Nobody Walks in LA:
An Examination of Street Performers
on Hollywood boulevard
Introduction
A few years ago my boyfriend attended the Music Institute in
Hollywood. He and a couple of his friends decided after class that they would
sit on Hollywood boulevard and play the drums on some buckets. Shortly after
they began to play, the street performers and a few in costumes came up to my
boyfriend and his friends and basically told them if they did not leave in five
minutes they would come back and kick their butts. I found this story to be
very interesting. After hearing this story I decided to focus my research on
the social hierarchy within the group of street performers located on Hollywood
boulevard. I also examined the influence the street performers have on the
tourism of the area.
I have not found much academic work on this
group of people. What I have found is that the city does not require them to
have a permit and they are not employed by a service. I approached my research
using a number of techniques including, interviewing, participant observation,
and movement mapping. While completing
my research I was assisted by my main informant who chooses to remain under the
pseudonym Superman. With the help of superman I was able to receive the trust
of many of the performers, this trust allowed me to gain more information from
informal and informal interviews. On all of my visits I chose to do at least
thirty minutes of observation. This is how I chose to start my research because
the variability of the performers provided with a different type of fan base.
I have found that there are
many types of street performances, From my
research I have found that on Hollywood boulevard there are three types of
street performers. The first is and most common are the performers in costumes.
These individuals take on the role as the character that they are playing. They
consider themselves actors. Fully adorned in the costume of the character,
these individuals do not break character. For example, when walking down
Hollywood boulevard you will see Spiderman perched in a squatting position on
top of a coin operated newspaper vending machine. He makes hand motions as if
he were shooting webs then he bounces around the street.
The next form of performers
is the musicians. Within the musicians there are two sub categories. The
character musicians, these are musicians who dress as a certain character and
only play that characters music. For example, one of the musicians dresses up
as Jimi Hendrix. He has his electric guitar in hand plugged into his small amp.
He dressed like Jimi Hendrix and strictly plays Jimi Hendrix. The other
category is the musician who plays their own music. An example of this type of
performer is Drum Master. He is a performer who plays himself and plays
original music.
Last form of street
performer I will examine are the “crowd gatherers”. These individuals are the
performers who will gather a crowd around them. These include but are not
limited to dancers, magicians and jugglers. This group of performers will use
their friendly personalities, music and other forms of entertainment to gather
a large crowd. Once the performer feels the crowd is large enough the performer
will begin the show. Throughout the show the performer will suggest that the
show ill become more exciting with more tips. Then after the performance the
performer will request money for the talent.
Field notes
1st
visit
For today’s fieldwork I have decided to stand back and
examine the parameters of which I will perform my work. The sun is shining; it
is around seventy degrees outside. The time is fifteen until four. Hollywood
boulevard is a busy street both with foot traffic and traffic by car. I parked
my car on the corner of Hollywood and Sycamore. As I make my way towards
Hollywood and Highland I witness and altercation between a pedestrian and a
driver of a motor vehicle. It seemed that the driver of the car was angry about
the slow pace of the pedestrian while crossing the street. This seems testament
to the idea of people in Los Angeles having somewhere to go and no time to get
there. As I approach Hollywood and Highland I make post near Grauman’s Chinese
Theatre. The nearest street performers are; a man dressed in a Batman costume
and side kick Robin. Batman’s costume is a more to date costume mirroring the
Batman costume worn by Michael Keaton in Batman Begins. On the other hand,
Robin is adorned in a costume that looks similar to the robin costume worn in
the original series 1966 except, he is wearing a black cape instead of a yellow
one. The majority of people that walk by the two just turn their head to watch
them and continue on their way. Out of thirty people that I examined walk by
seventeen kept looking at them and continued their path. Eight people did not
pay any attention at all. And five people interacted with them. Out of the fife
individuals there were two children (both male) with an adult (female) who took
a picture of the children with Batman and Robin. After the picture was taken
the adult handed money to each child and instructed the child to hand the money
to Batman and Robin. They the children thanked them and continued on their way.
The other two that approached Batman and Robin was an adult (female) with one child
(male). The child was in a stroller and pointed at the two, smiled and looked
back at the adult and yelled “mama please! I want to say hi!” she directed the
stroller over to them and they said hello to the child. The adult female took a
picture of them with the child. She told them thank you and handed them money.
Not once did the two performers request an amount from those who approach them.
However, both times those who approached handed them money.
2nd
visit
On my second visit to the field I
preformed a number of interviews with both the performers and the people
walking down Hollywood boulevard. First I am going to discuss the information I
gathered from the performers. The first person I interviewed was Batman. We met
at a small café off of Hollywood boulevard, I chose to use Batman as my main
informant because I have been in communication with him for many years due to
his apartment being located next to my best friend apartment, Throughout the
years he and I were acquaintances thus, this familiarity provided a sense of
trust. Batman lives in a studio apartment off of Hollywood and Sycamore. He
lives with his girlfriend, who is also a street performer, and his two cats.
