I had a great time busking today.. a little cool, a little rainy, but, still fun.. I couldn't help but to notice that two people, who I know to be buskers from time to time, didn't leave a tip...On other days with other buskers, I've witnessed this also.. While nobody OWES me a tip, I can't help but to think that a busker would support another busker.. Apparently, it is not so.. Since I've been busking I find myself supporting other buskers with tips simply because I know just how much WORK it really is..You know what they say, "What goes around, comes around."...........
PS.. A friend who is a frequent busker recently found a $100 bill in his tip basket.. At first he thought it was a religious tract, and then he thought it might be fake.. Neither.. He got a REAL $100 tip.. I"m SOOOO Jealous..!
As usual, Harry Hare and I went out busking for a couple of hours today.. Again, it was touching to see a three year old little girl receive a dollar from her parent with the instruction to give it to the 'bunny'.. Well, that little girl walked over to Harry and held the bill right up to his face fully expecting him to reach up and take it.. I'm reminded that at the age of 3, children are still having stories about talking animals (rabbits) read to them.. At that age there is no reason for them not to believe that such talking animals are real, and if they can talk, then, well, they can play a fiddle...After having witnessed the incident with that dollar bill, my heart grew a size larger.
Be ready. Busking season is HERE in southern Indiana...I'll be making a lot of posts.. Feel free to comment on my stories or post your own..
Two things happened today that I was pleased with.. One, a guy came up and said, "YOU are a busker and NOT a panhandler.. I know the difference and this town needs more buskers like you.."...Mind you, I have nothing against the panhandlers.. but it probably makes people walking around town a little uncomfortable to see four people with "anything helps'' signs while walking just three blocks... not to mention those on the OTHER side of the street..
Secondly, someone literally stopped his vehicle in the street, got out, ran over to me and took a quick photo and deposited a tip..I reminded him that what he was doing was dangerous.. His reply was that it is not every day you see a fiddle playing rabbit on the sidewalk...
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 03/30/2017 13:02:49
quote:
Originally posted by Lee MPS.. A friend who is a frequent busker recently found a $100 bill in his tip basket.. At first he thought it was a religious tract, and then he thought it might be fake.. Neither.. He got a REAL $100 tip.. I"m SOOOO Jealous..!
Yup, been out busking for a couple of weeks now. But this anecdote reminded me of something that happened last year. a girl in her 20's walked by and tossed a folded white envelope in my case. She barley slowed down. Half of the top flap was sealed, and the other half of the flap was torn open. In general the envelope was a bit tattered. Inside was $99 in both Canadian and American bills......hmmm
Well... It is Saturday.. the temperature is just 43 degrees.. a full 7 degrees BELOW what I said I'd never busk in.. My talented, guitar playing son had agreed to go with me to the first day of the Bloomington Farmer's Market. He has a marionette, somewhat like Harry Hare, but his plays a guitar.. We got there, cold, at 10:30. Lo and behold, there were children forming a circle around us even before we could set up.. I wasn't ready for such a warm reception.. We busked for 1 and 1/2 hours and made good tips, but more than that, made a lot of friends consisting of adults and children.. I think that we were the ONLY buskers at this, the first market.
I had to laugh.. Just as I finished setting up to busk with Harry Hare, my marionette, a guy came out of a drug store and sat on a concrete planter about 20 feet from me.. He stayed there and chatted with me off and on for the TWO hours that I was busking. Finally, toward the end of our little visit he explained that the THINKS he knows how I get the hare's bow to move, but still couldn't tell how I got his head to turn..With the sidewalk as a backdrop, the fishing line must really seem to be invisible..
I pin the head turning string BEHIND my most distant leg.. that way, I can get he head to turn by moving either leg independently, or I can slightly adjust the relationship between the two legs..I discovered this by accident but and it really is effective..
Here is a great little story as told my brother-in-law, Roger...It is about a scam perpetrated by two people, one of whom is posing as a fiddling busker..Roger wrote the story in a book he had published called, "Work and Play".
