few things on a list then stood up . Checked my wallet and counted out about a hundred dollars and said  .

“First thing we need to do is clean up around outside and check if the barbecue is clean and ready to go . Then we’ll head of to the supermarket.“

Chris started to hum that tune again to himself and pretended to be on that TV show as he was saying .

“Thank you for inviting me on Australian Idol , my name is Chris and tonight I am going to hum a tune that has been going through my head , it’s called The Humming Something Blues .“

We both started laughing .

Friday came and went and I was on the road to Coffs Harbour in the van .

I had always loved busking in Coffs Harbour . There was a brilliant atmosphere there with the locals and tourists . You see the best side of people when they are relaxed and in a holiday mood . They appreciate things like music and the arts . They go to the movies or see a show . People need that kind of thing , it helps them to defuse and gives an escape from their everyday routine .

I had no plan where to go next and thought to just drive north until the road came to an end . I needed time to reflect on things . Time to let the dust settle . Time to surface . After three years busking on the streets I needed to get away to the back of beyond where there was no one and nothing , just a sanctuary of space and a place to see where I had been  .

From Coffs harbour I headed north to the Gold coast . I spent some time busking in the evening on the street and watching the tourists enjoy themselves . The Gold Coast has so many attractions , the busker was just the invisible man . I like being there . It’s something I knew how to do well  .

 

I believe in sharing for the greater good of all and I accept what ever comes along , It can be a struggle to get acceptance with busking however as often as possible I like to sing and play my guitar to different faces in different places . Where ever I go its like an open invitation from  a buskers banquet and blessings do come down .
The music of what goes on is here and gone and for those who are listening it touches the heart and soul , The busker tries hard to be part of that somehow ,  
somewhere . Far beyond whatever expectations people have, the reality of hopes and dreams are measured by the talents and gifts we share with others .

 

 

From the Gold Coast I headed north to the busy town of Bundaberg and I began to see the big blue sky in Queensland . It hard to appreciate how big Australia is until you see it from behind the wheel of a car  . It takes time to appreciate the people and places in the world where we live . If you have the time to see it . There are always so many people out there waiting to hear the busker . The audience can become a single person . That way its more personal . I always had that thought everywhere I went .

I took a drive on the Booyan ramp where the Kolan river flows with my guitar in a tinnie boat where mangroves are exposed . An old man from the jetty took me upstream for a while . I played my guitar with his didgeridoo to the barramundi who lived nearby . I was singing about  a possum and a kangaroo I had seen one day .

It was a little like a country song with a twangy kind of style . The chorus was a simple one, it went a little diddle dawdle do and a little paddle diddle daddle to the sound of a didgeridoo. Busking in a tinnie boat where the Kolan river flows , with the gum trees lining up along the banks and the creeks somewhere in between . In that place where the wind was saddled to the landscape the River flowed and we had a beer and started to smile as if we knew how good it was to be alive . It was the feeling you get , when everything you do makes everything worthwhile .

Next day I headed north to Rockhampton and then Mackay on a stretch of road without no bend just a straight road . The locals call it the horror stretch because many people have fallen asleep at the wheel there . I met an old couple in Sydney , Malcolm and Dot who told me to go to Hamilton island near Mackay . They had a niece who married into the Oatley family . Bob Oatley bought the island and I was told it was well worth seeing . Life on Hamilton Island was dreamlike and a fantastic experience . I got back on the road heading north to Townsville where I drove through the sticks . I used to hear people talking about out in the sticks when they spoke of the outback but never knew what that meant until I saw it with my own eyes On both sides of the road all the trees had died and all that remained where these sticks in the ground that littered the ground for miles and miles .

 When I reached Cairns I did some busking around trinity beach before driving on to Port Douglas  . It wasn’t long after that when I ran out of road . I had gone as far as my car could take me and my journey was at an end .

I sang a song at the end of the road and felt a hunger I couldn’t fill . My passion for busing was something that became a lifeline fo9r my survival .

It gave a reason why I did the things I  do .

Life is just for a brief moment of time and then it’s gone . Its like a song that begins and ends , leaving a message for everyone who has heard it . Without that song there would be an emptiness in the world . Without inspirations and dreams there would be no music  . We need to surrender to the music of life and accept it into our lives . The busker is only one of the tools that can make the magic happen . As long as there are buskers who share their talents to the world , we are all the wealthier of for that experience . A song or a dance , a magician , street theatre or an artist who comes to give freely to others something of themselves on the streets where they have found a stage to express life and love , in a unique way just to remind us that the performance of the arts is an important life source that helps us to reflect ay a different dimension to our existence .

 

Looking back at the roads I had walked and the corners and laneways I that I stood  busking and I wondered if anyone who would ever follow my footsteps and if they did I would love to meet them . On strange streets , I found a welcome that will always be in my heart and met strange people who treated me as if they had known me all my life .

I am the busking man who came to play for you in your city and country town . I hope you enjoyed my music and thank you for being there . I hope I passed the audition .

For those who stopped and listened thank you , My heart was in your hands.

You were the salt to banquet , the taste that will always linger with me as the years go by . People are very important to the busker .  The audience of givers , the receivers of music and song .  The passer’s by who stopped , the strangers who welcomed me as a friend . For all those who kept my dream alive and fed my passion you are why I did what I did  .

There was always someone with a smile and a kind word to say . Its time for me to heal my blisters , have forty winks , put my feet up and chill out . Thanks to all the trendsetters , teenyboppers , punks , thinkers . heavies , gothics and givers , lovers , glams and other buskers .  I wish you all happiness , health and harmony .      

It’s quiet now and I’m able to hear my thoughts of love and peace . My thoughts of then and now and how it was when , I went busking . Thoughts that come and thoughts that go , like the waters of life  always running from the edge of time . They will shine like the sun where ever I go

and if ever I get caught up somewhere between the high and low , I will hold on to that thought .

The breath I take is free , the songs I sing are part of me and I will always keep those in my heart , I will never let them go . No encores please , I’m off now to give some  precious thoughts in the little time I have left .

   

The End

 

Busking On Blisters By Paul McCann - 

Link to Forward

.https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/busking-blisters-forward

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