Until recently, Superman and his girlfriend had a third roommate within the
studio apartment. However, now that he has been making more money they are able
to live just the two of them. Batman
informed me that he has been a street performer for ten years on Hollywood
boulevard. Prior to working as a street performer he worked various acting gigs
such as commercials and local theater. When I asked him how he became a part of
the street performers he told me that ten years ago he was struggling to make
ends meet and for a few months he became homeless. While he was living on the
streets he decided to make his way to Hollywood boulevard from Long Beach. He
had heard from a few people that there was money to be made in that area. When
he came to Hollywood he was a pan handler. He was a pan handler for a year he
was not welcomed by the others. However, after time he had proved himself to be
hardworking and he proved to the others that he deserved to be in that
location. From that point on he changed completely. He took on the role as
Superman on the streets. He said immediately he tripled the money he made from
pan handling. He felt immediately that people (tourists) liked him better.
Being Superman was like being on the stage again. He was fully consumed with
the role. He let me know that these roles are taken seriously by the
performers. For some, this is their only form of income. He also informed me
that territory was very important. The performers who were located in front of
Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays have the most
seniority. That location is a prized location and those who do not know
hierarchy and location find out quickly.
The next person I interviewed went by
the pseudonym Drum Master. The drum master is a Forty-five year old drummer on
Hollywood boulevard. He plays the bucket drums in front of the Hollywood metro
station. During this visit I watched him for about thirty minutes before I
asked to interview him. I took a seat on a window ledge nest to a man who was
videotaping Drum Master. When I asked the man if he knew Drum Master he said
“yes” and informed me that he was a part of Drum Masters recording crew. Drum
Master was recording a documentary about himself. From my observations of Drum
Master I found that he was very personable. He made interactions with the
children drawing them in then asking the parents for money. Most of the time
people would throw a crumpled up bill in to his bucket. A camera man walked by him a few times and
each time the man walked by Drum Master would incorporate the man’s briefcase into
the beat he was playing. When Drum Master took a break from performing I used
this opportunity to interview him. This was more of an informal interview. I
chose to use an informal interview with Drum Master because this was the first
time we met and I wanted him to feel comfortable with me. I also wanted him to
be able to lead the conversation. I felt like this would be a good approach
because I at the time I felt like if I were leading the interview I would miss
out or overlook some important information. As he walked up to his friend who was
recording I asked him if I could ask him a few questions for a project.
Immediately he was excited to talk to me. He explained how important school is
and told me that he went to a music academy for drums. After he graduated from
the music school he began his career as a studio drummer and informed me that
this was not his only means of making money. He told me that he was on the
Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And he has been on a number of guest spots on
television shows and documentaries. He also informed me that when the clubs
start to close in Hollywood he sits in front of the clubs near the hot dog
venders and plays the bucket drums. He argues that the drunker the people the
better, he says that they tip a lot more when they are intoxicated. Drum Master informed me that Venice Beach is
also a good money spot but that Hollywood is where he makes most of his income.
He informed me that within a few hours at his location on Hollywood Boulevard
he can make anywhere from seventy-five to two-hundred dollars. He said that it all depends on the crowd. If
there is a movie premier he will make more money. During the vacation seasons
like summer and spring break he make more money. He also said that there are a
few regulars that he has. He said that every time he sees his regular Mr. slick
(that is the nic name he calls the man) gives him one hundred dollars. He made
it clear that not all of his regulars were as generous. However, he did say
that they give him between ten and twenty dollars. Drum Master continued to tell
me about the social hierarchy of the street performers. He informed me that the
best spots are acquired by time. Indirectly, he told me that no one would have
the gumption to take his spot. He has been at that location for over fifteen
years and he does what he can to maintain that spot. He told me that he has his connections. When
I asked him to explain what he meant by this he reported that he has friends
that tell him when someone tries to steal the location.
3rd
visit
Now I would like to discuss what I have
found from the perspective of the viewer. For my fifth installment I decided to
focus on the perspective of the viewer. When I use the term viewer it includes
both the tourist and those who live in the area. I preformed a formal interview
with both groups.
First I will discuss the information
gathered from the interview with the tourist. I interviewed a twenty one year
old male named Attila visiting from France. He was accompanies with his two
friends, a twenty four year old male and a eighteen year old female. He is
aware that I am using his interview in a research paper and chose to not use a
pseudonym. Attila informed me that this was his first visit to Los Angeles. He
said that he had desired to come to Los Angeles for a long time. His reasoning
for wanting to come to Los Angeles were driven by the hope to meet famous
people. When he arrived to Hollywood he said that it was not like any place he had
been. He informed me that the reason for visiting Los Angeles was not driven by
the street performers. However, when he arrived to Los Angeles people told him about
Hollywood boulevard and suggested to him that he would not want to miss out on the
performers on the weekend.
The next interview that I performed was with
a twenty seven year old name who lives in Hollywood. The woman chose to go under
the pseudonym Pechoise. Pechoise informed me that she has been living in Hollywood
for six years. She complained about the traffic that tourism plays during the weekends.
She informed me that not all of the performers are nice. She told me that she has
had a couple of confrontations with the performers while walking down the street.
