Darth Fiddler - every day is Halloween in Victoria!

Two years ago, we dedicated a blog post to Darth Fiddler, one of Victoria's most unique street performers whose image had gone viral on the Web. Since then, he has continued to grow in popularity and is now approaching legendary status. This month, his opinion was sought out for an article on Victoria's economy in Focus Magazine, and just last week, The Zone 91.3 FM gave him his own radio show, where he played music from his Darth Fiddler CD and gave a stunning live performance. The Zone's Facebook page filled with cheers and a few brave souls even called in to tell him how much they enjoy him.

Darth Fiddler also has his own Facebook page, with over 3100 "Likes" (and growing!) That's where this image of Victoria's Zombie Walk appeared this week, captured by Victoria photographer James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria.

Zombies attack Darth Fiddler... Darth Fiddler plays on!
Photo Courtesy of James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria

Since Darth Fiddler's presence seems to make Victoria the land of eternal Halloween, we thought it the perfect time to catch up with him for an interview. We find him down at his usual place, on the corner of Wharf and Government, playing for a group of kids in Jedi costumes.

"How did all of this get started, anyway?"

"Well about 8 years ago, I found a floppy old Vader mask at the Salvation Army. I bought it, went busking on the spot, and it was an instant hit. The persona has an attraction for people. I never got that much attention playing as myself."

"What about the rest of the costume?"

"It's evolved over time. I got one of the sturdier masks that came out when Episode III was launched. The cape is from a Dracula costume, the padding from an old football uniform, and many of the other pieces I've sewn together from leather scraps, kind of like Frankenstein's monster."

Photo Courtesy of James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria

"Did you choose the name Darth Fiddler?"

"No, I didn't name myself at all. People started calling me that on the Web, and it just caught on."

At this point, the young Jedis are growing impatient, and the Master must get back to work.

"Did you ever plan on gettting this famous?"

"Absolutely not! I never factored the Internet into it, that so many people would share their videos and stories. I'm astounded, really. It's taken on a life of its own."

For another Halloween blog post on Darth Fiddler, visit Darth Fiddler's Mythic City.

Many thanks to James Parrot for sharing his great photos!