{"id":2633,"date":"2016-06-06T11:29:23","date_gmt":"2016-06-06T02:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterdaley.net\/home\/?p=2633"},"modified":"2017-12-08T19:51:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T10:51:40","slug":"busking1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterdaley.net\/home\/busking1\/","title":{"rendered":"Busking at Insadong by Nakwon Music Mall"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have always enjoyed watching buskers perform, and I have\u00a0been fortunate enough over the years to have seen some amazing musicians, magicians, and performers – plus a few real weirdos of course – just by walking down the right (or wrong) street at the right (or wrong) time.<\/p>\n

Even when their performances weren’t exactly in line with my musical tastes, I respected the fact that they had the courage to share with complete and sometimes totally disinterested strangers the things they love doing.\u00a0Regardless of the presence or absence of skills and talents, I was always envious of them and often imagined myself standing in their place, drawing a generous and huge crowd.<\/p>\n

Despite that dream,\u00a0I had never busked until the supportive and professional\u00a0staff behind the\u00a0Nakwon Supporters Program<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>invited\u00a0myself and my fellow 2Much<\/strong><\/a> band mates to do exactly\u00a0that on Seoul’s historic and famous Insadong Street<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>right by Nakwon Music Mall.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Saturday, May 28 was the big day. \u00a0Fellow Nakwon Supporter Mimi Roh<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>started the afternoon’s entertainment with her big red guitar and three songs: “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift and two of her own compositions: “Sparklin’ Bright” and “Ponder The Sky”. I really admire her for writing and performing her own songs.<\/p>\n

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Even if I could write my own songs, performing them would be much, much scarier than performing well-known and much-loved hits. There’s nothing hard about that at all once you learn the song, but performing your own song is, especially while busking, akin to sharing a part of your soul with a bunch of strangers. That takes more courage than I possess.<\/p>\n

My apologies for not filming her set. I was distracted with getting ready for my set which immediately (like within seconds)\u00a0followed hers, but I regret not taking\u00a0the time to enjoy\u00a0her performance. Luckily, there’s a taste of “Sparklin’ Bright” from that day on Facebook, and there lots of videos on\u00a0her\u00a0YouTube channel:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n