This was certainly enough playing, though. I'm used to doing these marathons--a 6-hour Saturday followed by a longish Sunday (today was four hours)--but only with accordion. I hadn't exceeded three hours with the puppet yet, and I hadn't done this much accordion in a long time. As a result, I'm quite sore. I'm also okay with having missed Friday night!
Here's what I made:
-US dollars
-€1.00
-£0.10
-One red rose
-One fleece scarf
-One slice of pizza
-One cup of hot chocolate
-One peppermint candy
-One concert ticket
-One book of poetry
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Town was hopping as I arrived, and I decided to try to tune out the Salvation Army bell-ringer outside Faces and set up in my "usual" spot from last year outside Faces as well (but more outside the bank). The bell ended up being okay, although you couldn't hear Flaca, which is too bad. Oh well.
This is my favorite pitch because it's by the crosswalk so you get a lot of foot traffic, the ATM attracts people as well, it's under the big clock on the bank building so I can track Time Until Dinner, and, as I learned yesterday, I could see Flaca's reflection in window. This was cool because I try to avoid looking at her so we appear to be working separately, and usually her loud feet give me the audio cues to know that she's working without having to check. The bell-ringer rendered that impossible, so getting a visual cue while looking forward was beneficial.
I did about three hours, went to Sam's for a dinner break, then did another three-ish. I was surprised that it was quite slower in the evening, since usually nights are better. Flaca looked awesome after dark since I changed the batteries in her spotlights. Then out with a friend for a drink, since I was sleeping in Northampton, in normal clothes but with elf shoes poking out. Hey, I have to be recognizable somehow (also, forgot a change of shoes)! Oh, and here's what we looked like:
Saturday, December 8, 2012:
1. The first exciting thing is that I saw Camp friends. I spent two amazing summers in high school working at an awesome sleep-away camp in Brattleboro, and although I'm not actively in touch with people I think very fondly of the people with whom I shared that experience. This is part of the reason I was excited to play in Brattleboro today had I gone. But it didn't matter, because I saw TWO camp people, totally separately! First was Dara whose hair is now magenta, teal, and royal blue (and awesome), and second was Alya and her baby who is now a full-on kid. So that made me happy. And Alya's son asked me if I live in the North Pole. Which I do.
2. One guy took a look at Flaca and I and said, "I don't know who to watch!" Good!
3. I heard my favorite compliment indirectly, said by a guy to his friend as they retreated: "I'm overwhelmed by how awesome that is." Oh no! I didn't mean to overwhelm anyone! Is he okay?
4. I really hate to admit this, but my mother was right about something :(. And it was a busking-related something, which is even worse, since I insist on being the expert. For a while I've been thinking about having different tipping options. At first the idea was to present different reasons for tipping ("For the Music," "For the Piano Dress," "For the 'Twin Peaks' Theme," etc.). But recently I've thought about offering different uses for the tips, since I have a variety of expenses: Material for Costumes, Student Loan Payments, Workshop in Brazil. (I have an invitation to attend a workshop in Brazil in March with my Scottish theatre company, but airfare is hefty.) My mom caught me decorating signs for the washed-out soup cans I was going to use and voiced her concern that it would hurt business. In Northampton there are a lot of people asking for money who really need money. The student loans cause is good, because I do HAVE to make those payments, but I shouldn't flaunt the fact that I might spend earnings on a vacation in the tropics. She did have a point. So I sneakily bailed on that project ("Oh, look at the time!") and proceeded without the cans. I realized, however, that I can still use my old student loans sign, and just tape it to the handle of my trolley. And actually, since my loan payments just increased, I probably won't make it to Brazil anyway, so might as well leave it out of the equation.
5. On that subject, I got a lot of comments on the loans sign! There was the usual stuff, asking where and what I studied. But also one girl said that she has six months till her payments kick in; a man said his two daughters are facing their payments; and two different 60-something-year-old women said they JUST paid theirs off. Eek!
6. Two guys stopped to talk, and it became relevant to mention my travels this year. One of them said, "That's what I need, a woman who likes to travel!" I told him that solo traveling is actually the best, and his friend confirmed that, that his favorite trips have been alone. They also asked, like many do, what I studied, so I told them "Psychology." The other friend said, "Oh good, you can sort this guy out" or something. Yes I can.
7. A couple walked by carrying a Christmas tree, and I thought too late to play "O Christmas Tree." Next time!
8. This guy watched for a minute, then walked over and emphatically asked, "What kind of Santa are YOU??" in a way that sounded like he had rehearsed it a few times before delivering it. And he took off, not waiting for an answer (which was good, since I didn't have a clever one). Hm.
9. Some people stopped to talk, and asked if I know the band "Those Darn Accordions." I did, but I had to think for a second. He didn't mean "Those Dumb Instruments," the Glasgow-based band that eventually beat KAIHO in the final of a big songwriting award (grumble grumble). "They're based in San Francisco." Ah, yes! Must look them up again.
10. During one of the many conversations about accordions, one man referred to mine as "mini" and a 120-bass as "regular." IT'S NOT MINI!!! For the millionth time, 12-basses don't exist to be cute, mini versions of accordions. What, are non-bass saxophones mini too? It's just different. Boils my blood.
