Diary Of A Busker Day 39 Tuesday February 8th Winchester High Street (opposite Clinton Cards, Time: 1:05 – 4:35pm).
Several people come up and say they like the article, none stay for very long, apart from the man who I met a few days ago (friend of E. Clapton, Bruce Dickinson) who stayed a bit longer, but only to say again that he didn’t want me to write about HIM! So I (again) said I wouldn’t! He asked me if I would like a cup of coffee. I said no thanks, I don’t drink much coffee, especially when I’m out here – I need to keep playing. He goes away and watches me from the other side of the street for ten minutes. I have my head down for awhile and when I look up, he’s gone. But a few minutes later, he returns and hands me a cheese and lettuce sandwich and a bottle of apple juice he’s bought from Greggs’, nearby. That must have cost him £4 at least. I would have preferred the money! This brings to mind Frank telling me about the woman who regularly plonks a tin of dog food in his accordian box. His dog doesn’t like it! I don’t mean to appear ungrateful, but I’m a bit annoyed about this, so I WILL write about him.
Later on, after a Third Man rendition, I met a very nice old Italian lady named Delia. She told me about the time when she met Alida Valli – the lady who plays the ‘romantic interest’ in the film The Third Man. She met her during the interval in a performance at the opera house in Rome. “She was very beautiful – she had a lovely profile! And she was very small, you know, like me (Delia’s well under 5′)…she was in another film as well – Piccolo Mondo Attico.” – I had to get her to spell it out for me. I told Delia about the story of Anton Karas having to re-record the entire Zither soundtrack when the tape reel was destroyed in a fire. Delia is a very nice lady who must be eighty-five at least. She’s been in England for sixty years and been married twice – both husbands dead.
Earnings: £38.75p.