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Most of the songs I recorded for my Christmas CD are parodies of popular songs with a South African twist. So instead of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” I sang “Have yourself a lekker little Christmas.” The album is called Windy Muizenberg Christmas after the track of that name which is a parody of [...]

Some buskers just have a few songs they sing over and over again. That works because most people that are listening to you are just passing in the street and only hear a portion of one song. The exception is the waiters in the cafes, the street guards and other people that are basically a [...]

I took a week off because I had a lousy cold. The weather was lousy too. High summer in Muizenberg means the weather changes every five minutes except for the wind. There’s always wind! So once I got my voice and energy back I decided I was going to try using an amp on the [...]

One of the questions in the back of my head this year has been “What is the future of the book in Africa?” So this year I engaged in an experiment that has helped me understand what it takes for African authors to get published. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either. I believe [...]

I dropped by the Upper Crust and asked Elaine if Michael and I could set up in the courtyard and practice playing in open air. She said sure and so an hour later we were strumming away. I borrowed the lead guitar player from the Lefties for a little gig at the Eastlake Shopping Center. [...]

The wind was nuts today. I actually had to tie my guitar case to a tree just so it wouldn’t fly away. Even then it took flight a couple of times. Some cool kids from the Flats liked my music and took pictures and video as well as posed in front of me. Ben joined [...]

So far I’ve been playing “live and unplugged” on the street. The advantage is mobility and simplicity. I just grab my guitar and go. But I keep thinking that I’d like to add some gadgets and that’s where things get complicated. If I add an amp, I need cables and batteries (and backup batteries), and [...]

I haven’t been too interested in making money off busking. In fact it’s possible that because I’m a foreigner that it’s illegal for me to solicit funds on the streets. Well, the cops in Muizenberg have a lot more important things to do than busting me. They pass by quite a bit when I’m singing [...]