Diary Of A Busker Day 2330 Friday March 22nd 2024 Winchester High Street.
I finally did it. I got through a rendition of Julia Florida and made it to the end. It was my fourth attempt in as many days AND I made only one mistake – a bloody miracle. AND it secured three donations, earning me £4, which has secured its inclusion into the set and about time, as the last new one was…I can’t remember how long ago.
Anyway, I proceeded with an extra spring in my vibrato unit. And shortly after that, a windfall; a man with family offered £20. Unfortunately, he wanted to pay by card machine and true to form, it didn’t fucking work, which really fucked me off because it usually works at the Buttercross. Anyway, he was not to be put off. He asked where the nearest cash machine was. ‘Oh, you’re in luck, there’s one just up there on the left, at Lloyds.’ He struggled to see where I meant. ‘Under that big clock, see?’ He saw and duly got me two tenners. I was so pleased, I said ‘Here, you might as well have these CDs!’ ‘OK, I’ll play them on the drive back.’ To where, I didn’t ask.
A foreign bunch turn up after Space Oddity…
‘Can you play I Just Called To Say I Love You?’
‘No, sorry. I don’t know that one…well, I know the song but don’t play it.’
‘OK…but you play David Bowie?’
‘Yeah, I do Space Oddity – that you just heard, and Life On Mars?’
‘Umm…can you play a love song?’
‘Sure…what about ‘da da, da da, da da da, da da.’ – I sing the instrumental bit everyone knows, before the chorus of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.
‘OH YEAH! You can do this one?’
‘Sure, just let me know when you want me to start it’ – they’re all getting their phones ready to film each other singing.
‘Now? OK’.
So I start up, get through the first verse, with them singing along, although they start to mumble near the end because they can’t remember the words…then he says ‘OK, thank you’ and a few start to walk off.
‘Wait, I’m not finished yet!’ I shout, going into the second verse. Near the end of that, they start to walk off again…
‘Not yet, now the chorus!’ – this holds them for a bit because they all know the words but they start to walk off near the end.
‘Not yet, I’m not finished, there’s another verse!’ as I go into the key change verse then the double chorus and end, by which time they’re all too scared to wander off.
‘Right, you can go now’ I say after the last chord.