Street performers in Edinburgh

We are staying in Linlithgow. It is actually 20 miles from the center. It takes 20 minutes to get to the center by train. It’s a couple of blocks from the train station and a grocery store. Very convenient. 

So the 2nd day we were here we went to Edinburgh to the jazz festival. Stayed there a while then walked back to central part again and ate at a pizza restaurant because I was getting gnarly.

The street was on a cobbled street that is a pedestrian mall. There was a circle of people gathered around this guy who was yelling. He was a street entertainer.

M wanted to stop so we did. Turns out this guy is an American. He has lived in Scotland for 18 years. It was about a half hour long show. 

When he first started he had a flaming stick in his hand. He had a suitcase with other unlit sticks. You are assuming he juggles fire right? Nope. He uses that as a prop to attract people. That’s not the act.

So he chooses two people from the audience to assist him. Lots of jokes about them. He has laid a chain in a semicircle and the crowd stands behind it. There is a straight jacket on the ground with leather straps. See where this is going?

So he has two guys from the audience put him in the straight jacket and buckle it up. Then he has them take the chain and rap it around him. Then he moves people closer.

He gets out of the chains. Okay that’s done. Now comes the weird part. He tells people who are queasy to look away. He then dislocates one of his shoulders to get out of the straight jacket! 

Being a former ER nurse I knew there were people who had repeated shoulder dislocations. In fact there were people who could do it at will and put it back in. At least once I saw someone come in to try and get narcotics by doing it.

So it’s done and he passed the hat recommending we give him 10 pounds ($12 or so) for the performance knowing he wouldn’t get it. I gave him a few. He worked hard for it.