Diary Of A Busker Day 372 Tuesday May 21st 2013 Winchester High Street, opposite Vodafone. Time: 2:05-4:05pm
I don’t know if it was the way I was sleeping but I woke up with a really aching left shoulder…and my left hip has been playing up again. I bet it’s all this carting my stuff around….and on top of all that, I’ve forgotten my pencil and I have to ask one of the UNICEF girls if I can borrow something to write down what time I start and all that. I’ve also found some paper; I’ve forgotten my pad, as well!
Anyway, while I’m writing down the time and place, she asks me what I’m going to do. ‘Well, I’m going to play some instrumental guitar things…’ But just then, I hear someone playing a penny whistle somewhere up the road, so I amend my comment – ‘but obviously not here!’ Good job I hadn’t unpacked anything, not as if it’s a big hassle to pack it up; my total “rig-down” time is 40 seconds.
So, down to the middle spot…and there he is, standing bored out of his skull in his usual place, it’s the AA insurance guy – David. He comes up to speak to me – so how did my cruise go? I say it was OK, apart from I seemed to spend half the money I made (snow globes are getting really expensive). Then I had to ask HIM for a pen. He asks ‘Why’s that?’ so I tell him – ‘I write stuff down…when I start, where, what happens, all that.’ I think that might have freaked him out. I think he might have got paranoid, although I’ve definitely told him before that I’ve got a diary. Anyway, he left to go back to his spot, and pretty sharpish, too. Maybe he thinks I’ll write about him. Perish the thought.
I play for two hours and I’m sure I’ve done alright, meaning I think there’s about £20 in the kitty…but I’m way off. I count most of it, which doesn’t take long, and it’s about £11 – terrible. Mind, there were some indications, nay – portents, that all might not be well. The usually generous councillor walks by…nothing.
And my flagrant opportunistic attempt to get some coinage from a passing Led Zeppelin T-shirt-wearing girl, by way of abruptly stopping mid-song and starting the Whole Lotta Love riff, completely fell on deaf ears (pun intended). She never even looked my way. This sort of thing really confuses me, I mean, how can someone wearing a Led Zeppelin T-shirt not look up when they hear probably the most famous Led Zeppelin riff ever!? I’m even playing it the the greatest authenticity; with the slightly bent 5th fret A-string and open D string together, you idiot girl. I don’t know…the only reason I can think is she must be one of those people who wear stuff like that not because they are familiar with the music of whoever it is on the T-shirt, but because it’s trendy to wear something like that. I’ve noticed the same thing if I go into Here Comes The Sun when someone walks by wearing a Beatles Abbey Road T-shirt, and that song’s on the bloody album, for goodness sake! Anyway, I bet she’s never even heard a Led Zeppelin song…”is Led really his first name?…oh, by the way, which one’s PINK?”
Janet turns up and contributes. I tell her I was thinking about her when I was doing Apache, ten minutes ago. I was also wondering why I hadn’t seen her for a long time, and convincing myself she had died, though I didn’t tell her that.
Earnings: £12.14