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Chris Watson strikes a pose next to the Schwinn he rides while playing his Fender Stratocaster. Watson, who once fronted a band, estimates he’s logged some 20,000 miles over the years.
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ENLARGE
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Chris Watson of Roseburg, also known as The Bicycling Guitarist, rides a 10-speed Schwinn while playing a Fender Stratocaster.
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Have you seen The Bicycling Guitarist?
He’s hard to miss.
Like a juggler on a unicycle, The Bicycling Guitarist is a one-man balancing act of dual grace that commands attention away from the circus of our lives, even if just for a minute.
He calls it meditation in motion.
“I’m not thinking, I’m just experiencing the moment,” The Bicycling Guitarist said.
Of course, it’s a natural condition.
“I’m much more graceful on my bike than on my feet,” he added.
Also known as Chris Watson, or TBG, The Bicycling Guitarist has been riding the streets of Roseburg now for a few weeks, pedaling his 10-speed Schwinn with a disciplined posture as he strums away on his electric guitar.
“He’s very talented in that way,” said Dianne Bowden, of Dianne’s Deli and Coffee Shop on Diamond Lake Boulevard.
Watson often rides around Dianne’s for a few laps after he’s sat down and had his morning coffee.
The music’s not so loud — TBG’s battery-powered Pignose amp puts out only so many decibels — but the guitar chords have a lasting effect as he pedals by, leaving you to wonder how he manages the feat.
He’s hard to miss.
Like a juggler on a unicycle, The Bicycling Guitarist is a one-man balancing act of dual grace that commands attention away from the circus of our lives, even if just for a minute.
He calls it meditation in motion.
“I’m not thinking, I’m just experiencing the moment,” The Bicycling Guitarist said.
Of course, it’s a natural condition.
“I’m much more graceful on my bike than on my feet,” he added.
Also known as Chris Watson, or TBG, The Bicycling Guitarist has been riding the streets of Roseburg now for a few weeks, pedaling his 10-speed Schwinn with a disciplined posture as he strums away on his electric guitar.
“He’s very talented in that way,” said Dianne Bowden, of Dianne’s Deli and Coffee Shop on Diamond Lake Boulevard.
Watson often rides around Dianne’s for a few laps after he’s sat down and had his morning coffee.
The music’s not so loud — TBG’s battery-powered Pignose amp puts out only so many decibels — but the guitar chords have a lasting effect as he pedals by, leaving you to wonder how he manages the feat.
“You don’t see it but there’s leprechauns running along with me there,” Watson said.
Transplanted from California about a year ago to be closer to family, The Bicycling Guitarist didn’t take to the Roseburg streets right away. But he’s lost some weight, got his legs back in shape, and has since found his center of gravity again — with a Fender Stratocaster guitar in hand.
“I’m in better shape now than I’ve been in 10 years,” the 47-year-old said.
Playing a guitar while riding a bike just seemed like an obvious combination of transportation and relaxation to Watson when he began cruising in the early 1980s in his hometown of Fairfield, near the Travis Air Force Base in the San Francisco Bay area.
“Somehow, in my early 20s, I figured I could put the two together,” he said.
He figures he’s ridden about 20,000 miles ever since.
“If I get a good song going, I can go for miles. And that’s part of the reason I can go for so long, is that because my mind is on the music and I’m not even paying attention to my body,” he said.
For about 15 years, The Bicycling Guitarist rode every day. But he took a hiatus from his routine when family affairs took his attention away. And then he fell out of shape. But he’s increasingly climbing back in the saddle of his trusty 10-speed — the same one he’s ridden ever since he began riding a bike and playing guitar — as he’s rediscovering his comfort zone.
The Bicycling Guitarist plays original music. He often writes new songs as he’s cruising along. His guitar emits harmonic melodies, to which he sometimes sings along. It’s not unusual for him to pass up other bicyclists while in the middle of his 40- to 45-mile gigs.
“I just love to stretch people’s minds,” he said.
The Bicycling Guitarist used to be the frontman in a band, but he said he hasn’t been on stage since 1996. However, every day is a public performance as he’s riding along, though his two-wheeled show takes a break when it’s wet or cold, when conditions are not conducive to playing guitar.
Otherwise he’ll be out there, playing guitar and meditating on life.
“I can’t not do it,” The Bicycling Guitarist said. “It’s the only peace I’ve found in this life.”
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info.
Transplanted from California about a year ago to be closer to family, The Bicycling Guitarist didn’t take to the Roseburg streets right away. But he’s lost some weight, got his legs back in shape, and has since found his center of gravity again — with a Fender Stratocaster guitar in hand.
“I’m in better shape now than I’ve been in 10 years,” the 47-year-old said.
Playing a guitar while riding a bike just seemed like an obvious combination of transportation and relaxation to Watson when he began cruising in the early 1980s in his hometown of Fairfield, near the Travis Air Force Base in the San Francisco Bay area.
“Somehow, in my early 20s, I figured I could put the two together,” he said.
He figures he’s ridden about 20,000 miles ever since.
“If I get a good song going, I can go for miles. And that’s part of the reason I can go for so long, is that because my mind is on the music and I’m not even paying attention to my body,” he said.
For about 15 years, The Bicycling Guitarist rode every day. But he took a hiatus from his routine when family affairs took his attention away. And then he fell out of shape. But he’s increasingly climbing back in the saddle of his trusty 10-speed — the same one he’s ridden ever since he began riding a bike and playing guitar — as he’s rediscovering his comfort zone.
The Bicycling Guitarist plays original music. He often writes new songs as he’s cruising along. His guitar emits harmonic melodies, to which he sometimes sings along. It’s not unusual for him to pass up other bicyclists while in the middle of his 40- to 45-mile gigs.
“I just love to stretch people’s minds,” he said.
The Bicycling Guitarist used to be the frontman in a band, but he said he hasn’t been on stage since 1996. However, every day is a public performance as he’s riding along, though his two-wheeled show takes a break when it’s wet or cold, when conditions are not conducive to playing guitar.
Otherwise he’ll be out there, playing guitar and meditating on life.
“I can’t not do it,” The Bicycling Guitarist said. “It’s the only peace I’ve found in this life.”
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info.
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