Diary Of A Busker Day 175 Friday October 28th Romsey Market, Time: 10:25-12:00am, 12:50-2:05pm.
My 3rd trip to Romsey – it appears to be becoming a bi-monthly excursion. I remember the last time I was here – the general opinion amongst the market traders was that I would make double the money if I moved out a few feet, to where the path of people go but I’m still quite timid when it comes to shoving myself forward and decide to keep to my usual spot – (back) against the wall, next to the cafe door.
As usual I get many old ladies liking what I play – one comes back three times. The second time she asks if I dance. “No! Never! Not now – not ever! Why? – do you?” “Oh, only a waltz, now and again.” The third time, she has a look at my song list – “Do you know all these?” “Yep. Some I still need the music for – I haven’t memorised them yet.” “But if you like something, it’s easier to learn, right?” “Right, it is.” She then says that when her daughter was a child, she could play anything on the piano – “by ear”, and she reckons this was because, when she was pregnant, she played the piano alot. Well, there you go.
A lady comes over and, nodding at Bertie at his flower stall, says “He’s told me to come over.” I chat to Bertie during my break. “A lady says you sent her over.” “Yeah, I’ve been saying “He’s classically trained but he’s got three rubber fingers – he lost them in a combine harvester accident – ha ha! I’ve been sending them over to you.”
I have my lunch – today including a flask of hot chocolate with a small amount of rum mixed in, and after, smoke a bowl (pipe). I’ve got £24.91 for an hour and a half – not bad, I have to take off the £6.10 bus fare, though.
I go back for another session, which goes alright for around twenty minutes – and my playing’s loosened up a bit – I was a bit nervous/self-concious in my first session and seemed to make alot of mistakes. I think it’s got something to do with being very close to the market stalls and being aware of the same people having to hear me for long periods. But I think my spiked drink has helped. Unfortunately, a truck with a hydraulic forklift or digger starts wrecking a building/digging a hole just across the market square, to my left. It’s loud and it’s all the time – it doesn’t take a break. I turn my volume up a notch but it’s no good – people stop giving me money – not everyone, but I’m drowned out. A guy walks by and says, “Good luck in your battle with the lorry!” I carry on but it’s deafening – the hydraulic…and me. I give up but it’s till been worth me coming here. As I’m putting my guitar down, two ladies walk by. One has just bought a Halloween bucket exactly like the one I’ve got for my donations. “Can we swap our buckets?!”, she says, eyeing up my takings.
Earnings: £37.37p, Expenses: £6.10p (bus fare), Total profit: £31.27p