Diary Of A Busker Day 574 Tuesday June 17th 2014 Winchester (1. Opposite Bellis, Time: 12:38-1:58pm, 2. Opposite Pavilion, Time: 2:25-3:10pm).
I’ve only been playing a minute when one of the old lady regulars (OLR) appears and asks me where I’ve been lately. I say I haven’t been anywhere, I’ve been here: we must have just kept missing each other. She asks if I’ve used the fingerless wool things – wristies – she gave me. I lied and said I’d used them twice, when it was really cold, and they were a real help. She then said something about going down the road to meet her daughter, so I said she should bring her up here for a listen!
I sell a £9 CD! To Linn, a Chinese woman. A student, in fact, studying advertising at Southampton College. She’s around here till September, then she goes home, and she wants the CD to remember Winchester by (I reckon the tourist board should imburse me something for this sort of thing). She thinks my playing is ‘colourful’ and she’s seen me alot but this is the first time she’s dared to come up. This was after the 1st Gnossienne, which I had to point out wasn’t on the CD, although her favourite, La Vie En Rose, was. In that case I have to award Song Of The Day status to both songs: JSOTD – Joint Song of The Day.
I packed up after an hour and 20 minutes – that’s long enough I thought, and went to the toilet, cutting across the Brooks Centre, where, at the top of the stairs, two bored shop girls waved to me. Then, through Waterstones and down the stairs at the other side. I’ve never done that before: gone through without looking at a book! So on the way back, I remedied that and had a quick browse through a book on Robert Plant. Back out the other side, the two shop girls waved again, saying ‘waving again’, as I walked by!
At Vodafone, it’s Frank, who I haven’t seen in ages, camped out with accordion, two dogs, trailer, camping cooker and the lot. He says he should have been home doing his garden, but on a day like this, he had to come out. Also, he says a couple of young, out-of-town buskers came up and asked him about busking here. He told them ‘You’re wasting your time in Winchester’. I said that must have been encouraging for them to hear!
So, round the corner and up the road…and I get the usual greeting/warm welcome from the miserable, dark-haired bitch in Pavilion. Thirty seconds into the first one, Albatross, the door, that was wide open is shut tight. There are subtle (and polite) ways of doing things, and that ain’t it! I should go in and ask her name and when she asks why, I should say, ‘Because I keep a diary of who I meet out here, of any nice things people say to me, and other stuff that happens, and if I know your name, then I can stop writing “that miserable, dark-haired bitch from Pavilion”, which would save time and lead’. But I didn’t, because we never do what we think. Or maybe it’s not a good idea!
I told Doll this when I got home and she says I should just say ‘Hi there!’ in a very loud cheerful voice. She says it would probably annoy her more than if I got angry and started swearing, and I think she’s probably right, so maybe I should try that.
I forgot to say, I debuted two new songs: The Girl From Ipanema, and Brazil, in honour of the world cup. In other words, I employed a bit of opportunism. The Girl From Ipanema was the one requested the other day which I was determined to learn. I learnt it OK, apart from I kept getting the C’s and F major 7th’s mixed up. But Brazil needs a bit more work, so I was doing bits of it in between the other songs, which helped a bit. Anyway, when those two are done, together with Deve Ser Amor, I’ll have a Brazilian set.
Earnings: £29.90p (Including 1 CD)
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