Day 2276 Sunday December 3rd 2023 Salisbury Market Square/Salisbury Christmas Market
I was supposed to play two hours – from 2-4, but Sally the organiser, contacted me the day before to ask if I could start earlier due to the two blokes who were on before me, cancelling their spot from 12-2, so I said I’d get there for 12:30, which means a three and a half hour spot. Well, at least it’s not as cold as it was yesterday (3 degrees) or I wouldn’t have been able to play 3 1/2 minutes!
When I got there, the OTHER two blokes (10-12) were still on so I found Sally and she took me to Andy’s mobile grub stall to get something before I set up. She asked him how it was going, business-wise. “Terrible” he said and I immediately felt bad about getting some free grub, Still, it didn’t stop me!
I ate it on a wet bench because it’s been rain everywhere for the last few days. Ten minutes later I’m setting up while the two blokes are taking their stuff to a car a few feet away because the performance gazebo isn’t in the middle of the square, it’s near the busy road.
Anyway, I hate playing underneath anything so I set up right below the edge of the roof, with the gigbag in front of me and open to all the elements, which is fine for a few minutes until it pours down and I have to move it all undercover. Half an hour in, Sally asks if I can turn up a bit. The problem is, I’m too near the road and the traffic is so much louder than if I was further into the square. I do my best but the amp won’t go much louder before it starts distorting.
During Tales Of The Unexpected some weirdo stood in front and blabbered on about something in a very aggressive manner. I was about to finish but didn’t want to then have to listen to whatever crap he was spouting so I carried on for a few more verses until I got bored (and bored several of the stall people, no doubt) and thought “Sod it, I can’t carry on forever.” Fortunately, the minute I stopped, this bloke walked off. Maybe that’s what he was saying – “Can you stop?”
Someone I see every time I’m here made his appearance; a tall bearded man wearing a dress, tights and high heels!
As I said, I do my best and I did my best but the weather really did literally put a damper on everything, mainly the donations. At 3:40 Sally came by and said I should finish – I’d done 3 hours and 5 minutes, non-stop. I think I did pretty well under the circumstances, with the rain and a temperature of 6 degrees. I thought I might have to pack it in a couple of times, when my fingers were a bit too numb to carry on but where there’s a will, etc.. Some comfort was had by a big piece of cake on a spotted napkin, handed to me by a nearby stall owner, and a plastic cup of mulled wine from Sally. Anyway, I packed up and, as my train was in about an hour, I went for a haircut at the Turkish barbers on the other side of the noisy road. The haircut was £14 which devoured the day’s profits – the princely sum of £10.90. Sally/Salisbury Council paid the train fare.
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