Man in a Chicken suit plays "What is Love" on Pianica on Vimeo

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I was in Melbourne for Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) 09, and I found this busker standing outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. He was playing the hit 90's track "What Is Love" on bass guitar, Melodica, with the assistance of a loop pedal. What is remarkable (evidently) is that he did the entire thing wearing a chicken suit. The real action in this video starts at around 1:20, when he gets DOWN with the improv action on the Pianica. Enjoy.

UPDATE : 14/12/09 : "Chicken Man" is JAMES BOWERS myspace.com/jamesbowersmusic

Credits

785 Likes

jamie matthews
2 days ago
André Ferreira
4 days ago
Tommybcn
5 days ago
Bruno Porto
1 week ago
Hellre
1 week ago
Raphael D.
1 week ago
felipe rangel
1 week ago
Ben Bligh
1 week ago
Rachel Mayo
2 weeks ago
John Szendiuch
2 weeks ago

Tags

Wilder Shaw 2 years ago

This is the best thing of my life
Chris Hahn 2 years ago

Dude, I want to give this money, and I'm not even there.
Tom Hammond 2 years ago

exactly how I feel
Bruno R. S. 2 years ago

Me too, but i'm in brazil...
ariel wollinger 2 years ago

me too! From Brazil and willing to give money to this dude!
I only miss the bobbing head and the video would be a perfect homage to SNL.
Jim 2 years ago

Perfect description of how I feel. My brain is so satisfied.
Dr Lumi 2 years ago

Way too much fun! Did you get any more of this guy? I could watch him all day.
Fragenord Berscht 2 years ago

what is dumpling?
Henri Olama 2 years ago

C'est fou, rigolo et pathetique!
Kalvin Camp 2 years ago

HELL YES! This version is so hot it should be renamed to "What is Sex".
Richard The Rough 2 years ago

A street genius. Love it.
Sean Blake 2 years ago

Wow. I was just thinking how amazing it would be to see a guy in a chicken suit play "What is Love" with a bass guitar, a pianica and a loop pedal. Thank you, kind universe, for delivering my wishes.
Emanuel Gómez Miranda 2 years ago

oh my.
GO FOR IT CHICKEN GUY!
Carlos Rodriguez 2 years ago

Awesome
Nicholas Weldon 2 years ago

I want to get remarried so I can have him play this for our first dance.
Michael Bowie 2 years ago

I want this to go viral like a bad rash.
Ring Mod 2 years ago

Well, I posted this video less than two days ago, and it's already had over 115,000 views. I think your wish might come true :)
Seth Dickens 2 years ago

This guy is seriously cool. What a DUDE. I love it. Clebrating the very best quality bad taste available. Good on ya mate!
mpared 2 years ago

posted at the curious brain
mpared 2 years ago

genial ..posted at the curious brain
Alexander Mangel 2 years ago

I want Michael Bowie's wish to come true.
Ethan Caine 2 years ago

This guy is my effing hero!!!
epiphanius 2 years ago

Awesome.

Posted to metafilter:

metafilter.com/87407/Chicken-Saturday
Calvin Cardioid 2 years ago

So classic! Older folks (i.e. man in the suit): no clue. Younger folks: all smiles.
clevercelt 2 years ago

classic
Guilherme Atencio 2 years ago

I would gladly give him a few bucks.
Jeffrey 2 years ago

If this is heaven, I'm ready to die.
Dudu P 2 years ago

+1
Juan Reyes 2 years ago

I want a screensaver of this. Then I can live happily.
Patrick Lawler 2 years ago

This is the best thing I have ever found on vimeo
Jesse Nguyen 2 years ago

I want to give him a credit card, and vow to pay off all of his charges.
eric jonathan martin 2 years ago

i suddenly realize that everything i've accomplished in my life was a waste of time and this person has outdone everything i could ever hope to achieve. everything is a failure in comparison.
Mike Armstrong 2 years ago

Chick Corea!!!!!
Echinadrome 2 years ago

If you want to get money from hipsters, you should definitely do this.
Zhe Li 2 years ago

This is wonderful!. Thank you for posting it.
Josh Le Good 2 years ago

i saw this guy!!! he was amazing!
D Gauthier 2 years ago

I joined Vimeo just so I could say how this video kills me. At the end, when he's jamming out, it's just so goddam funny with that suit
Shea 2 years ago

My faith in humanity is resored!
Thank you Chicken man.
Soundwave 2 years ago

great!!!
Adam Theriault 2 years ago

I particularly love when he *really* gets going at around 2:40, but the climax is really 4:20 when he starts dancing a bit.

That said, anyone who fast-forwards a second of this goldmine is insane. This guy is like the infinite jest of street performance. I've watched it five times in the past hour, and it keeps getting better.

And yes, please lord god let this go viral like some kind of chicken-suit pianica swine flu.
paramon 2 years ago

he's real good!
Michael Jordan 2 years ago

hahahahaha epic!
Joseph Kuzma 2 years ago

Why can't the street musicians in Pittsburgh be this creative? I'd have given him money in a heartbeat.
Silas W 2 years ago

awesome! i have linked to this on FB. get the word out, this chicken deserves more!
Josh Le Good 2 years ago

chicken man, if you're out there,
please tell us when you'll perform for us again, i would literally travel an hour and a half to the city for you.
Nicole Garbarini 2 years ago

I am throwing coins and cash at my screen, aiming for your guitar(?) case.
Andy Perez 2 years ago

I joined this site just to say how awesome the chicken guy is. We need to find out who he is so he can get some props and perhaps a little cash. Its so hypnotizing, and now I want to buy a chicken suit. Too bad I cant play the pianica. My only complaint is that the video cuts off right when he really starts to shred. Please make more videos chicken man. Do it for the children.
Ring Mod 2 years ago

