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Thread: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

  1. #26

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    I was once visited by two policemen while playing fiddle in a park in Seattle. they came up on either side of me and got on the radio and told headquarters that there was no rifle, just a fiddle. apparently someone with less than perfect eyesight had called it in.

    back then it was kind of funny - less funny today.

  2. #27
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    My local town of Invergordon in the Scottish Highlands is a major port where many large cruise liners dock during the summer. There are tourists from lots of countries who typically are bussed off to see the Loch Ness monster or a castle or a distillery and to a certain extent wander about Invergordon - which is a fairly unremarkable place in itself.

    I often think I should go and do some busking, but have only done it twice. The first time the mainly American tourists generally crossed the road to avoid passing me and the ONLY money I got was from local kids!
    The second time was when a lot of tourists (again, I think mainly American that day) were returning to the ship after their day trips but again not a thing. Some of them occasionally paused for a moment to listen but basically no interest and certainly no money.

    On the other hand I know a very enthusiastic young teenager who was in my guitar class for a while who busked with his friend right by MacDonalds in Inverness on Saturdays who got enough to buy himself a hand-made Taran guitar. Legend has it that he paid for it in small change!

    Now I play quite a lot of gigs in venues that have some very well-heeled clients and they like my Scottish music fine. Put me out on the street however ....
    David A. Gordon

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  4. #28
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Foolish Frost View Post
    Long story short:

    Wife goes into the grocery, and I pull out my hammok chair, my music notes, my mandolin, and start practicing in the parking lot of the grocery near the mid to back end of the lot. You know, to stay out of the way.

    it doesn't take me long before someone walks over, and in a sympathetic tone says "Here, you look like you need this." and tries to hand me cash.

    Listen, I'm not proud, but honestly. I was dressed in nice clothes. Button up shirt, vest, and the like. And was sitting behind my vehicle with the hatch up blocking the sun a bit. I swear i didn't look homeless or really poor. That, and I was holding a few hundred dollars of mandolin. So I smiled, told them I'm fine and just practicing, and went back to playing...

    After the third time this happened. I tried something new. I took a battery powered amp kit and microphone setup, obviously new equipment. Dressed up in formal-ish cloths, including tie and such, and sat back to do it again.

    I had even MORE people assume I was a starving homeless man.

    I can only assume I look absolutely scruffy at this point.

    This happening to anyone else? It's not like I'm setting out a hat or case for money. Hats firmly on my head and case is stowed tightly into the hatchback.

    Thoughts? I mean, really. "You look like you need this?"
    Next time wear dirty smelly clothes like real homeless man (and of course don't attempt to brush your teeth that morning or comb your hair as well) and I guarantee no one will stop by you. Perhaps even your wife :-)
    Adrian

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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by HoGo View Post
    Next time wear dirty smelly clothes like real homeless man (and of course don't attempt to brush your teeth that morning or comb your hair as well) and I guarantee no one will stop by you. Perhaps even your wife :-)
    I'm afraid I think you're probably right.
    David A. Gordon

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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Marc Katz View Post
    I was once visited by two policemen while playing fiddle in a park in Seattle. they came up on either side of me and got on the radio and told headquarters that there was no rifle, just a fiddle. apparently someone with less than perfect eyesight had called it in.

    back then it was kind of funny - less funny today.

    As a part of my job, I occasionally have to do some maintenance work in a local FBI office. One day I used my security pass to get into the office to fix some wallpaper - but saw nobody around; (which is not highly unusual because there are many individual offices outside of the area where I was working, that I could not see).

    Long story short - on that particular day everybody was called away to the regional office for training, so I should not have been in there by myself. (You can see where this is going, right?) Cellphones are not allowed in the FBI office, so I naturally did not bring mine into the office with me while I worked.

    I finished my work in less than 10 minutes and then left the office. When I picked up my cellphone there was an urgent message from the FBI to call the regional office right away. I was told that because I was (unknowingly) not supposed to be in the office, an urgent call went out to all of the local FBI agents to "immediately return to the local office . . . with guns drawn!"

    I hate to think that I could have been the first person ever assassinated by the U.S. Government, because of wallpaper paste.

  7. #31
    Fingers of Concrete ccravens's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Foolish Frost View Post
    Long story short:

    I can only assume I look absolutely scruffy at this point.

    Thoughts? I mean, really. "You look like you need this?"
    I'm afraid I'll need a photo to make an accurate assessment...
    Chris Cravens

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  8. #32
    Registered User mbruno's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Oh the fun of being a musician. I live about 5 blocks from the beach and pretty much any time I'm in town over the weekend, I usually head to a coffee shop on the beach with outdoor seating for a breakfast, coffee, and playing. I usually get a few comments there, but nothing more.

