Diary Of A Busker Day 370 Saturday May 18th 2013 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite Oxfam. Time: 1:05-2:35pm 2. Opposite Vodafone. Time: 3:10-4:10pm 3. Opposite Bellis. Time: 4:30-5:32pm
An hour and a half down at Oxfam, to start off with. At around the hour mark I THINK I almost sold a CD. A man who was sitting with his daughter across the way at one of the tables, comes over and asks what’s on the CD. I go into the usual – ‘It’s funny you should ask, as I’ve just taken delivery of these…twenty songs, one hour long, just the one guitar – like I do out here.’ He then says ‘Can I make a request?’ ‘Yes, sure.’ ‘OK, how about Albatross, The Moulin Rouge?’ ‘Sure’ – he’s got to buy one now, I’m thinking, especially as I’m now going to do two songs from it, just for him. But no, he goes back to his table, I play both his requests…twenty minutes later, I’m packing up and he comes over, says thanks, drops a bit of change in and goes off. Which is a shame as I could have done with a CD sale, seeing as I haven’t had one for awhile.
Up the road at Vodafone, that posh woman with the beret and the bike stops by. She admires my vintage tank-top, which I say is authentic, 1940’s. ‘Ah, I hate to disappoint you but it’s from the seventies.’ ‘Is it?’ ‘Yes. I know all about it. That yarn (she points to the blue band at the bottom)…the colour is a seventies colour.’ ‘Oh right…it’s hand-made, though…isn’t it? There isn’t a label.’ Because I heard that with stuff like clothes, if there isn’t a label then it’s hand-made. Yes, she agrees it’s hand-made, which is fortunate for her as I’d be really angry if she were to disagree with me! ‘Definitely from the seventies. It’s quite short, you see. The older ones were a lot longer’ – she nods in agreement with herself and her tank-top expertise. She then asks how she can find out whenever Threepenny Bit are going to be in town. (INVADING town, would be more accurate, I’m thinking). I say she can look on their website. They don’t bother me now so I don’t bother looking. If they’re anywhere here, I just go down the opposite end.
Two kids hang around right next to me, just as my amp batteries are dying. I give them a running commentary – ‘See, I know when I have to change them because the note goes (I fret the low string, pluck and let ring a note which starts to distort)…when I need to change them, see?’ I tilt the amp ‘…so I have to take this battery cover off, take all these (the batteries) out, put these (new batteries, which I hunt around the gigbag for) in, make sure I’ve got six…double A’s…put the cover back on, put the amp back, switch it on…there, see?’ (I point to the red light) ‘…and start up again (play some notes)…and carry on.’ Fascinating stuff. Even the dad stands and watches. I don’t even think they contribute. Not even for the expert battery-changing display.
And now a high-point occurs and one I’ll remember for awhile, maybe for the rest of my life if I don’t get dementia. Two teenage girls walk past. One drops a playing card in the bucket. Upon the extraction of said playing card, my inspection begins…on the side face-up, it’s the four of clubs, but on the other side, written with a black marker pen are the words YOU’RE INCREDIBLE. I can’t believe it. I’m incredible. At first, because after being out here for nigh on three years, and being rather jaded as a consequence, I think it must be printed on the card and they just found it or they have a load of them and hand them out to anyone. However, on closer inspection, it’s definitely hand-written and looks quite freshly done, somehow. I’m really thrilled about it, even though the card dropping was NOT followed by any dropping of the coinage variety. Even so, I’m still thrilled. I took a photo of it for the album. Hm…I suppose they could have written stuff on a load of cards, earlier…but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt!
Last set, I play my composite arrangement of Malaguena again – 85% Bert Weedon, 15% Chet Atkins. I played it once during the first set…in fact I might have done it on the second one, too. I’m probably getting a bit better at it although I have yet to have that reflected in any serious coinage.
The quiet drongo sits on the bench across the way for the last twenty minutes…
Earnings: £50.81