Are Atlanta’s street musicians as talented as Britney Spears?

Ira: Yes. There’s some very talented people out there. They have more interesting things to sing about — Britney’s just manufactured crap. Pound for pound, the guys you see on the street have learned two or three instruments, they’ve probably played in several different venues, or played a bunch of other little street festivals. They’ve lived life on a whole different spectrum, whether they’ve been in jail or deal with other types of adversities. If nothing else, their stories are more interesting. Britney Spears is not creating anything of intrinsic value.

Lauren: I think the street musicians in Atlanta are pretty awful. In New York, you’ll see these amazing singers and dancers that I will gladly tip. They actually make me smile. But I don’t think I’ve ever heard street musicians in any other part of the country that are quite as bad as here in Atlanta. However, they’re still better than Britney Spears.

Steve: She’s a better dancer and she’s a hell of lot finer than anybody I’ve seen playing music on the street — that’s for damn sure. She gets on stage in front of thousands and lets it all hang out. She shakes the hell out of that ass. That’s not an easy thing to do. Some of the street musicians really get down. But it’s a lot of bums who cop a guitar at the pawnshop, and it’s like a new hustle for them.

-- Jeff Slate