Diary Of A Busker Day 463 Tuesday October 15th 2013 Winchester (1. Opposite Vodafone, Time: 1:45-2:15pm, 2. The Butter Cross, Time: 2:25-4pm).
Started off with a lousy half hour, which was all I could take, at the crossroads. Got only one donation – £1.20. And yet AGAIN I think – ‘How can hundreds of people walk by and only one of then donate?’ To ease the depression, I think of John and HIS £1.20 he got for FOUR TIMES my half hour! It didn’t work, though, as I kept forgetting to remember(!)
Actually, there was one other contribution. Halfway through Albatross, two scruffy blokes – one wearing a cheap blonde party wig – stood in front, muttering for a minute. I ignored them, then, as they were walking off, one dropped something that looked like a rotten cherry tomato in the bucket, so I stopped playing, said ‘What’s that?’, and picked it up. One of the blokes said ‘It’s a crab apple, don’t you want it?’ I said ‘No’, and gave it back to him. He said ‘You can make some jelly, make some money’. He really said that.
After the crab apple incident, I wanted to go home but then I thought ‘I can’t just come in here for half an hour!’, so I set up up the road and did an hour and a half, during which I saw some familiar – even friendly! – faces. My old guy – Ian, contributed during a song but didn’t want me to stop playing. He didn’t say anything, he just waved as I conveyed my gratitude (ie: said ‘Thanks’)…and then there was Ragtime Phillip, who complimented me on whatever I was doing. He said he was on his way to the Nat West bank, just up a bit, so 20 seconds later, as he was going in the bank, I started up the first Gnossienne – one of his favourites. He turned and smiled – a result!
…Some minutes later, he came out and I played his VERY favourite – the 5th Gnossienne, which, I have to say, I’ve got a bit lazy with of late – I’ll have to sort that out. Even so, he was his usual enthusiastic self – a nice chap.
I debuted a new tune – the Rev. Gary Davis’s Slow Drag/Cincinnati Flow Rag, a jolly tune I found while looking at Woody Mann’s Weeping Willow. I’m learning it on the old Hoyer 12-string, although Gary Davis did it on a 6-string. When I get it good enough, I’ll send a video to Woody Mann, as he really liked the one I did for his Black Dog Blues.*
Earnings: £17.44p
* “Great job…good groove, tempo and feel. Sounds rich on the 12 string… Curious to see where you take it. I approve. Keep swinging, Woody”.
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