" A well dressed, educated looking con man enters a tobacconist's shop first and engages the proprietor in a sympathetic and leisurely discussion of various expensive brands of tobacco. The second con man, wearing shabby clothes and carrying a violin case, then blunders into the shop. "Excuse me, guv, but I'm out here busking and forgot that I have a doctor's appointment.. I don't want to have to take my fiddle with me, so would you mind very much if I left it with you for half an hour?" Somewhat reluctantly, but not having the heart to rebuff an ailing buscer, the tobacconist takes the violin case and the busker fellow goes on his way.. "Just wait a minute, " says the posh con man as soon as the other is gone. "do you think I could have a peep at the instrument inside that case? I happen to be quite a keen violinist." "Go ahead, " says the shop man. The con man gingerly lifts the lid of the case and then gasps in horror. "Good GOD !" he exclaims. "It can't be!". Then he subjects the cheap fiddle to a close examination, every few seconds puffing through his teeth and going "No!, Oh no!"..Finally he straightens up and looks the tobacconist in the eye. "This," he solemnly announces, ''is no ordinary violin. I can't imagine how, but that busker has somehow got hold of a real, true, Stradivarius. He probably has no idea. I'll tell you what -- buy it off him if you can. I'll willingly pay you a thousand dollars for it. I'll drop in next week and see if we can do a bargain." The well dressed con man takes some cigarettes and leaves. After a while the busker fellow returns to the shop to collect his violin. The shopkeeper offers him $200 for it, but the musician shakes his head. "It's my livelihood," he says. "I can't sell it." The shopkeeper ups his offer to $300 and eventually the busker, with a great show of reluctance, agrees to part with his instrument. He pockets the cash and makes his exit, still shaking his head with regret. Neither of the con men shows his face again; they split the money between them while the tobacconist remains in possession of an old fiddle worth virtually nothing. "
(I've slightly modified to story to reflect modern day money amounts. The story originated about 1965, in England.)
My talented, guitar playing son, ALEX, called me this morning and told me this busking story...It happened just last night.. It was about 6 PM and he had just found a good, free parking place near the Indianapolis Downtown circle which is a great place to busk.. He had just taken his guitar from under the cap of his pickup and was about to retrieve his guitar playing marionette, Corn Johnson II, when he was confronted by a ''crazed'' guy who claimed he was going to "Eliminate" my son.. Alex kept the guy at bay while he put his guitar back into the truck.. Then the crazy guy started attacking Alex so Alex ran down the street while yelling for help..Mind you, it was still daylight.. Alex finally sought refuge by entering the service entrance of a restaurant.. He held the door closed while the attacker tried to break in..An employee observed what was happening and helped keep the guy out while Alex called 911..Eventually the police arrived and nabbed the assailant.... Never a dull moment for buskers.. Here is a video of Alex and a friend Roger, busking with Corn Johnson II.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmmfPO9mDN8
(NOT making this stuff up folks)
On the local front, today I was busking and after not having received a single tip in over 30 minutes, I'd about given up on Ever getting anything today... Finally a lady approached, and pointing to a nearby second story window above a bank, said.. "I've been watching you every day from my office near that window, but only today could I get away to give you a tip.. I love what you do...Keep it up..".. She offered me $25. That got her a kiss on the cheek, it did !!
A little boy of about 3 years old would not come closer than about 3 feet from Harry Hare, but the boy was obviously mesmerized by the marionette. At one point, I stopped Harry from playing and I excused myself to go get coffee from a nearby source... When I returned, a friend said that once Harry stopped playing the little boy walked over and kissed him on the cheek.. I sure wish that I had been there to see that.
It keeps getting more and more interesting.. Some people say, "Get a job." Others say I'm stealing from the homeless and still others think that my life may be going wrong because I'm out here busking. The other day a lady asked me a LOT of questions about why I was busking.. (she had a nametag that said she was a physician. ).. She couldn't understand why I was out here when I wasn't homeless, destitute, or deranged... Only when I said that I use some of the money I receive to help support my son did she seem to thing that, OK, I am authorized to busk...Silly Woman..
