Roger’s View From The Hills
By Roger Ringer
“THINK LEFT AND THINK RIGHT
AND THINK LOW AND THINK HIGH.
OH, THE THINKS YOU CAN THINK
UP IF ONLY YOU TRY!
Dr. Suess
I have a favorite character that I watch on You Tube and if you have ever taken the time to watch one of her videos she would be a favorite of your also.
Imagine that you see a woman with no teeth, anorexic in size, barefoot, and wearing overalls. You might think of a caricature of an Ozark or Appalachian Hillbilly.
Then you click on and watch her perform. Your first impressions are only reinforced by your eyes but your ears will tell you a different story. One of her first videos went viral online with over 3.5 million views (and counting).
She is known as Abby the Spoon Lady. She plays the spoons. And rather well I might add. Then there are the musicians she records with who you never see on TV or hear on the mind numbing radio stations. They have real talent. But then there are thousands of talented musicians you will never see or hear on the airwaves.
In fact this class of musician is only found on streets in towns across the country. Most are called Busters. There are cities all over the country that recognize that these Busters or street performers are a good thing. Yes they make their living by playing on the street for tips but there is a of of talent that can be a pure asset to most places. And yet places like Nashville have outlawed what they are doing.
Anyplace that wants more attention for it’s downtown section and the independent retailers and boutiques are delighted to have these Busters come and play.
Cottonwood Falls has brought people into town every Friday before the virus by letting music be played on the street. It is a bit more organized but it is a form of Busting.
Medium and larger size cities should put something in law to attract Busters to their town. The trouble with city government is that they see people who are not busters and want to put controls and permitting on thus killing the spontaneous nature of Busting.
Asheville NC is where Abby the Spoon Lady lives. She moved there from Nashville where they basically ran her off. She settle down after riding the rails all over the country. She is now advocating for towns and cities to welcome Busters to their cities.
One other thing is that once you get past the visual of Abby you find a well spoken and intelligent lady. Oh and one more thing.
SHE IS FROM WICHITA KANSAS!