    After I'm done at the coffee shop, I go to the beach boardwalk and sit on the concrete barrier dividing the boardwalk and the actual beach. I usually have my case on the ground closed because I'm not looking to make money. Multiple times, I've had people stuff dollars in my shirt pocket or open my case to throw money in. The first time it happened, I said it's not necessary but then I started thinking - if someone wants to give me a few bucks for my practicing - why should I stop them? Last time I was out, I made something like $30. It's pretty funny to me still
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  9. #33

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    My advice:
    Smile, take whatever they offer, say thanks, and play on.
    It's good training.
    You never know when you might have to do it for real...!

  10. #34
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Okay - so I decided to try this practice-in-public thing myself.

    I was sitting on a stone wall in front of the building where I work. I took out my beloved Kentucky KM-272 and began running through a couple of quick songs. After a few minutes, a nice-looking elderly lady, (who apparently lives in the senior housing building up the street), walks up to me, and watches for a few seconds. Suddenly she ripped the mandolin out of my hands, threw it on the ground, and began to pull a type of 'Bill Monroe Fireplace' move by smashing it into tiny bits with her walker. Once the mandolin was no longer recognizable, she pulled a kazoo out of her purse, threw it at me and sneered; 'Here sonny, maybe you'll have better luck with this' . . and then continued down the street, laughing manically the entire time.

    I sat there for a moment staring at my mandolin in disbelief, when suddenly . . . my alarm clock began blaring, and I woke up.

    Whew!

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  12. #35

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ranald View Post
    Sadly, busking and begging are often confused, though busking is a great way for a person to get both practice and performing experience. Many professional musicians started out as buskers. Loreena McKennit, the singer and harpist, comes to mind. I remember her busking outside St. Lawrence Market in Toronto about three decades ago. While many of us regard buskers as entertainers, many others see them as poor people desperate for a meal or as "nuisances." To them, performing in the streets isn't "respectable." This attitude goes way back at least to medieval and renaissance times. (Granted, some buskers are a nuisance; in the '8o's, I was ready to throttle the next teenage guitarist that I heard hammering out Neil Young songs.)]
    That was me, Ranald. Aack!

    The thing is, a lot of seasoned performers continue busking as part of their income stream. If you fond a way to make it work, it’s fresh air, honest work, low overhead, free enterprise at its purest, real money, and you connect with all kinds of people in very interesting ways.
    I got back into it this year; dusted off the old hammered dulcimer and set up shop on the Sydney waterfront anytime a cruise ship (sometimes two or three of them) was in. Great way to keep the cashflow up between pub gigs!

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  14. #36
    Still Picking and Sawing Jack Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Right after I bought my A5 I was so excited to have a "Jethro" I couldn't put it down. So waiting for my son to finish a karate class I walked over to a planter on the sidewalk outside of the dojo, pulled the A5 out of the case and started playing Bach. I didn't think anything of it, but I had left the case open in front of me. A dad and his little girl walked over to listen and he gave her 50 cents which she threw in the case.

    I was wearing a jacket and tie, so I don't think I looked like I needed the money.
    Ha, ha! keep time: how sour sweet music is,
    When time is broke and no proportion kept!
    --William Shakespeare

  15. #37

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Well.........

    Both panhandling and busking are both "hustles" in that you are performing UNINVITED with hopes of reward. Talent, skill, or musicianship have very little to do with it, IMHO. Our local homeless panhandle at the 24 hour Walgreens because it has a steady flow of people. Same as buskers choosing a waterfront or other high-traffic area. Nobody seems to busk to an empty field, do they?

    Which brings me to the concept of public practice with no expectation of reward -- not sure where that fits in to the equation. Obviously, you can practice at home without interruption, but it is nice to have a change of scenery, isn't it?

    Same concept, when I walk my dog. Sure, we can make the neighborhood loop, but sometimes it is nice to get into the car and go to the park! (unfortunately, the tips ain't great -- even with a dog as cute as Molly!)
    Last edited by Jeff Mando; Dec-14-2018 at 1:43pm.

  16. #38

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Sure. Here you go.

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  17. #39

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Looks formal to me!

  18. #40

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Mando View Post
    Looks formal to me!
    Yeah, and for the first time, change the red shirt to black, and lose the tie. i still looked like that.

    Again, nothing against busking. Nothing against getting paid to play music and sing. Nothing against handing out my Game Designer business cards when asked if "Do you do parties?".

    But I can't see, "You look like you need this. For food."

