**Foreword’s
2013 Book of the Year Award Finalist**
About
The Book
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Written by Heather Jacks and accompanied by an
eleven-track vinyl record featuring the original music of a select
number of participants, this 200-page art-style coffee table book
measures 12’’ x 12’’ and weighs in at a whopping 8lbs.
Putting the spotlight on the age-old profession of busking, Jacks
also seeks to stem the tide of regulation intended to suffocate
creative expression and take performers off the streets.
A limited-edition coffee table book, The
Noise Beneath the Apple®, is a unique and vibrant study of the
culture of street performance, its legitimacy in modern times and
above all, an intimate look at thirty-five buskers throughout New
York City. Released with an eleven-track vinyl record that was
mastered by Grammy and Academy Award winning mastering engineer
Reuben Cohen, this book is a singular achievement and a one-of-a-kind
tribute to the chaotic, beautiful and spirited world of busking.
Bio:
Heather Jacks was raised on an Indian
reservation in southeastern Oregon, until age fifteen. Jacks was the
first ‘experimental exchange student’ to Australia with an
organization called YFU, Youth for Understanding, where she spent
10.5 months in 1982. Once she returned, she received her B.A. from
USF and followed that with two years of study at UC Davis. She
has worked in the music industry in various capacities, since the
eighties; radio, production, A&R, booking and most recently as a
music journalist. She was recently named a finalist in the Book
of the Year Award in the Performing Art & Music category, for
her multi-media project, The Noise Beneath the Apple®, which was
inspired by her love for street music, busking and the people who
make it. Heather can be contacted at: heather@heatherjacks.com
Visit
Us Online:
Enter
the Giveaway
Was
there a specific moment or idea that inspired writing this book?
I
became who I am today in 1976.
Jimmy
Carter was president. Vietnam was granted admission to the United
Nations. The US of A was celebrating her 200th birthday, and Chief
Don Sconchian had finished his time on this planet; (which
is our fancy way of saying; he died),
and I discovered Jack Kerouac in the Outhouse. These seemingly
unrelated things are the exact pieces of my youth that cemented an
early love affair with street performance.
Once
Chief died—(btw:
everyone is called Chief or Cousin on Indian Land),
I was promptly shipped off to white school with my Outhouse edition
of On
The Road. The
experiment was deemed unsuccessful by all involved, so I was sent to
the Outback in Australia, as an ‘experimental’
exchange student. This was in 1982 and I was 15. It is safe to say,
that the nomadic lifestyle was instilled in me at an early age. The
tradition of busking also finds its roots in this type of nomadic
lifestyle. Time honored Indian dance, Aboriginal ceremonies and
Pow-Wow’s were all things I grew up with—and one can find close
parallels between these things and busking—(performing
on street corners for money.)
I
arrived in New York City in December of 2009. At Grand Central
Terminal, I met Luke Ryan, a perfect incarnation of jester, prankster
and musician, who I eventually dubbed The Queen’s Cowboy. “About
10, it gets weird,”
he said, glancing at me sitting on a subway bench. He looked into the
garbage bin located next to him. “The
first Starbucks cups make their appearance. Then the Starbucks cups
get bigger; and when the biggest Starbucks cup makes its appearance,
the day is pretty well done. When I see all the Wall Street Journals
piled in the garbage pail next to me: We’re screwed. I know
that’s it.”
He began to pack up his guitar, collect his tips and move on. It
would be Luke who would ultimately be the inspiration for a project
three years in the future; The
Noise Beneath the Apple®.
When
The
Noise Beneath the Apple®,
began to crystallize in my mind, I was a freelance writer, submitting
to various culture and online ezines. As I wandered the streets and
subways of NYC, I discovered some great street musicians and thought
it would make for some good stories and fun reading. For me, that was
about it. But, as I got to know some of the musicians and see how the
street culture was manifesting, I realized I could do something more;
something socially relevant: capture a piece of history and help
legitimize the profession of busking. I went back and to find Luke,
who is a 40 + year veteran of busking. He was my first.
2. Do you have a favorite story about busking or the streets of NYC in
general?
Although
not necessarily a ‘busking’
story per se, it is a moment that catapulted me from observer to
participant in the world of street. I arrived in New York City in the
wake of Barack Obama’s election. Needing to earn a living, I chose
to sell novelty political condoms on the streets. I got all my
licenses, forms and inventory and set up station in Union Square,
where I was promptly handcuffed, arrested and taken to jail. Some
months later, my case was dismissed with the wave of a hand and the
flick of a stamp. I went back to the streets, dismissal document in
hand. Twenty minutes later, I was approached by the police, who gave
a cursory glance at my paperwork and dismissal and then instructed me
to put my hands behind my back. Handcuffed for a second time, I
demanded an explanation. I was told—(and I quote) “Just
because it was dismissed, doesn’t make it legal.”
