Diary Of A Busker Day 207 Thursday March 8th 2012 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite Card Factory, Time: 12:55-2:40pm, 2. Opposite Vodafone, Time: 3-3:25pm
Rockin’ Rob makes his 2nd Winchester Buttercross appearance in one week and Frank and his accordion and dog are halfway down the street…so I’m back in front of Debenhams. For a couple of minutes I’m annoyed by a man who crosses the street and starts talking to me while I’m trying to concentrate – ‘Is that a Gibson?’ ‘No, an Epiphone.’ ‘It’s a lot like a Gibson, isn’t it?’ ‘Yes, it is.’ I’ve decided I’m not going to stop and have a conversation, which is what this guy wants. I reckon he’s a musician and I reckon he’s either got a Gibson, or he used to – which is usually the case. ‘Yeah, very similar,’ he says, prodding my guitar’s headstock with his fingers which almost sends me into a rage because if there’s one thing worse than putting up with rubbish blowing around me when I’m playing, it’s some idiot prodding my guitar when I’m playing!
An old couple with their grandson(?) stop. I show the kid my bucket – I turn it around so he sees the pumpkin face. ‘Oh!’ says Grandma, ‘He went to a pumpkin party last night, didn’t you (name of child which I’ve forgotten)?’ The child then says, ‘We’re going to buy Grandad’s pants,’ which amuses us, especially me – ‘I bet you didn’t think he was going to tell me that, eh?’ The child reaches in Grandad’s pocket and pulls out a 50p coin which he wants to give to me. This really annoys Grandad – ‘No! I don’t want you to give ALL my money away!’ which I think is a bit stingy as it was only a 20p coin he gave me earlier. He goes on, ‘Actually, that’s quite naughty of you (name of child).’ It all gets a bit serious and I feel I’m suddenly in the middle of a minor domestic. They wander off, I thank the child – ‘Thank you (name of child), even though you’re a bit naughty.’
Coinage-wise, I’ve done better than usual down here; about £15 for the session. I finish up with a short one up the road, where Frank was earlier, and try out a new number – or the first part of one. It’s an Allan Jaffe arrangement of a Ragtime tune – Heliotrope Bouquet, written by Louis Chauvin and Scott Joplin. The best parts are the Chauvin bits (the A and B sections) – very beautiful melodies and they’re the bits I play…and it pays off, as two men come over, separately, and contribute. That’s good enough for me to put it in my set – and name it Song Of The Day.
Earnings: £22.59 + one Canadian quarter (25 cents) and one Canadian cent, I’m suspecting from the same person.
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