>Not only did I see him, but it was free, courtesy of a state that
>still uses some of its taxes to fund the arts - or at least it did
>pre-Czar-cosy...
I'm a big Handsome Family fan. Someone I know saw them perform recently at a private birthday party, and he spent a lot of time talking with one half of the duo during breaks.
This is an American group that's really popular in Europe. The guy said that when they first began playing across the pond they would be super apologetic to their hosts because they'd be playing 1,000 seat theaters where 15 people showed up. (That's not the case anymore.) He said that the response to his apologies would always be "don't worry, it was a great show and this is state-sponsored art. it doesn't matter the theater wasn't full."
Needless to say, he says it's very different here.
http://www.handsomefamily.com/