In the end, it was the Obama Condoms that gave me the much
needed‘cred’—and prompted street performers to open up and talk
to me. The Obama Condom Lady was legit. ;-)
3.
Do you have a favorite instrument or song that just makes you smile
before you can even see the busker responsible?
Life
is a voyage of discovery, and throughout this project, I have
discovered so many cool instruments and styles of music; the
Theremin, the Kora, glass cowbells, and the Nyckelharpa—to name a
few. I love Latin music and flamenco guitar; heavy metal and electric
violin. It was absolutely wondrous to bring all these sights and
sounds together in a unique version—(and
vision)
of the song New
York State of Mind—which
I talk about in #7. After listening to our version of the song, no
less than 1,000 times, I’m sure; I still LOVE
it; the collective sounds of passions merging and artists shaking
loose.
4.
What was your favorite part of creating this book?
My
favorite part of creating this book changes, based on where I am
standing in relation to the project as a whole. Now that the project
has been produced, I look back at the hardest parts—(which
for me, was production; ie: paper type, bleed lines, InDesign,
measurements, slipcase, etc…) or
actually pressing a vinyl record! Not only putting the music
together, but those records start out like hockey pucks. And I think,
‘WOW! I did that! I learned a LOT!
There’s
real validation in learning and completion, which ultimately leads to
further learning and moving forward.
It
goes without saying that I LOVED
doing the interviews, hearing people’s stories, writing the
profiles, capturing and honoring who they are and their contributions
to the society and culture, of which they are an integral part. I
guess in end, that remains my favorite part of the project; the human
connection. I am standing here four years later—and am a better
person; because of the musicians I met on the streets; and the
newfound friends I made. I hope they took something of value from me
as I did from them.
5.
I know a few people that have spent significant time busking, have
you noticed any common characteristics beyond talent and just being
awesome people?
There
are many misconceptions about busking;
“They can’t get a real venue.” “They have no talent.” “They
are homeless.”
My experiences have shown these to be exactly that; misconceptions.
What I have witnessed, is that buskers choose
to perform on the streets, the rawest, most authentic stage there is;
to share their craft outside of a financial context for everyone to
enjoy and participate in. I think the operative term here is
‘choose’…very
simply, buskers/street musicians choose
to be there.
To
quote Shedrick Williams of The Jason Adamo band, “A
lot of people do this for the perks or the money, but a lot more
choose to do it for the love of the music.”
Then there is the fantastic violinist, Jim Graseck, who is a Julliard
graduate and has chosen
to make his career as a busker for the past 40+ years, even though he
currently plays in the most amazing venues in New York City and
appeared on The Johnny Carson Show, back in the day. There is freedom
in artistic expressions that survive and manifest with no financial
context. It might be called an esoteric level of experience, for both
performer and audience.
Know
that audience participation is a huge component. If you dig what you
hear or see; then dig a little deeper and drop them a buck, for the
song, the experience, the story, the photo, the YouTube video. This
small exchange of daily experience is a currency, which is not
exchangeable for articles of consumption—in other words, ‘You
can’t buy it at Walmart.’
6.
What do you do when you are not writing?
I
live in and LOVE
my
City by the Bay, San Francisco. That being said, I spend an
inordinate amount of time eating and drinking throughout all the
funky and fabulous neighborhoods here. I also make (and
sell)
unique, one of a kind, retro shoulder bags, from reclaimed records.
The front cover is on one side and the actual vinyl record—(not
a pressed blank)
on the other side. It gives me a great excuse to haunt all the
vintage shops and record stores in the City. I’m a HUGE
Baseball
fan. I bleed Orange & Black and watch most of the games—(that
takes a lot of time, considering there are about 162 games in a
season!)
I also read TONS
and post little reviews everywhere. Whew! I’m tired just thinking
about it!
7.
Do you have any plans for what you would like to do next?
Last
year, I ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, via Rockethub. We had
so many wonderful and amazing supporters. From their generous
contributions, we took 30 participants from the book—(NYC
buskers/street musicians),
to Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn, New York and recorded the hit
song by Billy Joel,
New York State of Mind.
The uber talented recording and touring artist, Keaton Simons, flew
in from Los Angeles to arrange, produce and mix the tune. The music
is incredible! We have a Beat Rhymer, musical saw, violins, Cello,
tons of vocalists…it is amazing. So far, only our Rockethub funders
have heard the song, but we will be doing a media-launch in about
May. From that day, we also created a 12 minute short documentary
film. It was such an inspiring time and we are all very proud with
the way everything turned out.
8.
Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and
fans?
Thank
you for giving me the gift of time, to pursue, create and manifest my
passion.
Thank
you.
