'Busker' tries to find place among community - Biddeford - Saco - OOB Courier
Marr moved to Biddeford two months ago after he was evicted from his apartment in Portland. Marr had been busking – or playing music on the streets for donations – in Portland since 1996. He’s traveled and busked in other cities, such as Boston, Massachusetts and Nashville, Tennessee. In Portland, Marr was well known as the man who played electric guitar through a batteryoperated amplifier while riding a bike through downtown. Marr busked while living in Biddeford for a short while in the early 2000s. Although he hasn’t had a job since 1999 and is now on Social Security disability, Marr said being a professional busker is hard work. “Busking, it’s not a choice,” Marr said. Marr, who plays mainly punkand heavy metal-influenced renditions of classic and contemporary rock songs, said he is getting mixed responses from people in Biddeford. Marr has experimented with playing in different locations, including medians at the Five Points intersection, downtown and in front of stores such as Paul’s Variety on Alfred Street. ’ That’s what they say,” Marr said. Marr said although Biddeford has a lot of beggars, he doesn’t consider himself one of them. “I’ve lived in the shelter and been through some rough s--- … walking with dead sneakers, walking with wet sneakers, walking up and down, carrying gear in 90-degree heat – the guitar, the bucket – busking here is like giving. Source: courier.mainelymediallc.com
