SECTARIAN
Words/music: B.Pearce (performed by BRIM)
A two sentence BBC news report in
1991 (approx) inspired this song. A man, with his five year old
daughter perched on his knee, was sitting by a Xmas tree when
gunmen burst in and shot him. To think that poor daughter would have to
grow up with that experience etched in her head. I have often wept
singing this song... unable to continue.
GLAD
I'M NOT YOU Words/music: B.Pearce
The 'soul search' was
in full flow by the Autumn of 1998. To find out how important someone
is to you, there needs to be a sense of betrayal. This song captures
the sense of betrayal.
POVERTY
ROW Words/music: B.Pearce (performed by BRIM)
Written in the '80s this song
angers at the desolation wrought by Margaret Thatcher and her cronies
on the working classes. Britain has never recovered from this - and the
'subclass' remain traumatised and oppressed. The brilliant creativity
that saw Britain shine culturally in the '60s and '70s has been shorn
of 'subclass' contribution.
LITTLE
BLACK SHEEP Words/music: B.Pearce
Another product from the New
Clear Winter episode. By accepting that White Sheep is the system
and the way society conforms, it becomes evident that Black Sheep are
those who are dysfunctional within this system. But the Black Sheep is
further clarified as people who have something artistically unique
inside them that needs to get out. It is the Black Sheep who have the
keys to human progress, because the White Sheep tend to follow each
other's arse and the system is all.
ATALANTA
Words/music: B.Pearce (performed live on Radio Centraal)
In the Autumn of 1999, it seemed
my relationship with my duo partner had moved from lovers to sharers of
a project. Her commitment to the project could be read as " how
successful it is in relation to other projects". So I could see that my
persona had shifted from Orpheus to Helen of Troy.... and had moved on
to Atalanta. In all cases, most of the people who surrounded me had
similar personae. This cold persona (Atalanta) gradually led me out of
the Labyrinth.
BUSKER
WALKING Words/music: B.Pearce
It was February, 1996 - and I
knew I would be on the road from my base in Antwerp for most of the
coming months. In fact, I would spend the next two years based mainly
in Berne, Switzerland. But I didn't know what to expect, so I wrote
this song to anticipate my coming experience.... and how others may
view me.
Always something more to
find with:
www.buskerbrian.com
What's
Hot!!!! What are the most popular pages on www.buskerbrian.com?
Always something more to
find with:
www.buskerbrian.com
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S
LIKE? Words/music: B.Pearce
Hitching south to Bern from
Antwerp. I had two nights without sleep and no money as I sought to
hitch from a motorway service station near Basle. The service station
was closing for the night. The place was becoming deserted and I was
down physically and feeling like I had reached the end of my life and
luck. It looked bleak, until a group of young Albanians came to my
rescue by agreeing to give me a lift to Bern. My Swiss girlfriend,
seemingly feeling my distress on the 'soul radar', responded to a
request from a guy for a light with, "Do you know what it's like to be
hungry and thirsty without any money at all?"
Maybe the guy replied, "No! But I
know what it's like to have no light for my cigarette."
FAIRY TALES ARE REAL Words/music:
B.Pearce
Written in January, 1995, this
song is extremely romantic and seeks to capture the enrapturement of
intense soul love. I feel very sorry for anyone who has not experienced
the feelings within this song.
DON'T ASK
ME Words/music: B.Pearce
Being 'Helen of troy' and happily
swimming within the world of such personae is a wonderful experience,
but there comes a time when a healthy choice is required. The curious
way I dealt with emotional attachments caused confusion not only in
others, but within me. So why not take the piss out of myself with a
song?
YOUR
EYES Words/music: B.Pearce
The Summer of 1996 was all about
eyes and the way the soul speaks through them.
In September, Kat and I shared
eyes that spoke in volumes, but neither of us could understand
outwardly what they were saying. The soul has its own agenda - and it
hides it well.
HAPPY IN THIS TOWN Words/music: B.Pearce
Inspired by a 'happy' radio interview in 1998. My duo partner for the show, Philip, was about to play one of his songs.
"This song is about a friend of mine who committed suicide."
"Oh... so it's a sad song?" frowned the presenter.
"No. No... I'm glad he's dead!"
That great riposte from Philip led me to look at 'happy' in the Antwerp bars and nail down the background discontent into a song.
