Diary Of A Busker Day 535 Wednesday April 2nd 2014 Winchester (Opposite Bellis, Time: 2:01-4:02pm).
Guy and part of his franchise are at The Butter Cross on a break…around the corner there are two vans in front of the craft shop…down the road and turn the corner and I can hear someone at the Vodafone spot, and when I walk up Market Street and peep around the corner, it’s Mandolin John strumming and singing, of all things, Wouldn’t It Be Lovely – or Loverley. Well, I know I do some weird ones…!
I think I’ll try down the road at Oxfam – why not?, I haven’t been there in ages…but as I get near, one of Doll’s idiot friends is on a bench – she’s just lit a cigarette. I can’t stand her and I’m not going to set up with her sitting across from me, so I walk past, round the corner and bide my time…10 minutes later, I go back, she’s still there. I walk up past the Guildhall to the Abbey Gardens entrance, sit there for 5 minutes…go back, she’s still there. Sod it, maybe the vans have moved! …no, they haven’t, but I meet Guy on the way up the road and he says he’s finished at The Butter Cross – he’s on the way to get his car.
So I head up, turn in the alleyway, and go to where I usually set up at the end of The Pentice. One of Guy’s group – a young girl with long orange hair – sees me and comes over to say they’re finished. I say I know, as I’ve just seen Guy – their leader. Apparently, they’ve been playing as a much paired-down unit as a lot of the younger ones have gone back to their college jobs. Anyway, it’s another day of almost warm temperature, so no cold hands for once.
It starts off slow – 5 songs before anything: Blowin’ In The Wind, Albatross, Siboney, Here Comes The Sun, The Third Man, then the 1st. Gnossienne, which secured a £9 CD sale! The female purchaser asked if the Gnossienne was on the CD – I had to say it wasn’t, as it’s one of my newer ones, although I did say there is a youtube video of me doing it. Still, she bought the CD – ‘Oh, why not’, she said. Indeed, why not? So, Gnossienne No.1: Song Of The Day.
Ian stood by for a minute of it, too, and as he walked off, he said ‘Makes me feel sad’. Hmm…it IS a rather depressing sounding piece…still, nothing depressing about a CD sale. I did My Way again – about the third time I’ve done it. At least this time it registered with someone: a man walked by, mouthing(?) ‘and so I face the final curtain’!
Earnings: £33.70p (Including 1 £9 CD)