She told me a specific story where a costume
performer yelled that she was beautiful as she was walking by. She smiled and continued
to walk to her destination then he continued to yell to her that she was an “ugly
sweaty bag” because she did not stop and give the man a dollar. She suggested that the performers who are homeless
are more aggressive when it comes to pan handling. Pechoise informed me that now
that she has been living in Hollywood for so long she hardly notices the street
performers. She said that she gets frustraited with the congestion of people and
to deal with it while she is walking around running errands she said that she almost
puts blinders over her eyes. She said that with the constant contact with the performers,
homeless, the tour bus people and musicians trying to sell you their CD it is a
complete over stimulation of from people.
4th
visit
I chose to include my vignette to the
ethnography because during this semester and throughout my research I have faced
my own trials and tribulations. My vignette is a description of my journey to my
research location. For this visit I decided to take the metro because my car was
out of order. So this vignette describes the experience I had while going to my
location.
I decided to take the Metro
today. The metro stops at Hollywood and Highland. I exit the Metro. As follow
the herd up the first flight of stairs. In front of me is a large woman who
appears to be in her late forties walking along side a boy who appears to be in
his teens. I hear a woman begin to yell. I try to not appear as if I am
eavesdropping so I continue up the stairs with my eyes focused on the steps. I
keep listening to the woman. She yells “Oh hell no! I bet all you fuckers
looking at me think I fucking this kid here! But I ain’t no pedophile, I ain’t
no pervert! Y’all better just keep your judgment to your own self” As I turn my
head to the left I make eye contact with a woman. As our eyes meet our silent
faces signal to each other how uncomfortable we feel. I continue up the second
set of stairs. I can’t wait to get to the street so I can smoke a cigarette. My
destination is becoming closer and closer with every step. I look to the right
and cannot help but notice the posters all over the walls written in both
English and Spanish. The posters are a picture of a man lying in the hospital
clearly in agonizing pain. Below the picture states “Dying from smoking is
rarely quick and never painless” I feel my body heating up in panic. I know I
should not smoke anymore. “It’s ok ill stop tomorrow”. I finally make it to the
top of the steps. Walking down Hollywood boulevard on a Sunday is like walking
through a herd of cats. Everyone is walking in a different direction. No one is
looking where they are going. From my walk to the theater I like to listen to
people and see if I can tell what language they are speaking. As I walk by the
star tour bus people I feel pity for the tourists, but quickly relinquish that
thought because I remember being a tourist in another country and paying for
tours that to the local may seem pointless. Aalst, I have made it to the
theater. There are two performers here that I have not seen before. They are
both transformers, one is wearing a bumblebee costume and the other is wearing
blackout. Both of the costumes look clean and new. The children surround them.
There are more people walking around today than I have seen sense my last visits
to the field. I believe this has to do with the warm weather and because it is
getting closer to summer.
After being a part of the public transportation for the first
time in my life I gained a whole new perspective of Los Angeles. I have always had
a secret (distant) love for public transportation. But it was not until my car broke
down and I still had a desire to go to the field did I decide to take advantage
of the system. After using the Metro system
I felt more in tune with the flow of Los Angeles. I had to know exactly where I
was going, what time I had to be at the stop by and when to transfer to another
line. This intimidated me and excited me all at the same time.
Conclusion
After the examination of my
research I have found that there is a strict social hierarchy, the performers
are territorial, and tourism plays an important part in the monetary aspect of
the street performers.
From the information I have gathered,
I have found that a social hierarchy exists among the street performers. The placement
within the social hierarchy relies upon the seniority of the performer. Those who
have been on the boulevard for the longest get the rights to the locations and costumes
which are the most desirable. This sense of hierarchy provides a sense of entitlement
to the location. This is seen in the extreme territorialism. I found it
interesting the amount of territorialism the performers had about the location
which they were stationed. While describing the locations the performers talked
about the locations with a sense of ownership even though those locations were
clearly public locations. This sense of territorialism stems from the many
years the individuals have spent gaining seniority, and earning the location.
I also became aware of the
symbiotic relationship that the performers have with the tourism. The tourists
come from all around the world to visit Hollywood boulevard. The performers
provide entertainment and give life to the street. The tourists give life to
the performers as well. Majority of the individuals who stopped to take
pictures with the performers were tourists and the few who were not tourists
informed me that they were just taking a picture as a joke. These two groups
give life to each other.
Overall, throughout the information
presented in class and what I have found during my research I have found that urban
spaces are complex places where multidimensional relationships are formed. The perspective
and interactions made in the city are dependent on many factors. I have found that
being a street performer is not only a job but a committed lifestyle. This group
devotes much of their time to their role as street performer. That being said, the
performers have not legal or cooperate obligation to follow order and rules. However,
even without this formal structure they have structure within their own group. When
one desires to become a performer they learn the order through social interaction
with the fellow performers. I do not feel like my research is complete and I have
a strong desire to continue researching the life of a street performers. By removing
myself from my comfort zones during this process I have learned very much about
myself. The performers, especially Superman, were a very helpful aid in my research.
No comments:
Post a Comment