Busker HoF 65 – Master Lee Interview

This Episode proudly sponsored by:

This episode is proudly sponsored by Dolphin Creative – a company who is proud to support street theatre and all of the incredible characters who make up this world. Where ever you perform: Dolphin Creative salutes you! For more information please visit DolphinCreative.org – Huge thanks to Stuart and his team for sponsoring this episode and two more to come!

• Interview by: Magic Brian and Eric Amber
• Interviewee: William ‘Master’ Lee
• Original Recording Date: November 11, 2014
• Date: Aired: November 15, 2015
• Location: Recorded in a treehouse in the East Village, New York, NY, USA
• Music:
  1. Intro: “Buddy” Royalty Free Jingle available in Apple Computers’ GarageBand.
  2. Opening Music: “Look at ME” by: .357 Lover as found on ‘The Purchase of the North Pole’ recording.
  3. Closing Music: “Thank You” by: .357 Lover as played on ‘Diorama of the Golden Lion’ recording.
• Mixed and edited by: Magic Brian and David Aiken for The Busker Hall of Fame

Comments: William Lee became Master Lee when he found his character and transformed himself from a fairly generic comedy juggler to the Kung-Fu Comic. This transformation allowed him to become one of the most recognized street performers in Washington Square Park for years and at one point during the interview Will jokes that if Robert Nelson was King of the 80’s, then perhaps he was King of the 90’s.

Will’s career has spanned more than three decades, but not all of it has been spent on the Streets. Stand-up comedy, story telling and play writing have all provided creative inspiration for a guy who seems to need to reinvent himself on a regular basis or else get numb from the sheer repetition that can be one of the most challenging aspects about making performance a career.

Magic Brian and Eric Amber connected with William Lee in the “Ultimate Green Room” – a cool tree house in a botanical garden in the East Village in New York City to discuss Will’s journey as a street performer, the things he’s done following his street show days and his recent return to doing shows on the street again.

And now a few words from Master Lee –

My advice to beginning buskers is: don’t steal my material and put your money in a Vanguard index fund. Street performing is like being on permanent summer vacation, enjoy the wave.

What’s the best thing about street performing? Freedom. What’s the worst thing about street performing? Freedom.

The hardest thing is once you quit you won’t have a mattress full of money and you’ll miss a lot of great performers, except for Gazzo.

Bonus Images from The Interwebs with commentary by Will:

July, 2002 – Edmonton Street Performers Festival, Master Lee performing the classic juggling and eating an apple. Photo by: Dan Shulruff

July, 2002 – Edmonton Street Performers’ festival, Master Lee with volunteer, chopping a cucumber on his stomach blindfolded. Photo by: Dan Shulruff

August, 2008 – Master Lee chopping a cucumber on a volunteer’s stomach at the Pacific National Exhibition. Photo by: David Aiken

August, 2008 – Master Lee and the aftermath of breaking boards on fire at the Pacific National Exhibition. Photo by: David Aiken

And finally – here’s the PNE Street Star’s Video that David Aiken, The Checkerboard Guy, produced after the 2008 Pacific National Exhibition click on the image to access the video on Vimeo!

And thanks again to: Dolphin Creative for sponsoring this episode!

Find out more about Sponsoring this Podcast by emailing cbg@BuskerHallofFame.com

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