Chicagoist: Lunchtime Diversion: Drumming Excellence

BuckWild11

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:50:19 -0600

I can't stand the noise that these kids make. Michigan Av., Wrigley Field, outside United Center, at a Notre Dam basketball game in South Bend, IN as the halftime "performance". Mark me in the "hater" column.

smussy

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:35:22 -0600

guess i'm always devil's advocate here. i LOVE these guys .. and i think it's really these specific guys, cause their cadence and rhythm patterns seem pretty consistent. i've lived here 11 years and just like the skyline, i never fail to get chills when i happen upon these kids -- it's real skill they're showcasing here. it *is* a "performance." i'd be hard pressed to come up with 6 or 7 musicians i know who could do what they do ... with such skill and precision. not to mention the various improvisation that goes into it as well. of COURSE they ask for money -- and why not? it does more for my day than the random person asking for change or some of the random pieces of art around the city. they're living, breathing human beings that are expending energy doing something that's pretty remarkable. i don't know how anyone could ascertain that they're not "good people." as far as the noise ... i don't know. i work RIGHT next to the el at the rockwell stop. people in our office are always asking me if the train bugs me ... frankly, i don't even notice it most of the time. and it runs a lot during rush hour. i think you focus on what you want to focus on. if something makes you mad, you're going to focus in on it like a laser beam. i love the el, so it doesn't bother me. i don't know how people who work downtown can let the bucket boys become a sole point of noise focus. at some point, i'd think it's just gotta fade into the background. yeah, the bucket boys. i'm definitely in the "i'm not a hater" column. i'd love to know if they would like professional music jobs or what their dreams are for the rest of their lives. they've got something special that if harnessed more specifically, could yield some pretty magnificent returns.

matilda

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:25:39 -0600

Serious question: For those workers who've had to endure this, how did you deal with it? Earphones? Supreme ability to focus on other matters? I can't imagine.

JessNevins

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:15:17 -0600

It's kind of the marker between someone who is downtown to work and someone who is there to shop and gawk. Tourists love the "flair", people working for a living are getting migraines. They also beg like CRAZY and get really aggressive after a "performance". To note, I dig buskers on the el platforms and other wandering musical types. Most of them are good people.

jumbochicagoan

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:15:05 -0600

Does anyone else appreciate our famous Chicago drawbridges featured in the background of this video? Ding...ding...ding...ding...ding...

schwars1

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:02:35 -0600

I used to work at the Art Institute and these guys would stake out a spot right out in front of the stairs and drive us nuts. One day I saw the cops driving north on Michigan Ave and they pulled over right at Adams to "chat" with the boys. They took off running, jumping behind the lions and through the gardens and such...with the cops right on their heels. All of us working in the Art Institute cheered and got some peace for the rest of the day.

DROOO

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:26:50 -0600

agreed. can't they figure out how to use different buckets to add some variety to the sound?? shit gets mad annoying after HOURS of hearing it.

JessNevins

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:06:47 -0600

Oh, no. I worked downtown for a couple years and these guys drove us INSANE. They would camp out around our block and bang on those damn buckets for HOURS. The cops would shoo them along every 20 minutes, but they'd come back, louder and louder. It's cute when you're walking by I guess, but 2 hours of bucket banging? Our building manager, who was a really nice older guy, would go out and ask them to move on. I saw him do it, he was never rude or mean, just saying that they were really bugging people in the building and asking them to move on after a while. They'd start screaming at him, banging on their drums and surrounding the guy calling him a racist and a "fucking jew". Then run off when the cops came.