Diary Of A Busker Day 62 Thursday March 17th Winchester High Street (1. next to Accessorize, Time: 2:18-3:45pm, 2. corner of Marks And Spencer, Time: 4:05-6:20pm.)
Frank, his accordian and dog Kazoo were down at the noisy corner and a young strummer halfway down The Pentice – the covered bit, so I’ve got no choice but to set up opposite the jewellers, about whom I am slightly paranoid – I don’t think they like me. It was OK, I made about £14 in the one and a half hours I was there – not bad for me. AND it was a mild day so I could and did play non-stop. Frank walks past, saying he hasn’t had a good day and is heading up to The Buttercross – the famous Winchester meeting-up, breaking-up landmark, as the young strummer has gone. I fancy a change of scenery so head down to where Frank’s just been.
Today seems to be the day when people want to give me things. One of my regulars – Gary insists I have a banana from the bunch he’s just bought. I saved this for near the end. Then one of a group/gang of teenagers hands me a small chocolate donut. This was devoured instantly. And near the session’s end an Irishman, naturally named Mick, with a small Irish flag painted on his cheek hands me a can of Guinness – a can of DRAUGHT Guinness, too! He gives me another one a few minutes after the first – not because I’ve drunk the first one – never out here. He sits on the bench nearby for ten minutes between the two. And that’s not all. Earlier on, a woman gives me a £5 note after my Leo Kottke arrangement of Bach’s Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring. “Would you like some change, I have change you know?” No, she doesn’t. “Well, I thank you very much.” Also, after this tune, a man says my guitar sound is like a classical guitar. I disagree most vociferously with his statement, then we have a conversation about Spanish/classical guitars and I want to know why, oh WHY do none of them ever have any fret markers on the fretboard? None of them do. No fret markers on a fretboard makes me panic. I hold up my Epiphone Casino and show him it’s parallelogram fret markers. “See, I know where I am with these – 3rd fret, 5th fret, 12th…with a classical guitar it’s just a long blank space – I panic!” Hm, yes, that’s my only complaint I have with Gretsch guitars, apart from the exorbitant price – most of them have no fret markers.
Just before I finish, two American musicians come by “Hey, d’ya play in a group?” I give them my hard luck story – ears can’t handle it anymore… “Ya get any work in clubs around here? – yer good enough to play in clubs.” I say I don’t, but I’ve given my demo cd to the guy at Greens Wine Bar up the road, and even the dreaded Conservative Club, where NO ONE can hear you scream. “Hey, just go in with yer guitar, tell ’em you don’t want much – just tell ’em you’ll play a few toons, maybe just get a couple o’ beers from ’em, maybe they can give ya twenty quid, maybe if they like ya they can give ya more next time.” I say, yes, that’s how it should be – just walk in, etc. but I can guarantee if I go up to Greens and adopt that attitude, they’ll run me outa town like a common pigmy!
Earnings: £37.73p