According to the flickr site hosting an image where someone drew a portrait of "Chicken Man" (flickr.com/photos/josh1/4177516902), he has in fact seen the video/portrait. So it's up to him to step out of the shadows and identify himself now if he wants to. For me, I'm trying to get in touch with him just to say "Thanks dude, for making my day!" :) Also : "I gave you a 5'er, but I think now I should have given you a 20, and would loved to have had a beer with you".
james bowers 2 years ago

Hey. Just made an account to say thanks to ya'll for the kind comments. I'll be busking at flinders a bit this summer so im sure you melbourne guys will see me around. To all the non Melbourne people - thanks so much for all the nice things you've said, im so glad that this has given a smile to so many people - thats my aim.
Andy Perez 2 years ago

Hi James, thanks for improving my day here in the U.S. Been a rough week, and your video relaxed me quite a bit. Please make more videos and post them online!
Steve McQueen 2 years ago

Could this be Adam Page?

youtube.com/watch?v=tuDV-nmRXSw

myspace.com/adampagemusic
Bill Billson 2 years ago

facebook.com/#/pages/Dudes-With-Trowels/205515055159?ref=ts

Dig it.
Stef 2 years ago

They should sent 50.000 guys like this to Afghanistan & Iraq. -> War over in 10 days.
jchap (Jeremy Chapman) 2 years ago

Best Comment!
Ring Mod 2 years ago

Chicken Man's identity revealed in my latest blog post. :) synthtube.com/?p=332
Ring Mod 2 years ago

Chicken man is JAMES BOWERS myspace.com/jamesbowersmusic
Documentally 2 years ago

Love it!

So many philosophical questions posed on so many levels.. Starting with What Is Love? ;)
Juan Mendoza 2 years ago

I gave the subservient chicken this command,

subservientchicken.com/pre_bk_skinned.swf
Super8punk 2 years ago

Nice!
Marianne Stone 2 years ago

Aw man - it makes me a little sad when someone this talented is standing on a street corner in a chicken suit. On the other hand - wow, what a show! :D Thanks for sharing.
Will Hayward 2 years ago

This is probably the greatest video in the history of mankind
Sunny Thaper 2 years ago

Wow, that dude would have gotten 5 bucks from me easily!
Jessie 2 years ago

I cannot 'Like' this enough.
Zachary Herche 2 years ago

James Bowers made my week
Joseph Crosley 2 years ago

Was the camera person dancing while filming? The bounce seemed a bit rhythmical.
Ring Mod 2 years ago

The iPhone camera seems to have an image stabilisation algorithm of some sort, which after holding it up for long periods of time kicks in as you start to wobble a bit. I was kind of dancing a bit at one point though. :)
Tom Hammond 2 years ago

It appears it is this James Bowers. Good work sir.

c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/62/l_324541a63654902430d4e4b3f3864ad7.jpg
Nicole Rawley 2 years ago

I can't believe only dudes are tipping this pimp.
Samb0 2 years ago

EXCLUSIVE IMAGE (Chicken, Gorilla, Monkey & Banana) img41.imageshack.us/img41/128/dscn1899b.jpg
Ol Hussy 2 years ago

Better than pr0n
DrMattDestruction 2 years ago

the dude running @ 2:33 ran like phoebe in friends. if he isn't married yet, he isn't gonna get married. lel.
George McPoopin 2 years ago

We should all pitch in get James the full ableton live 8 suite. I am sure he'd appreciate it!! I'm willing to donate if someone can set it up with James and Ableton.
Sinan İpek 2 years ago

Shot with ... what?
Ring Mod 2 years ago

iPhone 3GS. Seriously. :)
Sinan İpek 2 years ago

And bye the way what did he use the bass guitar for? It seems the bass line was prerecorded.
Ring Mod 2 years ago

It seems that way just because he recorded the bassline on the loop pedal shortly before I started recording. Trust me, he did also play the bassline.
Les Izmore 2 years ago

oh shit!!!
Anton Larin 2 years ago

hi is awsemoe! his version even better than original! sounds so original. Like it!
Brian Mullin 2 years ago

Burger King Ad. "What is love? Love is our new Chicken Supreme sandwich for 99 cents!"
dalas verdugo 2 years ago

Every time he plays a new phrase from the original, it's funny all over again.
Branford Nordstrom 2 years ago

Next time NASA is compiling a golden blu-ray disc or whatever to fill with Earth media and stick on the side of a space probe for aliens to find, I swear...this video NEEDS to be on there.

Hell, it could easily stand up as the ONLY thing on there.

Aliens could just watch all the people passing by in the crowd, the people giving the chicken-man money, the ones who charge past, making a point of not looking at the spectacle, the kid with the groovy hair who says "...so awesome" in a New England accent and they'd pretty much have humanity figured out by the fifth or sixth re-watching.

I'm not even kidding. I want this video to represent my species.
Jerry Serna 2 years ago

Brave Chicken Dude.
Johan Berglund 2 years ago

OMG! Awesome!
Donna Williams 2 years ago

very cute :-)
ines christine geisser 1 year ago

i think he would have done better without the chicken costume.
Stephen Lewis 1 year ago

This really is the gift that keeps on giving.
olivier ducret 1 year ago

I've heard this was Yann Tiersen under the mask.
nocolor-in-mybalcony 1 year ago

crazy! great!
emaibothma 8 months ago

don't stop! keep it on!!!!:)))
RAM THE FARMER 6 months ago

nice coverrr on pianica, awesome!
Nokternal_FYP 5 months ago

uhh..uhh..I'm sorry it usually takes a little bit longer than that but that chicken made me just explode as he filled my earholes with his sweet sweet pianica.
Ben Bligh 1 week ago

Amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Ben Bligh 1 week ago

Emilio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!