The Blondie classic Call Me or Little Feat's Apolitical Blues would have been perfect for Williamson, while for Collins, a rendition of Signed, Sealed, Delivered - I'm Yours would have been have been a good choice.
She would have been wise to drop her favourite James Taylor lyric - "I'm a Steamroller Baby, Gonna Roll All Over You" in favour of something more subdued such as I Heard it Through the Grapevine.
Mind you both politicians would probably have felt the cold chill of disapproval and found nothing in their busking hat but a packet of milk powder and very long pair of chopsticks.
I have done a bit of busking myself in the past.
As a young musician living in Europe I would strum and hum on street corners for small change.
It was a great way to meet people and the camaraderie between street performers was always comforting.
Sometimes a couple of us would join forces, figuring two voices were better than one.
The tricky bit is working out a shared repertoire.
A young Frenchman and I teamed up to busk on a cold winter day in Nuremburg.
We settled on Dylan songs as these were always popular with pedestrians and he knew the French language versions so we could do bilingual duets.
There was firm agreement that we would not play Blowing in the Wind. Another busker had been murdering this song earlier in the morning and we felt it should be left to rest in peace.
We played for an hour or so in the chilly weather with very little return from the huddled masses rushing past. Then two men approached - well-dressed but definitely drunk, they got out their wallets, staggered about, held out a wad of cash and asked if we could play Blowing In The Wind.
We looked at each other and counted in the chords: one-two-three "How many roads must a man walk down ..."
We sang two verses, one in English, one in French then the chorus twice. We thanked the cheerfully inebriated punters for their largesse, packed up our guitars and headed to a cafe.
Warming our hands on steaming cups of coffee, we both felt a niggling twinge of concern at how quickly we had betrayed our principles in exchange for money.
Busking is a bit like politics. It requires chutzpah and a willingness to put aside any integrity in exchange for money. It helps to be loud (shouting is optional) and every coin in the hat is a vote for you.
Wealthy politicians would make great buskers as it seems they are not so bothered by selling their influence to the highest bidder.
Terry Sarten is a Whanganui writer, musician and social worker currently residing Sydney-side. Feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz or www.telsarten.com
