Jasons Blog

We conducted the interview twice with Sam. The first interview was taken on the streets after we had finished filming Sam play. However there was a problem with the recording. There was to much background ambiance on the recording and in some parts it drowned out what Sam was talking about. So we decided to re do the recording in a sound proof both in university. We could add ambiance in the background of people walking past and street noises on a separate layer this way we would be able to control the volume of both channels of sound. We felt this was the right decision to make as not only did we fix our previous problems but Sam also gave more details and relaxed answers this time. Here is a copy of the Transcript of the interview with the busker.



Ollie: Right okay, alright so can you just err introduce yourself err like things a bit about yourself erm what you’re into that kind of thing erm and obviously, why you’re here.

Sam: [Laugh] Well erm, my name is Sam, Sam Lindo and erm I’m into music the blues erm, sort of erm a regular sort of street entertainer i-in in the city of Nottingham [inhale] sometimes I’d rather say entertainer than busking but errr [laugh] if you wanna put it that way (2) err, erm, my main instrument is a guita-guitar but I play the keyboard, bass and [mumble] I do recording as well. I also do err music lessons err (1) anything sort of [mumble] keep me going.

Ollie: (3) Right erm err so you live in Nottingham…

Sam: Yeah.

Ollie: Errr, how long have you lived in Nottingham and whats your opinions on the city?

Sam: Errrrr, I lived in N-Nottingham a ermmm quite a time ‘cause as I say I grew up in the city of Nottingham but I went to live in Lon-London for sometime and came back here in about ninety (1) ninety-six ninety-seven that’s when I came back and obviously there was a lot of change in the city when I came back but erm, took a little while to sort of settle back down but erm, seem to be getting the hang of it now and erm, I do like the city of Nottingham it’s quite a friendly (1) city I thought it to be and erm (1) my sort of opinion it’s not big not to small, ya know? A lot seems to be going on nowadays in Nottingham yeah…

Ollie: H-How do you think Nottingham compares say to London?

Sam: Errrm… Well, what can I say? (1) London erm it seems where it’s all happening but yet it can be a bit sort of ummm selfish but I found Nottin-Nottingham to be more friendly than, than London itself ya know? There is more interaction with the people, surprisingly, despite London might be bigger than Nottingham but err seems to have more reaction, ya know but erm, or interaction rather [slight laugh] it’s whats happening in Nottingham.

Ollie: (3) I’m just seeing what else you’ve not already talked about on here [laugh].

Sam: Yeah.

Ollie: Ermm… [tut] (4) Is errr do you have a favourite aspect about the city other than the friendliness of the people…

Sam: Ermm…

Ollie: [mumble] or is it just…

Sam: Well, eh (1) th-the music I do seems to go down very well in Nottingham [mumble] a lot of sort of support and a lot, a lot of erm encouragement from Nottingham and erm, since the start sort of erm playing as such erm (2) I find I-I-I find that people are very, very owgasiv wh-whats the word (1) eh got better and better [laugh] yeah [inhale] I-I-I think ermm you can sort of get better if you get good encouragement good support and err therefore you get appreciation of what you’re doing, it’s err kind of really encouraging yeah.

Ollie: Right, erm so why is it that you choose to busk and entertain on the street?

Sam: Ermm, I-I also g-gr-grew up around music (1) and errr sometimes I said I do a lot of sort of a studio things in the studio now [hitting mic stand with foot] I found I was sort of just doing what I like and ya know and I thought to myself well well music’s not so much for you its for people its for people so so the things I was doing I thought to myself let lets give it a try on the street to see how people react to it because [incoherent mumbles] you know sort of erm bookings, wedding, different venues or whatever ya know until that time comes ya know you don’t sort of know how people react to what you’re doing but err I thought I’d give it a try ya know see ya know how people react to what I’m doing ‘cause I really wanna know, find what diection (1) in music I was going ya know ‘cause errr when I start I wasn’t quite sure because of sort of um sort of err asedava church gigs like I sort of grew up in the church and do a lot of ya know gospel music and all that but, but err I find that I was doing a different kind of music than gospel itself altho the lyrics that I do use was gospel but then I find that erm but I didn’t realise it was the blues [laugh] that err, that I was playing so when I started playing on the street people says ‘oh err I like your blues’ ya no and erm, then I started to listen a bit more keener to what I’m doing to what I feel inside I realise it was the blues [laugh] so I er just continue doing that ya know and erm sort of erm get better and better at it ya know and all that.

