Monday Bagpipe Report #2

Four weeks ago, I posted a short report on the SE Portland unicycling bagpiper (or bagpiping unicycler). This afternoon, my wife phoned with an update, reporting that the fellow had just unicycled by dressed in a Santa Claus outfit and playing Christmas carols. I'm sure sorry I missed it.

I lieu of videographic evidence, here's footage of some remarkable unicycle trickery by a guy named Dan Heaton. Of the scores of unicycling videos on the interwebs, I chose this one for its connections to the region and to culture: (1) Mr. Heaton was featured in a recent Columbia Sportswear commercial; and (2) the footage, shot in Seattle, includes locations with public art. I'm not sure whether an act such as this should be classified as a stunt or performance art, though comparisons with Crutch Master Bill Shannon, who was a hit at PICA's TBA Festival a few years ago, seem apt.

2 comments:

William Foster Shannon said...

no comparison. eye candy feats of balance we share.. a dynamic emotive fluidity of expression we do not. -cm

check it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZmgZN1umsM

MightyToyCannon said...

Mr. Shannon, thanks for checking in and commenting. (I presume you have a Google Alert set for your name). You're absolutely right that the comparison between your work and the unicyclist's is inapt, or at least incomplete. My intent, expressed flippantly, was to raise the idea that the unicyclist's feats may have artistic value as an act of choreography. I did not mean to imply that your work is a mere stunt. You are clearly doing much more than that, and I encourage readers to check out your video and website.