Denver buskers fight with tools

Is it us, or does it seem like some Denver street musicians are more talented and creative than buskers in other cities? Seriously. Now, don't get it twisted: They're not all worth writing home about. God knows we've been treated to our fair share of woeful mediocrity over the years,...

By Dave Herrera

November 11, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Is it us, or does it seem like some Denver street musicians are more talented and creative than buskers in other cities? Seriously. Now, don't get it twisted: They're not all worth writing home about. God knows we've been treated to our fair share of woeful mediocrity over the years, a seemingly endless parade of guy-with-a-guitar singing songs he has no business singing in a key that doesn't even exist. But every now and then we've witnessed flashes of unexplained brilliance. There's a pair of gents, for instance, that we occasionally run into, usually in front of the Marquis Theater, that croon Motown songs on demand that sound damn near as compelling as the originals. And then there's this guy. We came across this clip a while back and have watched it repeatedly. For some reason, we just couldn't help but be riveted by watching this random guy on the 16th Street Mall banging on a bunch of wrenches, using only the handles of a pair of screwdrivers, and making what sounds conspicuously like, well, music.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.