Bitter satisfaction
Street performers torn between business and artistic interests

by Shirley Lau

“English!” a girl yelled.

“Half-English and half- German!” a man called out.

“Oh, it will be more challenging to sing in the bilingual version. I’ll have a try,” said Mr. Kennedy, who picked up his guitar and started to sing. Drawing attracts Westerners more than Chinese.

Tired of office life, he resigned from his job as an architect three months ago. He plays music on the streets or in clubs in Central and takes other part-time job instead.

To him, performing in a street concert is of great fun. It gives him a chance to perform songs that other artists normally would not.

“I play music in the Fringe Club every three months, and I perform a lot of songs written by myself. But here at Gold Coast, I have to sing pieces of other famous singers so as to attract the audience. This is interesting.”

Mr. Simon Stipe, 24, a wandering artist from America who has been in Hong Kong only for two weeks, earns his living solely by performing on the streets.

He can make funny sounds by hitting his tummy and throat, and imitating the voice of a parrot. He usually performs in Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.

“I learned the skill from a street performer in New York and then started part-time performance when I was 19 years old.”

Like Mr. Kennedy, he was not satisfied with the monotonous lifestyle of sticking to one job. Therefore, he started travelling around the world and worked as a full-time street performer after graduation.

To him, performing in the public is a great experience. “I enjoy showing off my talent in public. I get a lot of satisfaction when I see people laugh and applaud for my performance.

“Besides, I feel free while performing on the street. No audience actually pays for my show, so nobody has any expectations or demands. I can perform in any style I like,” he said.

The field of street performing is not dominated by Westerners.

Mrs. Joanna Leung is a Chinese artist who sings Chinese opera in Temple Street.

In fact, singing Chinese opera is Mrs. Leung’s greatest interest. Even in times of emotional distress, she still continues her performances.

“Once I am on stage, I sing my best and forget all my troubles,” said she.

Said Mr. Kennedy: “When I perform in clubs, I feel good to learn that people are coming to listen to my songs, and I can do whatever I want to do.”

Although many performers are interested in showing their talent in public, they still demand public involvement.

“Sometimes I have to be friendly and make the audience happy. I have to select songs of my own that are easy on the ear to them, as well as other popular songs like those of Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

“If they give no response, I still go on singing. But of course I would be upset if nobody listened to my songs,” he explained.

Street performing is also a business to an extent.

According to Mr. Stipe, the most difficult thing is how to make people happy and at the same time, to “get money from their pockets”.

“I usually perform on busy streets or in subways. Many passers-by do not bother to stop and take a look at my performances.

“Those who do watch my performance do not necessarily pay me money. I certainly appreciate their applause. But it would be much better if they paid me,” he said.

According to Mr. Stipe, he earns about $150 per day in Hong Kong, while in the United States, he could earn as much as $400.

Mr. Ma, 35, a professional painter who declined to state his full name, probably understands Mr. Stipe’s difficulty.

Working for several studios as a painter, he does street painting on a part-time basis.

Every night at about 8 p.m., he places his best paintings, which are portraits of celebrities like Andy Lau and Leon Lai, on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, and waits for customers. However, very often, not even one customer stops to ask about his work even though he may have waited all night.

“Most people just stop and have a quick look at my work and then walk away,” said Mr. Ma.

“The income I get from street painting is around $300 a month, which is definitely not enough for me to live on,” said he.

Like Mr. Stipe, Mr. Ma’s paintings do not arouse much interest among Chinese. Most of his customers are Westerners.

He speculated that Westerners are equipped with more interest and knowledge about art than many Chinese.

“There are some people, mainly foreigners, who think that I am not a very talented artist. Out of sympathy, they sometimes give me hundreds of dollars without asking me to draw anything. It seems ridiculous, but I really appreciate that,” Mr. Ma said.

To Mrs. Leung, income does not seem as big a problem, as she revealed that she usually receives $100 for a one-night show. However, she said this amount is pitifully small when compared with that some 10 years ago.

“ Less and less people pay me to make request. I guess this has something to do with the poor economic conditions of Hong Kong,” she said.

The unattractive income of the occupation undermines the morale of many street performers.

Mr. Kennedy said that he might now consider no longer playing music on the street, although he loved it.

“I may eventually go back to the field of architecture, because I can’t make a decent standard of living with street performing,” said he.

On the other hand, Mr. Ma does not want to quit his part-time job of street painting — however small the income is.

Said Mr. Ma: “I love art so much. Even though there are few customers, I have never thought of giving it up.

“I am confident that I will become a well-known artist if there is sufficient patronage. The idea may not realised, but I will still go on practising and waiting.”

January 1996