For ME.. busking is FUN, Gets me out of the house, lets me perform in public (with hopes of monetary reward.. Yes, I really DO use the money to help keep my son's car running and rent paid), and allows me to do what I love to do, best..PLAY MY FIDDLE..
Apparently, Charles Dickens was plagued by buskers... the culture of street performers goes WAY back. People just can't seem to understand that buskers are basically making a personal challenge to THEMSELVES to see if they can find a way to entice the public to give them tips... It is a GAME..and much more.
When someone says, 'Get a job." they apparently don't understand that busking IS A JOB, and a tough one at that. Although retired, I consider myself as still self-employed.. Why can't people perceive that being a street performer is a form of WORK? Playing a fiddle for two hours, almost nonstop can be Grueling...!!
Ignorance, most probably, but that's just based on my past. I've seen street musicians, but frankly never really gave them much thought except to occasionally drop a dollar in the case. Last August, on a family vacation in Flagstaff, we passed a lad about 12 busking and doing decent job. My first thought was where are his parents that he's out here alone at 8:30 pm? Perhaps they were close, dunno. That was about a month after I took up the fiddle and before I found the world of fiddle forums. Heck, I didn't even know the term "busking". I've since become much more enlightened (love reading the stories) and realized that, although I saw him busking, I didn't really understand what he was doing. In a world that has evolved to where people get their entertainment from the large, small, and now smaller screens, knowledge and understanding of, and appreciation for, busking has become a foreign concept. Now I wish I would have stayed, listened, and tipped him a $20.
quote:
Originally posted by tpquinn
Ignorance, most probably, but that's just based on my past. I've seen street musicians, but frankly never really gave them much thought except to occasionally drop a dollar in the case. Last August, on a family vacation in Flagstaff, we passed a lad about 12 busking and doing decent job. My first thought was where are his parents that he's out here alone at 8:30 pm? Perhaps they were close, dunno. That was about a month after I took up the fiddle and before I found the world of fiddle forums. Heck, I didn't even know the term "busking". I've since become much more enlightened (love reading the stories) and realized that, although I saw him busking, I didn't really understand what he was doing. In a world that has evolved to where people get their entertainment from the large, small, and now smaller screens, knowledge and understanding of, and appreciation for, busking has become a foreign concept. Now I wish I would have stayed, listened, and tipped him a $20.
Which reminds me.. Since the weather was so nice today, I did a second stint busking downtown. Lots of people..I was there an hour and a half and made $40...However, $20 of it came from just ONE guy who chatted with me about busking..He obviously knew something about it and APPRECIATED buskers.. It was only after he had left that I realized he had left such a large bill.
Also, I'm learning more and more about how to animate Harry Hare.. He can now do a great "over the shoulder" look as people go buy. I've perfected it.. Many people come back and tip after they realize that Harry is trying to get their attention.. No fiddling needed.. ...just a look from those big black eyes.... I love this stuff..........
I also want to add.. A lady tipped a dollar and said that she was from Portland, Oregon where there are a lot of buskers.. She was glad to see one in our town.. It is always nice when someone "gets it''. !
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 04/14/2017 16:46:21
Lee, people like that physician have no grasp of what art is. Maybe you should explain about music and art and expression. Or else just offer them lessons. 
Yes, we here in Portland have a lot of hippy and hipster types. We know about eclectic music and eccentric people.
physician heal thyself
Funny. Today I sent Harry Hare out to busk on a quite street and he managed to do quite will.. I had already packed up my violin and was ready to leave the scene when a family of three walked by ...disappointed.. that they couldn't watch Harry in action.. Turns out that the father-son combo were both buskers and the father played 'gypsy' music.. SOOOO, I unpacked my violin and let Harry play just one more tune.. Then, I let the gypsy music musician play a tune on Harry.. Now I can say that gypsy music is just one more type of music that Harry can play. THey left me a $10 tip..
Today, Harry made his debut playing his NEW violin.. it is a 1/16 size Real violin.. this old one was just a piece of cedar..
