Ethan “Chooka” Parker’s spider-like fingers glide across the surface of his Roland keyboard.
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Without the slightest hint his frenzied playing is slowing, he raises his right foot to the keys. It, too, has a role to play in a feverish performance that has onlookers – the few around – cheering and rushing to part with their shopping change.
The keyboardist from Red Lion, near Maryborough, was a surprisingly familiar face in the busking space outside Coles in Bendigo on Thursday.
Reality television devotees, and many others, will remember Parker: for a touch longer than the prescribed 15 minutes in 2011 he was a cult sensation.
The self-taught keyboardist dazzled audiences with classically inspired numbers purportedly made up on the spot as he rode the Australia’s Got Talent wave into lounge rooms across the nation.
The public delighted in the details of Parker’s intriguing biography – he was home-schooled and had spent time working as a roustabout – and revelled in stories of a tantrum he allegedly threw backstage after being voted off the show.
In the years since, Parker has travelled to Hong Kong and Japan. He says he has also trained as a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand and as a bodybuilder.
Parker’s drift from the spotlight has not diminished his passion for performing. His busking remains as energetic as his television performances were. His recorded works – two albums titled My Jewel and No Worries – sat alongside him as he busked, on sale for $15 apiece.
Like many performers, his creativity has remained his compass, even as audiences have come and gone.
“I’ve been increasing all my different styles and I want to get into acting,” he says.
“I’ve got a lot of plans on the go, so I’m really excited about it all.”