Ollie: [clears throat] How does erm religion influence your personality and also the music you play?
Sam: Err, erm to the full ext-extent really as I-I would say ‘cause I’m very much, very much erm, erm a Christian [chuckle] ya know. Sometimes I find it difficult to say religion because I-I feel knowing Jesus Christ and God its far more, m-more important than religion itself igotosay there religions all over the world and some-some ya know you can get weary of of and some… neh ser ah ih so but erm, but from that perspective erm I-I am definetly a spiritual man [chuckle] ya know and erm, and err, I like err and my really aspiration in playing is that whatever I’m playing its meaning something to people, ‘cause ya know I feel that music is a spiritual thing (1) th-th-er-I I feel its one of the gift of creation that err, and err, and everytime I play my my aspiration is to really reach the soul, reach the spirit ya know with music ya know [incoherent mumble] I tends to I tends to err (1) use very careful lyrics, lyrics that’s got s-some sense in it g-got some spirituality and that’s, erm, I try to avoid type of lyrics that is lude err such as swearing and I just like to err, I like to use lyrics that err that can build the spirit can encourage people that can give people awarenes of the supernatural, that can the awareness of God and Jesus Christ that’s my, that’s my main drive in all of this and I feel that’s where my strength come from I feel that’s where my inspiration come from, and err (1) and err (1) and that’s the way I’m going.

Ollie: Alright, erm [clears throat] have you got an opinion on, obviously erm blues and gospel are quite traditional types of music erm so do you have an opinion on sort of erm the youth of today and their type of music and how it effects their behaviour because obviously gospel and that kind of stuff ya say is spiritual it makes you feel good it makes people feel good, how do you yeah how do you think the music of today effects the youth of today?

Sam: Err, Erm, eh I-I don’t want to judge or scon but err, erm, I find myself being very concerned about the, the the kind of music that you hear today especially erm (1) music the lyrics that involve swearing and and blaspheming and all that its err, I feel it is such [mic stand being kicked] a shame really and err, I do feel its of a negative effect and err (1) and my, my aspiration and my hope is that, that erm, that music itself will find its true meaning [mic stand being kicked] ya know ‘cause I feel music is a beautiful thing ya know and err some of the, some of the thing that is being used to represent music I feel that is ya know its [chuckle] it doesn’t really do music justice at all and I feel, and I feel that erm, I think people erm get involved with the type of music that, that can, that can benefit, that can be beneficial to erm, to themselves ya know to yourself as a person as a citizens or as human as a member of society and the community erm, b-because at the end of the day music is a powerful thing and ya know and erm, it-it can control the emotion and it, if you get involved in the right kind of ideal the right kind of if I may say the right kind of, wrong kind of spirits ya know, that it can lead to powerful things really, because erm, with myself as in music really ya know ya know [laugh] erm by the time people says ya know ‘you wanna ciggarette you wanna drink’ its often that I say ‘I don’t drink I don’t smoke’ and they might, they might wonder you know this is the first blues guy that doesn’t drink or do-[laugh] or don’t smoke ya know but I-I find at the end of the day i-i-i-i-its better for you ya know music it tends to erm, associate it with erm excessing drinks and erm drugs and all that kind and er and I feel that, erm, your gonna have to stay away from all of that and err hope to produce the kind of music that that, that erm y- one can feel fulfilled and feel enjoy ya know without being erm destructive to yourself or to your soul or to your spirit yeah.

Ollie: (2) erm, just go a bit a back towards the busking then…

Sam: Yeah

Ollie: Errrrrrrrm (1) [tut] (5) [clears throat] have you… we’ll go b-yeah we’ll talk about a bit about the people you meet and stuff like that…

Sam: Yeah

Ollie: So, so you say you enjoy meeting new people…

Sam: Oh yeah, yeah…

Ollie: Erm, is there any particular that you’ve met say through busking that you wouldn’t have met otherwise or ya know m-maybe close friends you’ve made since you’ve been busking?

Sam: Ah-I-I think it gives a, it gives a great opportunity to meet people of ya know, different walks of life [mumble] ya know, its, its difficult to soft of measure[?] ya know but I know that people that erm, that erm I wouldn’t of met otherwise ya know I mean, I mean even meeting you guys ya know [laugh] doing your err doing your project ya know say from a university sta- errr standard ya know some people say ‘busking – playing in the street’ yet I feel I feel its err its, its quite an interesting thing that ya know busking on the street enter-en-entertaining on the street and you guys can come along and and what im doing can be such a great part of what you doing ya know and I-I feel that’s something encouraging [laugh] ya know I would’t meet you otherwise ya know, I had a stu- a student ya know a medical student that comes praps doing the same thing your doing, it seems to of sort of ermm take interest in what im doing and and what im doing can help be a part of your project and I feel that’s erm, quite a good thing [trails off].

