Diary Of A Busker day 2493 Sunday February 9th 2025 Winchester.
There’s a young couple at the top spot but amazingly, no Meeta down at the crossroads so I can set up there. It’s quite cold – around 6 degrees but thankfully no wind. Gareth turned up while I was about to start. He’s had some grief from some woman who lives near the Buttercross. ‘She’s an alcoholic. She leans out her window – she’s up on the top floor or something, and shouts at me “turn down, I’m tryin’ to watch the football! You’re too loud!” and it’s every time and I’m thinking what am I supposed to do, I’m not that loud but I have to get people to stop and pay attention, you know.’ ‘Yeah, and your act is only 20 minutes and it’s not like you’re there for three hours like Rob or whoever.’ ‘Yeah, I know…I’m not sure what to do apart from ignore her.’ ‘Yeah, just ignore her. I mean, you can’t please every fucker. I know that!’
That weird old tall bloke with the white beard comes by. He’s the one who, for more years than I can remember, has been telling everyone I was a session musician who worked with loads of famous people and he’s the one who will just suddenly walk off in the middle of a sentence. ‘So Marvin, who’s your favourite musician?’ He doesn’t give me time to think about it before he says ‘Mine’s Jeff Beck.’ I say ‘Jeff Beck, yeah, he was great’ and he says ‘Whoah!’ and walks off. Anyway, a couple of days ago while walking into town I bumped into him and he said ‘Marvin, there’s a picture of you in the surgery – a big picture of you at the Buttercross.’ I thought he was having me on or mistaking me for someone else but I said I’d check it out and he was right! There’s a big mural on the outside wall of the new St Clements Surgery and it’s a collage of the Winchester paintings done by Jonathon Chapman. The scenes are on cards you can buy in the stationary shop and City Museum and I’ve bought a few myself to send to people. In fact, I regularly buy this one particular card – “Winchester Collage”, with me on the bottom right corner just so the shop keeps stocking it! So now I’ve been immortalised on a wall, and the surgery has just opened so that mural will be there for years to come. A humbling experience.
My young Downs Syndrome friend whose name I don’t know comes by with his two carers. He’s the one who’s got his phone with the Jersey Boys phone cover and he fucking loves Can’t Take My Eyes Off You so whenever he comes by, that’s what he gets, well, he gets it after I finish Here Comes The Sun. It’s good that some of the regulars have their favourites because it means I don’t have to think about what to play next! With Graham, it’s the Robinson Crusoe theme, there’s the old bloke who likes The Third Man, the old bloke who likes Yellow Bird, Dangerous Dave’s brother gets Bond. Barry gets Albatross and of course Marcus and his beloved Gymnopedie. All men, as well.
A long stint – 2 hours and 20 minutes (I tried but couldn’t quite make it 2 1/2 hours – fingers too cold!) and it was times to go as all the market cars and vans were coming round the corner and missing me by a few inches. Before heading off on the bike, I had a chat with the bloke selling flat caps across the way. He said ‘Were you in Chichester the other day?’ I said I was indeed and he said ‘Yeah, I thought it was you. I could hear you but I couldn’t see you, you must have been around the corner.’ I said ‘Oh right…I hope I’m not too loud.’ and he said ‘Oh now, just right. Not like some of them. I mean some of them, fuckin hell, they’re so fucking loud.’ I said ‘I know and there’s no need for it, especially here, where the high street is very narrow and the sound bounces off everywhere.’ He said ‘No, you play a good volume and it’s good for people like me because it relaxes people when they hear music like what you play, so they linger round the stall, you know, and take their time and ‘ave a good rummage through the ‘ats, and the music definitely ‘elps. So it’s good you know?’
We chat about the tourists from the cruise ships that come into Southampton. It’s convenient for them because Winchester’s right up the road so it’s easy to get to and the ships dock all year round. I say I did a few gigs on the cruise ships – ‘the funny thing is, these ships are huge but the longer you’re on them, the smaller they get! Not literally but like a small town, you know. You get to see the same people walking about the deck. Lots of Americans – big blokes in shorts and Bermuda shirts.’ When I said I had to go home, this bloke said ‘Well, it’s nice to finally meet you – I’ve seen you around for years. What’s your name?’ I told him my name and he said ‘I’m Sheldon.’ ‘Nice to meet you, Sheldon.’ I don’t think I’ve ever met a Sheldon before.