This song is a product of the New
Clear Winter phase of the journal. My daughter was inaccessible in
Ireland; my sister had Leukaemia in England; I was faced by difficult
tasks and aims in Belgium and Switzerland. A news report on Radon Gas
claimed that its accumulation in certain households can lead to lung
cancer for its occupants. So imagining an agoraphobic frightened to
leave their house, yet being fatally exposed to excessive ammounts of
Radon Gas, was enough of an image to catalyse this song based on
the Orpheus legend. A philosophy is shaped.
ONLY
IN MY DREAMS Words/music: B.Pearce
My first trip of 1996 to
Switzerland produced very little, but it did produce this song. I had a
dream where my first 'true love' and I were re-united once more. The
curious thing about this is the age of my 'true love'. In the dream she
was 17 - and her friends were equally as young. In reality, they would
all be pushing 40 in 1996.
TIME
TO PLAY Words/music: B.Pearce
What is remarkable about this
song is its stunning prescience. It was written in the '80s and
predicted future situations. It is not the only song I have written
that has done this. The importance of visualisation in song writing is
thus displayed, as a 'road untravelled' is faced with some form of
mental preparation.
This
is Brian...
missing
Rachel...
Underlined
THE
FLOWER AND THE BURNING
On
Neuchatel beach ( Switzerland) - in 1996 ( July) - I
aid Philip as he
seeks to earn the money he needs
to buy a guitar ( the Sword in the Stone). It
was very much like Merlin to an impatient Prince
Arthur - while winging thoughts to the distant
shores of Ireland and my 5 year old daughter...
seemingly ever more unreachable.
Winging
onward, my thoughts moved to my sister dying of
Leukaemia in England...and my need to be in
Antwerp soon to meet my brother and take a blood
test to see whether my blood could aid her.
Amongst
several other stories I raced against time knowing
that I could not cheat Fate. Because the Labyrinth
had to be navigated - and strangely, time WILL
wait for a busker who seeks to walk honourably.
But first, the busker may need to do things to
aid others before he can aid his own aims.
Gradually, the words came for a new song:
Gradually, the words came for a new song:
THE
EXILE (Brian Pearce)
July,
1996 - Neuchatel
IT'S
SAD TO KNOW THAT YOU MUST SURELY WORRY
BELIEVING
I DON'T CARE FOR YOU AT ALL
IT
TWISTS MY HEART BUT FATE WON'T LET ME HURRY
AND
EVERY HASTY STEP LEADS TO A FALL
THERE
ARE LAKES AND SEAS AND MOUNTAINS
I MUST
CROSS TO REACH YOUR SIDE
THERE
IS NO BOAT THAT CAN TAKE ME
NOR A
HORSE THAT I CAN RIDE
BUT IF
I CAN BUILD AN ARMY
AND
INSTILL IN IT SOME PRIDE
A
FLEET OF SHIPS WILL TAKE THE EARLY TIDE
THE
EXILE SEES THE SUN RISE FROM A ROCKY BEACH
AND
THINKS ABOUT THE ONE HE LEFT BEHIND
WILL
HE EVER MAKE IT BACK WITHIN HER REACH
HE HAS
FAITH, BUT STILL HE WORRIES WHAT HE'LL FIND
IN A
FAR AND DISTANT LAND
HE
HELPS A PRINCE PROTECT HIS RIGHT
WHILE
HE DREAMS, BY DAY, OF VICTORY
DREAMS
OF LOVE INVADE THE NIGHT
THE
EXILE NEEDS TO BE AT HAND
IN A
WAR THE PRINCE MUST FIGHT
A
VESTED KING MAY HELP HIM TO HER SIDE
PRINCES
AND PRINCESSES WAIT ON HIS RETURN
A
TALISMAN, OR KEY, THEY HOPE HE'LL FIND
THEY
KNOW THAT HIS PATH MUST TWIST AND CRUELLY TURN
HE
KNOWS HE'D NEVER CAST THEIR NEED ASIDE
THERE
ARE MONSTERS, TRAPS AND ARMIES
THAT
WILL MAKE HIM FIGHT OR HIDE
THERE
ARE FEW FRIENDS WHO CAN HELP HIM
THROUGH
THE STORM HE SEEKS TO RIDE
BUT IF
HE CAN BUILD AN ARMY
AND
INSTILL IT WITH SOME PRIDE
A
FLEET OF SHIPS WILL TAKE THE EARLY TIDE
A further song emerges. It pursues a similar theme, but is musically very different:
A further song emerges. It pursues a similar theme, but is musically very different:
Fairy Tales are Real (Brian Pearce)
Written in January, 1995, this song is extremely romantic and seeks to capture the enrapturement of intense soul love. I feel very sorry for anyone who has not experienced the feelings within this song.
