Diary Of A Busker Day 171 Thursday October 20th Winchester High Street (1. opposite Card Factory, Time: 1-1:35pm, 2. opposite Phase Eight, Time: 1:50-3:33pm, 3. opposite Vodafone, Time: 4:15-5:45pm).
It’s another cold day and after just half an hour I’m fed up with my first spot – at the un-busy part of the street. At my second spot, it’s not much better, money-wise, although there are a lot more people about. After my Third Man, a girl who I’ve seen a few times before (don’t know name), asks if she can record me on her phone. She says she wants to learn the song on her ukelele. “I hear you play it all the time”, she says. Other people say this, and when they do I say I don’t play it anymore than any other song – unless someone requests it – which some do. “Maybe I just walk by whenever you play it.” “I think you might, like a lot of other people!” Of course, I’m used to playing it out here – when there’s hundreds of people walking by, but the second I know she’s recording, I start making mistakes and keep apologising and starting again. “Am I making you nervous?” she says. “Yeah.”
…the money’s certainly slow – not even Albatross works, and that’s one of the biggest “money-spinners” I’ve got. An hour and a half after I start my hands are freezing. I take a break and go and see if my album’s still in the HMV Shop, which incidentally is also the warmest place around. But they’ve moved the shelves around and when I look for the plastic card with my name on, it’s gone. This depresses me – and just before I started today, I told some man he could buy my album here! However, on enquiry, I’m told no – they haven’t thrown any of my unsold cds out, and yes, they WILL stock my new one – after all the forms and red tape are sorted out… approval from “head office”, ect… . So now I’m not depressed anymore.
Back on the street, I’m playing Cavatina. Across the way, a man parks an old Raleigh Superbe – like what I’ve got – and comes over and starts singing, “HE WAS SOOO…, SOOOOOOO… BEAUTIFUL…” I say, “I didn’t know that had words!” “Oh yes – I used to work with Cleo Laine, you know. Hmm… she did a MARVELLOUS version of that. Four octave range, used to go really high. I’m an opera singer – for thirty-seven years.” I tell him I don’t know anything about that kind of music. I ask him his name. “William Kendal.” “And do you live here, in Winchester?” “Oh yes, and I’ve heard you MANY times.” But he wants to talk more about Cleo. “Oh yes, worked with her for YEARS. I remeber the time I walked in on her, in her dressing room – she was in her “basics”. I shielded my eyes, you know, and apologised. She said “Oh, haven’t you ever seen one of those before?!”.”
Earnings: £44.37p.