BUSHMAN | fisherman's wharf san francisco |

BUSHMAN | fisherman's wharf san francisco | from onward films on Vimeo.

David Johnson, also known as the World Famous Bushman, has been an entertainer along Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco since 1980.

Johnson hides motionless behind some eucalyptus branches and waits for unsuspecting people to wander by. When they approach, he jumps out and startles them.

Be sure to wait until the end--the last one is great!

I had so much fun watching David, and if you look closely at his face, he is having a blast doing what he does.

You haven't seen the last of BUSHMAN, so stay tuned for a bigger project in the works. This is just a sneak peek!

I spent nearly two hours on Tuesday at Fisherman's Wharf talking to David Johnson, who is also known as the World Famous Bushman. Johnson has been scaring passers-by along the Wharf since 1980. His act is simple: Johnson hides motionless behind some eucalyptus branches and waits for unsuspecting people to wander by. When they approach, he jumps out and startles them.



Johnson was kind enough to let me interview him as well. I look forward to sharing it with you in the upcoming weeks. Don't feel bad for him though (I guess you can if you want, depending on how you view his situation). According to tax records, Johnson earns $60,000 a year.



And then there was Hoseman (I love these names). I wanted to interview him as well, but there was a language barrier, so I just shot footage of this happy guy in action. He not only played the hose but he played tea cups and a yard blower contraption that looked like a saxophone, but played like a guitar. Talk to you later.

Day 2: Demonstration for Iran

By now, many of you already know about the attrocities taking place in Iran. I won't get into the politics of whose right or wrong (even though I do have an opinion), but what I will say is that I have always been a huge supporter of people having the right to freely speak their minds. It is one of the cornerstones of this great country of ours.



This evening I stumbled upon a demonstration taking place in Union Square and grabbed my cameras. Since so much of the Iranian protest has taken place via Twitter (providing the world with immediate details of the turmoil taking place in Iran) I stopped from time to time and provided images via my cell phone to the Twitter world, in the hopes of telling those in Iran that people on the other side of the world were speaking out.



Here are just a few of the images I captured. When I return to SoCal, I can't wait to edit the video footage.









Tomorrow, I will try to post my shots of Bush Man and Hose Man (both very friendly and talented men).

Day 1: Bucket Man

Within ten minutes of arriving to downtown San Francisco, I was in Union Square filming a short PSA with Larry "Bucketman" Hunt. You may remember him from Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith. What an amazing spirit.



How can I describe him? Well, picture a bunch of 5 gallon buckets turned upside down like a drum set. Throw in some drumsticks and happy spirit, and welcome to Bucketman's world outside Old Navy in Union Square (apparently, the city wants to shut him down.)

While he was playing, he took time to let children bang on the buckets as well, and that's when I stepped in and asked if I could take some shots and capture some footage. I had noticed that he was openly talking to the kids about staying in school and following their passions. That's when I asked Larry if I could interview him about a message he has for children.



It just seemed like the perfect fit for ONWARD FILMS. I can't wait to get back home and edit his short piece.

I also purchased his CD so I can't wait to share his music as well.

Here is a shot of another musician I spoke with:



But he wasn't as open as Bucketman. I think his sign said it all.



It may seem like their is a DOWN ON YOUR LUCK theme, but I saw beyond the struggling men on street corners and realized that they were just fellow artists, and I can appreciate it that without labels and such.



Off to the Mission Street Murals tomorrow.