Diary Of A Busker Day 53 Friday March 4th Winchester High Street (1. opposite Clinton Cards, Time: 12-12:30pm, 2. corner of Marks And Spencer, Time: 3:05-6:05pm)
Six hours is a long time to be busking (or doing anything!) out in the cold, even with a half-hour toilet/warming hands break. The feet take alot longer to warm up – at least I don’t have to play the guitar with them. I’ve noticed my right foot gets colder than the left. My theory: because my left foot is my tapping foot and therefor comes into contact with the cold pavement much less than the right. While on the subject of cold feet, my nice old Italian lady – Delia, paid me a visit. She says she is going to bring me a carpet next time she’s in town, which is Tuesdays and Fridays. One of those small, square samples you get in carpet shops. Delia asks if I know any “Roman’ songs. Is this what Italians call Italian songs? I tell her I don’t. She mentions a song she really likes called Dearly Beloved, from the 40s. I’ve never heard of it, but I promise to look it up when I get home. Surely Mr. Atkins covered it at some point in his long illustrious career. He must have done it on one of his 100 or so albums.
I try out a new number (I must find out why songs are called this) – Yellow Bird, the old Jamaican song of thwarted love. Harry Belafonte had a big hit with it. I’ve learnt a superb Chet Atkins (who else!) arrangement on which I keep making mistakes in the same bit – the middle break, or “middle eight”, where there is a combination of fretted and harmonic notes. I’ve practised this alot at home but keep messing it up. I apologise as a man gives me a coin – “Sounds alright to me” he says – the man with cloth ears.
A few people mention the article – I thought it had been forgotten, and one woman said the last excerpt – from Day 32, about the unhappy fellow – “brought tears to my eyes” – Wow. Near the end of the second session, a man says “Do you take requests?” Sure, if I know the, er, requested song. “I wonder if you could play The Third Man song.” Can I play The Third Man? “I certainly can, I’ll play it now! This is a 1960 arrangement by Chet Atkins…” A bit later, another man comes up. He’s just bought a banjo. If he brings it to me, can I make sure it’s in tune? “Are you here tomorrow?” he says. I say I might be, I’m not sure, as it usually gets crowded with buskers very early on. I tell him I’m here most weekdays, though. “Oh good – I don’t want to make a date with you, don’t misconstrue me!” “Sorry? Oh no, of course not!” He seems friendly enough, although I notice he never looks me in the eye, not once. I give him my card and ask him to phone me to make sure I’m going to be in town so he doesn’t have to carry his banjo around on the off chance he’ll see me. “I don’t want to make a date with you” – what’s all that about?!
Earnings: £40.53p