Diary Of A Busker Day 253 Wednesday June 27th 2012 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite Oxfam, Time: 2:48-3:59pm, 2. Opposite Vodafone, Time : 4:11-5:20pm
When it’s not raining proper, it’s drizzling, stopping only occasionally, so I need some kind of shelter and all I can get is the somewhat shallow doorway of the Wellcome Gospel Hall, almost right opposite the Maison Blanc tables. Near me is a sandwich board sign advertising some kind of bible exhibition and ‘free tea’ inside. I’m not sure but I think maybe the people inside think that, because of my increasing closeness to the entrance, I’m slowly turning towards their way of thinking; that I’m undergoing some sort of conversion. A big bloke comes out, puts a Jesus leaflet in my bucket and tries to entice me inside with the promise of ‘a cup of tea – it’s free, you know.’ ‘Maybe a bit later, when I’m finished here,’ I say.
The Slagging Off Of Frank campaign (SOOF) gains more momentum when a guy comes up and says the same thing as so many others; ‘I can’t tell what he’s playing!’ I relate my theory, that whatever is under the keyboard part of his accordion is worn out, so the melody gets lost within all the rest of the sound created by the chord buttons. This man tells me HIS theory – ‘He just seems to pull at it too much (the extending and retracting of the bellows with the right arm)…most accordion players I see, they don’t do it like he does…and the chords don’t seem to match the melody!’
Colin, who’s 65 next month, drops by. I’m waiting for him to ask me to play at his party again because that’s why I learned When I’m Sixty-Four, which has since proved itself one of my more popular tunes. He notices the Jesus leaflet. ‘Yeah, I think because I’m in their doorway they think I’m going to go all religious.’ ‘Yeah, I was going to say, maybe you’ve been converted!’ ‘No, although I might get a cup of tea in a bit – they’ve invited me in.’ And so, a bit later, I do indeed go in. But I’m too late. It seems the kindness of Catholicism doesn’t extend to extending the free tea period by a further five minutes – ‘Oh…sorry,’ says a religious person, ‘that’s just finished for today. Are you here tomorrow, though?’ I say I’m not sure. Damn, and I was looking forward to that. Up the road, the weather’s cleared up a bit. A man stops in front of me and asks me if I’m famous. ‘Well, no. Although there’s some people who think I am…in Winchester, that is. I’m pretty well known in the high street. It’s all relative, isn’t it?’ ‘Have you heard of Fred Dineage?’ Strange question. ‘Oh yeah, sure, he’s been around for ages…why, you met him?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah…what do YOU do?” ‘Me? Well, I play this guitar.’ Silence. ‘Er…do you want me to play you something?’ ‘No, it’s alright,’ he says and walks off. Weird people…
Earnings: £32.29 + 1 CD
