COUNCIL BASHES BUSKERS

Clover’s rules stop busker Tom and his talking deer making a buck

By Michael Gormly

Tom Evreniadis lives in Elizabeth Bay and spends his days caring for his ailing 91-year-old mum. Some nights he lugs his busking equipment including his talking ventriloquist deer up the hill to Kings Cross, sets up in a likely spot, takes a deep breath and starts pumping out good-time vibes, singing rock classics in his gravelly voice.

The deer responds to his voice, moving its lips, waggling its ears, looking around and sometimes lighting up its nose and eyes. It stops the punters in their tracks.

But restrictions imposed by the City of Sydney mean Tom’s 11-year busking career is fizzling out. He used to count on making $25 per hour. These days he is lucky to pull $5, because busking is allowed only until 10pm weekdays, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

‘Nobody in the Cross is interested at those times,’ says Tom.

‘People are all going somewhere, on their way to meet friends or have dinner. They don’t have time to stop.

‘Later on they are with their friends and are more inclined to stop and partake of the entertainment.’

Permits a big stick
Tom says the busking permit issued by Council gives them a big stick to wield.

‘I always obey their instructions. I’m a law-abiding guy, but you know that if they get annoyed with you they can take away your permit altogether.’

At 50, he says alternative employment is hard to come by. He’s had a chequered career working in retail, wholesale, a long stint as a panel-beater, and driving cabs in Brisbane where he was written up in the papers as ‘the singing cab driver’. He started busking 11 years ago and has been able to make a living from it.

Until now, that is.

‘The rangers have been getting more strict since Christmas,’ he said.

‘But it gets really annoying when they shut me down while the bottle shops are still open and the crowds are just starting to build.

‘There are no exceptions. I mean, New Year’s Eve was on a Wednesday and I had to stop working at 10pm. It’s ridiculous.

‘Here we are with a recession coming and tourist numbers dropping and we are slamming the door on their entertainment.’

Tourists and backpackers are his biggest fans, he said.

‘I get people out on their birthday joining in, singing along and saying they’ve had the best time of their lives. One Irish guy requested a song and phoned his dad in Ireland saying ‘Listen, dad, they’re playing our song.’ People take pictures and put them all over the internet.’

Popular Cross busker Cathie O’Brien wrote to Clover Moore about the time limits.

The Lord Mayor replied that the intention of the policy was to ‘better support buskers trying to make a living from their work and limit intrusive late night noise in residential areas.’

Ms O’Brien is puzzled by this reply.

‘I believe Kings Cross is a designated entertainment precinct so the Council’s rationale to ‘limit intrusive late night noise in residential areas’ shouldn’t apply. Buskers shouldn’t have their business restricted any more than any other legitimate business or activity,’ she said.

Tom says the policy penalises success: ‘If you are popular, you become a target,’ he said. He tries moving around to find less obtrusive locations but to no avail.

But the rules are not really about noise, because they also time-restrict silent performers such as ‘living statues’ and Kings Cross regular Kate de Jude with her popular wire sculptures, while performers such as psychics and portrait painters are banned altogether. A draft version of the policy also forbade buskers from selling their CDs (except in Taylor Square, for some reason) but after protests this was relaxed so that one CD only could be displayed.

Tom found his animated deer at a shop in Chinatown. He had had his eye on it for some time. Finally the shop owner, unable to sell it for 18 months, gave it to him. Retailers note: There is not much demand for talking deer in Sydney.