A
choice to travel left or right
Is
this a cave
Or
limitations on my life?
I
walked so far
And I
have failed to find the end
My
liberty
Could
be around this coming bend
I see
you there
Your
image floats before my eyes
I see
you smile
And
then my eyes begin to cry
I try
to touch
The
hand you offer me
But
you're not there
The
Labyrinth is taunting me
The
Labyrinth........ is just confusion of the mind
You
Know Its End......Is something you can find with
time
And So
I Walk......With you within my heart
And
when we meet
I
promise we will never part
Another
task......Another
monster I must kill
The
Labyrinth....Ensures
that I must do its will
It helps
me on....Or tries
to snare me once again
And every
path..Can be
both different and the same
And if
the day.....Should
come that I have my release
I'll hope
to see....You
standing, waiting for me, pleased
I'll
never take......The
Labyrinth once more
Because
it's you......I am
searching for
The
Labyrinth........ is just confusion of the mind
You
Know Its End......Is something you can find with
time
And So
I Walk......With you within my heart
And
when we meet
I
promise we will never part
Help You through the day (Brian Pearce)
Bern,'98
Encompassing
the period between 17/01/96
and 06/02/96
in
Antwerp
The
LBJ consists of approx 55 hand written
books and
documents
Brian's path as he busks his way
to the Summer
of
2000.
| Some of the featured artists on
www.buskerbrian.com |
| LEDDRAIN Leddrain is the work of Philip Seibel, a singer/songwriter with an ability to evolve many different and imaginative styles on the guitar. I first met him when I was busking Switzerland in the Summer of 1996. He was around 16 then and we exchanged our self penned songs on my guitar. Explore now |
| APACHE JOHN BAND Andi and Julia from the isolated wilds of Essex have since joined the band. Andi's main instrument is electro ukulele, whilst Julia contributes with pipes, percussion and backing vocals. All of this is a welcome innovation which complements John's guitar driven husky voiced songs and Jan's rhythmic tubano drum. Read on |
| LOST WANDERING BLUES
AND JAZZ BAND "St Maurice? Hell, man, I thought you said St Moritz!" Like a zombie I made my way to the restaurant terrace; the raw garlic I'd eaten (on Ken Post's advice) the night before had clearly helped, but my nose and chest remained musty... "St Maurice!?! Where the damn is that now?" Of course, I recognised the voice as it sank through. It was Danny, the loveable, black father of Swiss buskers. You only have to see him to like him. You only have to say 'hello' and it seems you've been friends all your life. Read on |
| TIGHTROPE - A
MUSICAL FROM KEN POST Tightrope is a ground breaking look at how artists have struggled to present their art through all adversity - and how their efforts have adjusted attitudes for good or bad as we rolled into a new millenium. A true artist veers between moral, immoral and amoral and seeks his own truth. Such a thing is not always welcomed by society, but often society is challenged and impelled to recognise the value of the artist's idea of truth. Read on |
Autism would render him as a loner, an outsider. There will always be parts of him the world will never see, nor understand.
So, back to the question:
Do you think Bob Dylan is mildly autistic?
Missing Link?
"Humans" invade Earth from Veritas, a broken fragment from their former world.
Evolution by ingestion of 'human' microbes released amongst the cosmic dust
and fragments of two asteroids colliding in space 8.2 million years ago?
Explosive Time
It seems clear to me that the implication of this is that timespeed is also the measure of the activity we term as 'explosion'. Our bodies and the microorganisms that surround us are reliant on explosions occurring at a minimum and maximum rate of time speed.
In addition, all forces and gravitational effects within the universe are caused by this effect of timespeed. Life in the universe can probably be found everywhere.
Mentoring - crusades and psychology
The knowledge of her guardians and her former life saw her face the man down and she only fled into quaking once she was home and safe.
Perhaps you could ask the child how this dreamscape could be used beneficially within his life. It may prepare him for the moment when such knowledge will save his life.
Plato and Socrates debate Beauty
A fly would find our excrement a beautiful thing. The soil we exist on is billions of years of excrement. There is rock that is formed by countless skeletons. Grass is mould. But the individual atoms that form this and everything remain beautiful and untouched.