A
wayward talent who once sang in Carnegie Hall may have finally
found his place in music -- on the streets of Columbus.
Steven
Swafford has lately assumed the stage name ''Steven Streets''
-- a nod to his role as a busker, or street musician.
Not
just any busker, the 48-year-old Columbus native is a classically
trained, tuba-blowing, opera-belting virtuoso of sidewalks,
alleys and plazas.
He
is a common sight and sound on show days outside the Ohio
and Palace theaters, on shopping days at the North Market
and on first Saturdays at the Gallery Hop in the Short North.
''My
favorite part of doing this is the interaction with the people
and being an ambassador for the instrument,'' he said.
Swafford
manages with few resources: He spends $80 a month to store
his horn but often beds down at night ''on the river'' at
a makeshift campsite.
A
former draftsman, cabdriver and masonry laborer, Swafford
is unemployed and, for now, homeless -- circumstances he portrays
without self-pity as lifestyle choices.
''It's
impossible for a monk to be homeless,'' he said. ''It nurtures
the spirit. I live with God.''
...
"In
musical circles, eccentricity is not unusual,'' said Otterbein
College professor and tuba player Gary Tirey.
Tirey,
director of the annual Merry TubaChristmas concert in Columbus,
admires Swafford's dedication.
"A
tuba is a lot to carry around in this kind of weather, and
it is harder to play when it's cold,'' Tirey said. "Your
lips chap, the valves freeze, and a cold horn collects a lot
of condensation from the warm air going through it.''
Swafford
carries medicated lip balm and frequently drains water from
inside his instrument.
"It's
funny: I do all the drinking, but it's my horn that has to
pee,'' said Swafford, who often repairs to O'Shaughnessy's
or the Short North Tavern after performances for a pint of
Guinness Irish Stout.
...
He considers street entertainment a noble calling that is
welcomed and supported in many large cities.
He
also considers it a job.
"What
do you mean unemployed? This is work, man,'' he said. "When
I'm not out there, I'm preparing to go back or recovering.''
