Diary Of A Busker Day 2616 Saturday October 18th 2025 Winchester.
It’s Saturday lunchtime which means the Gaza silent protesters are at The Buttercross so round the corner to old faithful it is and the second day running with my favourite guitar at the moment, the Faith 12-string. Not much interaction for most of the hour and forty minutes. Mr Napier and wife came by and brought up the notorious Priestgate episode. Andrew said something like ‘I wonder who it was’ so I told him and said he’s welcome to publish the name. He said he wouldn’t do that because without any proof, it’s libellous. Well, the bloke apologised, which is proof enough but I’m not bothered about getting more revenge, not after three years or so.
At the end, I did Here Comes The Sun and afterwards a man came up. He said ‘I read the bible here on Thursdays and it’s nice to see someone else putting this area to good use!’ I thanked him for the compliment and he then asked what song I was playing, which amazed me as I would have thought everyone, especially someone in his 70’s, would have known it. I said it was Here Comes The Sun and he asked who did it, so I said The Beatles, from 1969 and he said ‘Oh, my granddad use to tell me about them!’which made me laugh.
The set went well – I got four fivers and a bit of coinage bringing the total to £29.50. I then went to the bog and then up the high street to see if the top spot was free…well, I couldn’t believe what I saw; that loudmouthed arsehole Kev singing (if you can call it that) Ring Of Fire to a backing track. I don’t know why he’s got a mic, his voice is so loud. A couple of weeks ago, I’d heard he was back (he must have escaped from Dartmoor) but then forgot about it, and now here he is. Well, I wasn’t going to hang about waiting for him to leave and I certainly wasn’t going to ask him so I got on the bike and came home. I’m hoping that when I go back after a rest and some grub, he’ll have buggered off…
…and we’re in luck. He’s gone. Maybe arrested again, this time for crimes against music. Graham turns up for a chat and while we’re talking, a young woman asks if she can buy a CD. She’s been listening to me for eight years (time she had a break) and now she’s going back to her home in Andalucia and wants a memento to remind her of Winchester. After the purchase she stands at the side of the monument with a few of her Spanish friends or maybe they’re her family. Anyway, she comes back to ask if I can sign the CD. Of course I can but I haven’t got anything to sign it with. Cue Graham, who offers to get a pen from the shop behind us, which he does, so I can now sign it, with the date of course, because I always do that on the rare occasion of a signing. Actually, Graham’s a bit cheeky because as I’m signing – “To Amelia, October 18th 2025 Winchester”, he says ‘Now you’ve got the pen, maybe she can give you her phone number!’ But that was nice; someone buying a CD as a memento.
A bit later, a little girl comes up and presents me with a photo she’s just taken of me with her pink camera, which I’m assuming is a new acquisition. It’s a very grainy photo on a piece of paper but a photo nonetheless. ‘Oh, thank you very much! That’s great!’ Her dad is nearby, beaming.
Ten minutes before the end of the two hour set (a bit longer than I anticipated but I was trying to equal yesterday’s windfall and I was quite a bit short of that), I did Life On Mars? then the Gymnopedie. Afterwards, a drongo comes up and says ‘Know any Taylor Swift?’ ‘Look at me. Does it look like I do?’ ‘No, those girls asked me to ask you.’ He looks behind me. There are two girls, around 13 years old, sitting on the highest steps of the monument. They’re wearing identical Mickey Mouse pyjama bottoms.
‘Sorry, no Taylor Swift’ I say.
‘What about Queen?’ one says.
‘I don’t do any Queen, either but you’re heading in the right direction.’
‘What DO you play, then?’
‘Old stuff, a lot of things from the 60s, and older than that. Beatles, Beach Boys, a bit of David Bowie.’
‘David Bowie?’
‘Yeah, Space Oddity and Life On Mars?’
‘Can you play Life On Mars?’
‘Well, I played it just before that last one! How long have you been there?’
‘Bout two minutes.’
‘Right, I’ll play it again.’ At the end, they clap then one says ‘Can we have ten pounds to buy some drinks for our friends?’
‘NO!’
The coinage was around £15 short of yesterday but still very acceptable and at a staggering total of 3 hours and 40 minutes, almost like old times in Chichester.