The Busker

i am now officially a busker.

i went out on Memorial Day, about 3pm, to Old Town Alexandria to hawk my audio wares, and made something like $6. i say something like because i didn't count the money (it's still in my guitar case). that said, i think i played for something like 15 minutes total, and was out for maybe an hour or so.

see, i'm too chicken to just go busk. so i went with my friend Brian. Brian is a magician. a good magician. he's busked before. his first day out this year, the saturday before Memorial Day, he was out for about 8 hours, alternating acts with a couple other magicians. he balked at his measely take for the whole day, but i didn't tell him that he made more per hour than i do at my day job, before taxes. i guess when you're used to making several hundred dollars for a night's work, the less than $300 he made for a full day's work of slight-of-hand and yelling seemed paltry.

so your yellow-striped blogger ventured out with guitar, chair and book of songs, set up very near her magician friend, and proceeded to play only when he was in between acts.

i immediately got a buck. it was from this nice woman who hung around for a little while and talked to me between songs. i gave her a Bette Noir card (gotta remember to carry those with me). i also immediately got a request for "Bobby McGee." some of you may know how much i hate this song. the hate that wasn't even derived from having to sing it too much, the hate that comes from just really not liking a song.

i played it. for a buck.

remember that joke, where the punchline is "we've determined what you are, madam, now we are just haggling over price"?

but i had fun, and i'll do it again. i'm less afraid. because if i suck, people will just walk by. or perhaps give me money in pity. i bet having a few extra dollars to spend will help the pride go down easy.

i already have some changes planned to my approach, too. because next time, i won't be out there to get my feet wet, or hang out with my friend. next time, i'm in it for the money.

that said, what do you like to see in a busker? what makes you fish that crumpled dollar out of your pocket or purse and drop it in an open guitar case?