Ollie: Erm, do you appreciate err people coming up to you then, well obviously you do, you like meeting new people but but I mean there must be times when you get a bit of trouble from people as well?

Sam: Yeah, yeah you do get that sometime but erm, in the early days when I started busking now, ya know when people didn’t sort of realise ermm who I was and what I was capable of but the more I do it and then, and then errr, and then erm they get to realise ‘oh you know this guy’s for real and the music he does seems to be really good music you know’ and then, so erm respect develops [laugh] and as errr, as I get better and better at playing ya know s-so I get better and better respect [incoherent mumbling] so in Nottingham like everyone sort of know who I am and erm, seems that they have a great respect and appreication on what I’m doing ya know, so erm, so err I seem to get more respect now th-than the trouble ya know one or two trouble-makers come along but sometimes they do, yeah (1) sometimes err maybe I can be a bit of a nuisance myself if I get too loud for the office [chuckle] sometimes people complain that its too loud, sometime we get the errr, the warden comes ya know, ya know and err asks you to turn it down or move along or whatever but err, but now you’ve got liscense now so therefore ya know once they know who you are ya know and and try to sort of co-operate with err with whats happening, ‘cause at the end of the day if that’s what your used to, if its making a living from it you gotta sort of treat it with respect yourself so, so we try not to make it too difficult for ourselves so we, try to co-operate yeah.

Ollie: Erm, just to sort of continue on to that do you have any specific examples of of when any sort of younger people ya know not just like people like wardens and stuff but I mean actual like younger people have come up to and done something to disrupt your playing… [trails off]

Sam: Erm (1) Erm… yeah ab-a-about a couple or three times people sort of grab some of the money up and run off [laugh] and one day I chase a couple of guy down the road [laugh] [mumble] [mic stand being hit] and someone stop them on the errr… and then they err and then the police came and ya know and investigate what has happened ‘cause ya know its an offense really if you err, for someone to sort of err (1) dip their hand in your what in your takings, so err, so anything like that the police ya know, the police are quite co-operative with err street entertainers (1) err (1) ermm…

Ollie: Errr, I suppose really the only thing we havent touched on is that err, that some people can sort of stereotype buskers as like maybe homeless people or just people that are just looking for their next fix, does this bother you and what do you, w-what do you say to those people?

Sam: Erm (2) w-what do I say to those pe- erm i-i-is i-i-is that to are look at it, people is people to me, and erm, if I was, if I was doing a concert live performace say i-in the erm, in say the concert hall or in the theatre oh pft, it’s the same people that I’m seeing on the street that I’d want to come to, come to buy a ticket or, ya know so [stuttering] so to me it’s people, peoples my interest its people, its people I wanna entertain, its people I wanna bring my music to, so err, so I don’t see a difference of the people that come to the theatre or comes to the concert hall to hear my music than ones that hear it on the street because I mean its, you might see you might see err, the vagrants[?] on the street, you might see th-th-th-the drug pushers or th-those that are taking drug, but, they don’t own the street, I see it as a spectacle of people who come to do their shopping who comes to ya know whatever ya know, I see myself just as ya know you have any of the major store like you might have you might have Marks & Spencer you might have WH Smith’s you might have the phone[?] ya know we all we all in there, in the, in the healing for the people so therfore I don’t look at it that way, I look at the people I’m entertaining, I’m looking at the people that ya know appreciate and respect my music, I’m looking at the people might not you might, come unnanounced[?] ya know sad and disappointed and and my music cheers them up ya know ya know so that’s the way I look at it, I’m there entertaining as I would if I was in the theatre, as I would if I was in the concert hall, as I would if I was in the pub or in the club because it’s the same people that are there in the street that would of come along so err so that’s why I would, ya know that’s how I look at it ya know, altho-although erm, ya know, in the early days of Nottingham when I started that there was there seemed to be a lot of ya know vagrants[?] err err the beggars or those who ya know, playing for their next fix or whatever, b-but all that is clean up now in Nottingham because eh erm not a lot is going now, and [mumble] the proper street entertainer who has got our liscense to do that so there is a lot of respect for that know, so err…

Ollie: [clears throat] Well we’ve pretty much you’ve answered all the questions on here so err, any of you guys have anything to ask?

Jason: [clears throat] Did you err perform anywhere other than the streets?

Sam: Oh-y-y-yeah (1) errm (1) I do sometimes erm restaurants erm in the pub when sometimes the job comes up or (1) erm so [incoherence] birthday celebration [incoherent mumbles]…

Jason: Ok, thank you (1) Tom, can you think of any questions?

Tom: I think you’ve pretty much said them all

Jason: We’ve got like…

Ollie: Twenty mintues nearly [chuckle]

Jason: That’s great.