I was watching the first season of “Ted Lasso,” the Jason Sudeikis comedy about an American football coach who’s hired to manage a British football squad. In one episode the owner of the team is hosting a benefit gala when the featured musical act, Robbie Williams (a big star in Britain), cancels at the last minute. In desperation, Ted brings in a busker he passed in the street, a shaggy-looking hippie playing what sounds like electrified Delta blues and accompanying himself on foot drums — a one-man band. Once he’s at the party, the hippie busts into this song.
I wondered who they got to play the street musician, and sure enough he’s an actual busker named Cam Cole who’s been performing in London, especially in Camden Town, for over a decade. He bills himself as a “singer, songwriter and New Age traveler,” and says his main influences are White Stripes, Michael Jackson, T-Rex, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. He’s released two albums, has busy accounts on every social media platform and even made videos for some of his songs, including “Mama,” the one he played on TV.
The appearance on “Ted Lasso,” one of TV’s breakout hits, has boosted Cole’s public profile, so I don’t know how much longer he’ll keep playing for donations on street corners. Enjoy it while it lasts.
