Do you enjoy creating conflict?” asked the U.S. customs official in Honalulu airport at 3am...I was tired and beligerent,,,
“ No, I am a KIwi not am American !” I wanted to say but of course I didn’t, I didn’t even go further on my questioning of the meaning of moral turpitude. Just took the stamp collected my luggage got screened, returned my luggage, got screened fell asleep and woke as we were touching down in Edmonton to the Captain announcing it was 10 d,,,,10d that was the temperature in Melbourne when we left.....
Bruce our driver met us and we were driven to The Old Strathcona district of Edmonton minus Ulla’s (Ulla Taylor my partner and pavement artist) luggage.
The Old Strachcona District was a new location for the 20th Anniversary of this prestigious festival.
This funky old area of edmonton populated with musicians, artisans, cafes, tattoo parlours and bars was about to host the worlds biggest Street Festival.
We are leaving in 10 minutes” Shelly Switzer (festival producer) says just after we’d checked in.
Suit, shower, shave, and I was ready for the opening night sponsors party,,,
Old friends from years ago appeared out of the woodwork and new friendships were carved. The Vodka pop drink was my stimulant of choice as I fought to stay awake enough to do my 10mins on stage..Was it day or night ? Should I be asleep or eating breakfast?
Later that evening a group formed in Shelley's room for cocktails. Young Raoul, Green Dean and I looked on as Chalkmaster Daves’ shrapnal pile got bigger at the small poker game which had began to take form while Shells played the perfect hostess.
The worksite was bigger than the old Square. A Park being the center focus had 2 pitches, the grassy Knoll and the padded floor middle, we also had the parking lot, 2 outside theatres, one at the site entrance and one deep in Siberia tucked away behind the rest of the planet.
The weather was like Melbourne on the Friday rain/sun/warm/cold. Shows were played and dodged between the showers.
Saturday was a shakedown, warm, cloud cover plenty of shows played. That was the best weather day.
On the Sunday I had done an early show went back to sleep only to be woken up by the Trev on the phone. Trev commanded the site clad in small ‘tea towel’ shorts, knee high socks and an sulubrious array of shirts, armed with clipboard Trev would assess the crowds and play the shows accordingly. you could find him in the blue stripe tent ( a menagerie of performers around him on the hussle.)..
“Briiiiing, Briiiiing” goes the phone..
“ Can you do a show in the tent?” he asked
“ The tent, is it raining?” I replied
Thunder, rain and hail the size of marbles desended from the ominous clouds as I opened the curtain.
There we were in a tent 150 people watching Ayton Ross when the tornado warning came in. The noise of the hail on the tent was so loud that the punters couldn’t even here our announcment call to exit into the theatre on the microphone.
We all looked on as the 200yr storm took effect. As it subsided we were left with small white lakes of hail and water everywhere, volunteers dressed in bin liners trying to sweep in all into the flooded drains. Consequently that day was a write off, Ulla and I hit the hotel & ordered room service. Our two snack menus of choice were available 24/7, chicken wings and the entree size cheese and ham sandwhich (23 layers of ham & 5 slices of cheese was the room record).
News footage of the storm filled the TV. Cars floating down higways, fish making easy exits out of the pet shops and trashed trailer parks filled the screen.
Enough was enough we headed to room 412 the poker room. Poker has always been a big thing at these Candian festivals. Quarters, dollers and toonies were won and lost inbetween bluff’s and supposed certainties. Chalkmaster Dave looked to be giving yesterdays takings back to Rich from the Silly People. I took about 20 bucks and called it a night.
As I said the weather was definatly a facter these 10 days. We had a couple of fantastic thunder and lightning stroms thankfully at night and some squelching 35d days. One evening the Auroua decided to take shape. A 30/40 minute display of the northern lights was delivered entertainment from god for the entertainers...spectacular...
“We’re up in 72hrs” says Green Fools...Late night Madness...
This is a concept designed to push the artists through the exastion barrier into the creative kaliedascope of the mind. Two groups were formed Group one which I was a part of directed by Jenny and Dean from the Green Fools. The other cast was directed by Ed Stander and Karl Salitor. Both casts we different with the exception of Darren.... and Mump and Smoot who were to appear in both
The curtain goes up in 72hrs and there we were. A clowns dream was the concept given to us..babbling bursts of genius and insanity were thrown around the room. Lynne the stage manager ( for 12 theatre shows over 10 days! ) furiously writng the ideas down.
I suggested I’d like to play a song on guitar as it was something I had never done before. A band was formed, with Cello, nose flute, trumpet, dulcimer,accordian, electric guitar, spoons...infact the clown band took up most of the cast. We came on as Rob Torres (lead clown) fell asleep to spring action, trampolinests dressed as sheep bouncing over a screen. Tomko Lamb lead with dulcimer a song about suicide clowns, I then stepped up as Ozzy and played family doctor by Famous Famous with the caphaphonic clown orcresta backing me .. Band members would peel off and appear as different characters during the clowns dream..Andrea House came on as a baby only to suck Robs nipple then acccept a small boy doll with a pacifier between his legs. Dom appeared as the devil after a friendly handshake to Ozzy he looks at the clown, angels appeared on the other side. Rob looking confused as he should be, after all he had just encountered nude midgit mud wrestling, giant babies and mackeral...yep the mackeral...Dean Green had earlier entered stage with flippers, snorkel, mask and mackeral, laid out some orange cones and somehow enticed 2 members of the audiance to drop the back end of their pants, insert a frozen mackeral in their cheeks and go around the slalam course to drop said fish in a bucket. The audiance gave a standing ovation not sure whether it was for the volunteers, Dean or the Mackeral.
Mump and Smoot closed the show by cutting up the clown, hatchets, blood and limbs everywhere. Then feeling guilty for what they had done got everyone to raise their hands and heal the clown in the coffin. It wasn’t ‘till after Mump hit the guy over the head with the club for not joining in the healing session did he realise the bloke was blind !! (Questioned on when he knew the guy was blind, Michael said...”When I kicked his dog”) They had to top the mackeral I suppose. The clown was finally healed and curtain call, called. Later that evening we had the display of Aurua as mentioned earlier.
The Green room was suberb this year equipped with couches, table tennis, and amazing food, half a hop from the site next to the kids tent and silly peoples merchendising workshops, there was also a display of pictures from the last 20yrs at the entrance to the theatre which was fantastic.
Somewhere earlier in the gig I had agreed to to a TV at 7am on day 8.. Consequently I slept throgh the alarm and phone messages woke at around 10, freaked out but found out there were a bunch of other artists there anyway..cool..
I was told, I was there anyway..
You see Dana Smith was walking his dog towards the coffee shop when he got a mic and camera stuck in his face, quizzed about his circus life, with the anchor having the last word,”Thankyou for chatting Nick Nickolas, we’ll see you on the square”.....funny !
Another day I had to get up early for was for an 9.30am accupunture appointment, $10 cab ride to find the clinic closed, after a wait for 30mins, $10 home to contemplate Karma.....
Nickolas 2004