Diary Of A Busker Day 33 Friday January 28th Winchester High Street (opposite WH Smiths, Time: 1:05-2:05pm).
Freezing cold with a steady wind, like yesterday, but I could only stand an hour and picked up virtually no money – just over £2. Even so, I managed to squeeze in The Third Man a few times. A man comes up after one of them – “He (Anton Karas) only did that one song. He used to play at a restaurant in Vienna, you know. But people never went to eat there, they just used to come to see HIM, to hear him play.”
I keep looking at the clock hanging from one of the buildings, thinking “I’ve got to do an hour.” …the charity shop lady from last week appears – “Can you come and play for us tomorrow? – you remember?” “Oh yeah. How long do you want me to play for?” “An hour? Two hours?” What does she want – my blood? When my time here’s almost up, two young musicians – Guy and Helen appear. They’ve got a clarinet, a mic stand and a brown suitcase. They’ve been playing outside Thomas Cook, but have been offered a couple of free tickets to travel somewhere else, as their drum is too loud! I tell them they can have this spot as I’ve had enough of the cold and my hands have seized up. I’ll do just one more – The Third Man, of course. I start and Guy starts banging away on his suitcase in time. I endure this ‘invasion’ for one verse, then stop. “You’re louder than I am!” I don’t need a beat keeper – I play fingerstyle, Merle Travis/Chet Atkins, the beat and the bass are all there, or they should be. Took me years to learn! I leave them to it.
Earnings: £2.26p