He likes the new violin. Here are photos of his old and new instruments.. (if you click on the photos they will be right side up)
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 04/17/2017 13:26:12
Not too long ago, I read on the internet where a busker warned other buskers to not get hurt.. What he was referring to is Overplaying to the point where you weaken yourself . My own son busks as a singer and he has been known to busk until his vocal chords are sore....As for me as a fiddler I now understand.. This morning I played for two hours at a farmers market, went home for lunch and drove to a large crown tourist town to busk again in the early afternoon. I had intended to busk for another two hours...but... after one and a half hours, my fiddle fingering hand felt Dead... I knew it was time to quit
Just after I put my fiddle in the case I looked up to see three attractive college aged girls standing and watching and lamenting that they didn't get a good close up look at Harry Hare playing.. They had only seen him from across the street... Well, being the trooper that I am, I brought out the fiddle AGAIN and, tired as I was, played for ten more minutes.. A crowd gathered and the tips were flying...I probably made more in that ten minuted than I had made in the previous half hour...
Now.. so much for over playing...
Someday, I'd like to try using the ploy of a dupe audience.. You know, have some friends just stand around watching and occasionally put money in my basket only to have it removed and replaced when the real audience changes... I've noticed that people hesitate to stop and watch, but there seems to be something reassuring about stopping to watch when others are already doing so.. Same with tipping.. People often hesitate to tip, but when they see others tip, well, then it must be a good thing to do...
In reality, I probably won't do those things...but it would make a good 'human behavior" experiment for someone.
"have some friends just stand around watching and occasionally put money in my basket"
I bet you'd get a lot more with a solitary cute girl dancing to your music.
quote:
Originally posted by amwildman
"have some friends just stand around watching and occasionally put money in my basket"
I bet you'd get a lot more with a solitary cute girl dancing to your music.
Maybe I should have hired those cute girls to just stand around all day... !!! There is the 'cute' factor in busking.. An old guy like me can't compete with young talented buskers ...Kids bring a good response...
So far, in the past year there were three times when the police have asked me to move.. Once because I was right in front of a street event ( I really should have NOT been there...), another time when Barney Fife's brother thought that i was blocking the sidewalk and yesterday when being 15 feet from the entrance of a beauty parlor was apparently to close (loud) for them.. I keep a copy of the ciity's 's busking/panhandling code in my fiddle case.. I could have challenged that last request to move but chose not to..The police were a little sheepish about asking me to move, so I know that their hearts were not in it.. I understood..I moved to another spot just across the street.. The beauty parlor corner is still my favorite spot so I'll just go there after they are closed.. No problem......
I've been informed that many Hangout members like to read these various busking stories.. Still, it seems just a little lonely here.. I hate to dominate this topic, but I'll continue to do so, but will also Welcome Any other busker stories...even if they are just things others may have heard..
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 04/23/2017 14:24:22
Sorry, Lee. If I busked, I would share. I'm very much a people-watcher, so I would remember bunches of interesting things. Maybe someday.
A couple of things about busking today..
I have had several encounters with inquisitive people lately..They are the type that see the sign saying please tip if you make a photo or video, so they don't make either.. They stand amazed a Harry, ask questions about how he came to be, how he operates, how they have friends who'd love to see him, how this, how that..etc.......they tie up a lot of my time but, being a 'ham' like most other buskers, I entertain them.. One lady came by THREE times in an hour, each time showing tons of interest...Funny, NONE of those people left even a nickel tip........
Then, there was this:
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 04/26/2017 15:12:02
Probably an Apple Watch.
quote:
Originally posted by amwildman
Probably an Apple Watch.
Or, a Fit Bit..??
Yesterday, I emailed a letter to that local university's Daily Student newspaper. (40,000) students.. I suggested that maybe many of the students are from small towns and have not been exposed to panhandlers and buskers..Maybe if they do an article indicating the differences between the two, students will be less intimidated by my little Hare and me. I can see clearly that they enjoy our performance but are still hesitant to tip possibly due to the countless panhandlers and signs that ask people to NOT tip panhandlers.. Well, I'm looking for tips also, and I think the students are a little confused..
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