  19. #41

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Mando View Post

    Which brings me to the concept of public practice with no expectation of reward -- not sure where that fits in to the equation. Obviously, you can practice at home without interruption, but it is nice to have a change of scenery, isn't it?
    Several years ago I made a practice of heading out to the nursing homes on fridays - as a way of making myself practice/play the accordian with some regularity. I need the motivation to pick it up and play it - all my practice time goes to other things. And I figured, it's much more practical to fire it up for others to enjoy, rather than at home. And, it's nice to give.

  20. #42

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    Several years ago I made a practice of heading out to the nursing homes on fridays - as a way of making myself practice/play the accordian with some regularity. I need the motivation to pick it up and play it - all my practice time goes to other things. And I figured, it's much more practical to fire it up for others to enjoy, rather than at home. And, it's nice to give.
    Yeah, started doing that to. Worse, it makes me have to expand my music selection.

    Most bands do NOT have to collect as much performance music as I do not to bore people. Worse, you have to convert and rebuild a lot of it to sound "right" on mandolins. Just the chord isn't enough. And guitar strum patterns often sound, odd?

  21. #43
    Registered User Louise NM's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    One of my kids busked during high school. He could easily make $20–$30 an hour on a weekend day. (His best haul ever was 60 bucks, a box of chocolates, and a small plastic horse in about an hour's time.) Busking kept him in pizza and movie money, and he actually saved quite a bit, too. His violin teacher had a former student who kept her rent paid and fridge full while in conservatory by busking.

    He says that busking taught him a lot, particularly about improvisation and overcoming performance anxiety.

    Not everyone busking is homeless or hungry. Some are, others have all sorts of other reasons to do it.

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  23. #44
    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Foolish Frost View Post
    Sure. Here you go.
    The hair and beard are regulation attire for older guys like me in my town, and we're weird enough out here that the hat would pass.

    But the shirt and tie is way too formal, and the rest of the clothes look too new. You'd need to dress down a bit in my town out here on the fringes of the Olympic Peninsula. There is a strong "one-downsmanship" vibe out here, regardless of your economic circumstances.

  24. #45
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    I am a roaming homeless minstrel. I travel through out the countryside playing music , not unlike O’Carolin, only on a mandolin. People take me in and then may kick me out. I break hearts and find others, try to make people laugh or cry, to get a dollar.
    I walk into a bar and ask,
    “ If play you a tune and you laugh will you give me a beer?”
    They always laugh.
    At the campground I make friends. We sing.
    Yes, I am a roaming minstrel.

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  26. #46

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmybikes View Post
    I am a roaming homeless minstrel. I travel through out the countryside playing music , not unlike O’Carolin, only on a mandolin. People take me in and then may kick me out. I break hearts and find others, try to make people laugh or cry, to get a dollar.
    I walk into a bar and ask,
    “ If play you a tune and you laugh will you give me a beer?”
    They always laugh.
    At the campground I make friends. We sing.
    Yes, I am a roaming minstrel.
    “Where none might listen to a wise man, all listen to the fool, for he is the speaker of entertaining and uncomfortable truths.”

    “And I’m nothing, if not an Old Fool.”

  27. #47

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by foldedpath View Post
    The hair and beard are regulation attire for older guys like me in my town, and we're weird enough out here that the hat would pass.

    But the shirt and tie is way too formal, and the rest of the clothes look too new. You'd need to dress down a bit in my town out here on the fringes of the Olympic Peninsula. There is a strong "one-downsmanship" vibe out here, regardless of your economic circumstances.
    foldedpath,I have always wanted to see the Great Northwest. You are making it sound even better than Ihave imagined it to be!

    I was at a rest stop on the highway,playing my mando when I got handed some money. It felt awkward to me;but,I took it(from two older people).
    They seemed to really enjoy hearing the instrument.

  28. #48

    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeZito View Post
    After a few minutes, a nice-looking elderly lady, (who apparently lives in the senior housing building up the street), walks up to me, and watches for a few seconds. Suddenly she ripped the mandolin out of my hands, threw it on the ground, and began to pull a type of 'Bill Monroe Fireplace' move by smashing it into tiny bits with her walker.
    I was going to ask if the walker had the requisite green tennis balls on the legs, thinking that would prevent some scratching, but in this case I don't suppose it would matter.....

  29. #49
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Randi Gormley View Post
    ha! i'd have just put out a hat. That will either chase them away or allow you to start a fund for a gilchrist or something ...
    Yeah. Lots of people enjoy supporting music. So just put out a hat, keep saying thank you, and get on with it.

  30. #50
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    Default Re: So... They seem to think I'm starving and homeless?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ranald View Post
    ... others see them as poor people desperate for a meal or as "nuisances."
    In NYC, that busker, no matter how sloppily dressed, is just a likely to be a) homeless, or b) a Julliard student polishing up for tonight's concert.
    - Ed

    "Then one day we weren't as young as before
    Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
    But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
    I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
    - Ian Tyson

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