Busking is a funny old business - Damian Clarke's 'Busking Business' reviewed

In my youth, I used to go busking quite a lot. A favourite spot in my home town of Shrewsbury was outside the public toilets in Butcher Row, on the corner opposite the Prince Rupert Hotel. This sounds a bit dodgy now that I come to write it down, but it really was all quite innocent  - and resulted in being invited to play in a pizzeria where, appropriately, I was paid in ...pizza. Less successful was my attempt to busk underneath the Magistrates' Court... while the court was in session. The bemused police officer accepted my apologies and I luckily avoided being charged with disturbing the peace, not to mention, contempt of court. 

In the early 1980s, my friend Jerry and I used to busk in Bangor High Street and took this to a new level when we joined in the street protest/party campaigning to save the local Theatr Gwynedd from closure. We must have done something right as the theatre remained open for a further twenty-five years. Footage of us busking outside Woolworths appeared on the local TV news and a grainy black and white photo of us, mid-song, was plastered over the front page of the North Wales Chronicle. 

It's only in the last few years that I've tried my hand at busking again, this time playing the mountain dulcimer rather than an acoustic guitar. With the encouragement of my friend Damian Clarke, I've busked in Dorchester and in Wimborne, as part of Wimborne Minster Folk Festival, (see previous posts on this blog.) I've also tried my hand in Bridgnorth, Shropshire and in Herefordshire, as part of Ledbury Fringe Festival.

If anyone is interested in trying out busking (or simply wants to know more about the life of a busker) you could do no better than to get a copy of Damian's new book, Busking Business (Vox Pop Publishing.) Damian, who plays the other type of dulcimer, is widely recognised for his indefatigable touring, accompanying his singing with both the hammered dulcimer and the hurdy-gurdy, in folk clubs, village halls and festivals – not only in the UK but across Europe. From medieval festivals and markets to the esplanades of seaside towns he's a familiar figure and a major proponent of the gentle art of busking. Damian has been busking for many years now, since he made the switch from art teacher to full-time musician. 

First published as an e-Book, Busking Business is now available for the first time in a handsome paperback edition. Part memoir, part handbook, the book distils Damian’s insightful and authoritative thoughts on busking. His skills as both an entertainer and a teacher make the book an enjoyable and instructive read. 

The book provides invaluable advice on finding suitable spots, avoiding being a nuisance to shopkeepers and interacting with the public, (what Damian calls ‘busking etiquette.’) He has clearly become adept at making it a worthwhile activity while avoiding some of the pitfalls. 

Damian discusses the stigma associated with ‘soliciting alms’ and the differences between busking and begging. He explores the historical origins of busking as well as his own personal journey, from the security of a teaching career to the vagaries of being a professional musician, and from being a guitarist in a band to being a solo player of more unusual instruments.

One of Damian’s helpful tips is that being something other than just another busker with a guitar is actually advantageous. He makes use of some amusing acronyms, one of which is BAGPUSSES (or Balding Acoustic Guitar-playing Performers Using Shiney Special Electro-acousticS.) He makes a virtue of offering something different from this ubiquitous type of busker. Passers-by are often intrigued and drawn towards unusual instruments in a way that they just aren’t to yet another guitarist on the street. 

The book discusses the pros and cons of busking amplification. Damian makes a good argument that singing and playing without amplification draws people closer and doesn’t intrude, although he concedes that quieter instruments (like my mountain dulcimer, for example,) might need some amplification.         

Readers may be surprised that the book deals with the business aspects of an activity that could be seen as alternative and non-mainstream, even, perhaps, subversive. I found parallels with Tom Hodgkinson’s book Business for Bohemians in the way both books balance idealism and pragmatism, making a living whilst living a good life.

There’s an enlightening chapter about Damian’s instruments – playfully titled ‘Summe Historie of the Hurdy Gurdy and Hammered Dulcimer,’ but the book is essential reading for buskers of any instrument and this is borne out by a chapter in which the author interviews other members of the busking community. 

Damian is a modest philanthropist – his Covered4Cancer CD continues to raise funds for Worldwide Cancer Research. Similarly, a percentage of the sales from Busking Business supports the homeless charity Shelter. Damian writes with empathy about people “living out in the open in our towns and cities,” many of whom he has met while busking.  

You can order a copy of the book directly from Damian or buy a copy from him in person, whenever you see him out busking! 

(A somewhat shorter version of this piece appeared as a book review in the Autumn 2025 issue of Nonsuch News - The Nonsuch Dulcimer Club Newsletter.)