Diary Of A Busker Day 12 Monday December 20th Winchester High Street (opposite WH Smiths) Time: 2:20 – 3:10pm.
I wasn’t going to go out because of the snow, but you never know with this busking lark what’s going to happen. Turned out to be not bad at all, money-wise – £16.80 is a record profit, and for under an hours playing. A very cold day with snow coming down all the time, turning to rain just before I packed up.
An aquaintance free day, apart from Frank the accordian man and Kazoo – not Yazoo – which is what I mistakenly called her today. Frank talked about his Saturday spot – “Last Saturday before Christmas – always a good day. Picked up seventy quid.” As happens every time – I imagine, when one busker talks to another in the winter – the conversation comes around to the subject of how to keep the hands warm. Gloves, even fingerless ones don’t work when you’re playing finger-style. The material in-between the fingers gets in the way. The busker who plays ‘rawk’ guitar over a ‘rawk’ backing can get away with it – he’s playing one note at a time! So, how do you keep warm? Frank says “You go to the public toilets and put your hands under the hand dryer. Take a tip from an old pro, Marvin.” And with a knowing tap on the shoulder, he was off.
Earnings: £18.80p