11. Conversely, a woman said it was impressive that I could make that sound with a 16-bass. So I told her it was a 12-bass! I explained that I usually move everything to F, and the young man in her party made a sound/facial expression as if to say, "You and me both, sistah!" I guess it was a family of accordionists.
12. On the subject of accordions, I talked to one older man who had a 12-bass like mine when he was a little kid, then a bigger one, then his dad bought him a 120-bass when he was in sixth grade. He quit in eighth grade, however, since he wanted to play in the school band and they didn't allow accordions (I imagined the six other members of KAIHO having to tune to me, imagine a whole school band). He switched to tenor sax, which he's played ever since. However, on his 60th birthday his father got him another accordion. He thought it would be like riding a bike, but he found it really difficult. So the second coming was not to be.
13. I talked to a guy, and he asked what I was doing New Year's Eve. "This," I replied. "And after?" "No idea!" He said I should come hear his band play. It turns out his band is The Primate Fiasco! They are a local "psychedelic dixieland" band that I haven't actually had the pleasure to hear yet. My parents are fans and they're a household name, so I was excited to meet a member (Dave). So he gave me a ticket to their New Year's Eve show! Score. Plans. The past two years I packed up then just wandered aimlessly, so this will be an improvement.
14. Two girls walked up who I think I recognized from last year. One said, "I have something to tell you." It turns out she had seen a Missed Connection on Craig's List for me! I had a little habit of scanning that sight while in San Francisco, since buskers get a bit of attention, but I had forgotten about it since. This girl had responded, giving the poster the link to my Facebook band page. I looked for the post today, but it seems to have been deleted. And no word on Facebook. Hopefully the person will show himself! Pretty awesome.
15. A girl stopped and said, "You should be a holiday card for someone," and confirmed that it was a compliment. I suppose I should! She took the photo in this post.
16. A teenager walked by and declared, "You're my new best friend." Great!!
17. A guy stopped by and asked if it was antique (not sure which part). I said no, and he asked if it was European. Well, I developed the puppet part while in Europe, so I guess so. I would like it to eventually look like an old-fashioned European circus marionette theatre thing. James said that his ex-sister-in-law is a puppeteer, and that she'd like my setup, or something.
18. I mentioned that I had set up next to a Salvation Army bell-ringer. Well there was also a woman [from Planned Parenthood] on my other side collecting signatures. So it was a busy corner! Then these kids showed up with buckets of like sticks of sugar candy things, asking if people wanted to donate to something. I suggested that they might want to move down, since there were already three of us and people would have already dropped their change, but they stayed put. Isn't that a riveting tale?
19. Among the people who walked by was my first "boyfriend" (for about six days), who completely ignored me! Ouch.
20. A baby and her parents came by, and the baby was enthralled, watching me from her pram and smiling. I started playing "The Wheels on the Bus," and the dad made a hilarious joke that Barney would come running from across the street, saying, "You can't play that, it's copyrighted!" The wife, clearly embarrassed, said, "That's not a Barney song..." The husband must have misunderstood her criticism, because he did the whole skit again but in a voice that sounded much more like the purple dinosaur's. Ha.
21. I've been playing my Klezmer versions of Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and Joy (Oy) to the World. Someone finally noticed! "Cool, slavic Christmas songs!"
22. There was a strange man walking around. It's possible that he has Tourette's, and the thing he said most frequently was "kick it." The longest ramble I caught went something like "Kick it. I know he hit him, I felt it. Next slide, please! Kick it. 50/50. She's gone. Kick it. Well, it pays the bills. Next slide, please. Kick it" punctuated with frequently Catholic crosses. I was nervous when he stopped to talk, but he was actually quite coherent. We talked about Scotland and the good beer, and he explained why he had been kicked out of the army (I'll spare you the details). He said he used to play drums in the school marching band but that they got heavy after a few hours. His sister played the flute, and he wanted an instrument to play so he picked it up. He demonstrated this by actually taking the flute out of his seemingly-small bag, and played a jazzy riff. It sounded okay! Of course, he took breaks both to breathe and to say "kick it." He took a crumpled rose out of his pack and handed it to me. It looked awesome lying in front of Flaca today.
23. One of the many bored dads I saw waiting outside of Faces over the course of the weekend was there for my whole interaction with this guy. He had walked by a few times before stopping, and the dad and I had made eye contact and acknowledged him. Then when he was in front of me playing flute, the dad came over and said that he and his family were leaving, and asked if I was okay. Isn't that nice? I told him that I thought the guy was harmless, so I should be fine. He agreed, but said they'd walk slowly in case I needed anything. So awesome.
That's all for Saturday! I packed up, thoroughly exhausted, and met Molly. The next morning I had a serious stretching session, since I was feeling muscles I didn't know existed. Additionally, my elf shoes aren't the greatest, and my heels hurt. Better get some gels for next weekend.
Sunday, December 9, 2012:
I headed into town in "normal" clothes. That is, my fuzzy black sweater dress that I wear under the costume for warmth, full tights, with stripes exposed, elf shoes, normal jacket, jingle bell earrings. So between the tights, shoes, and earrings, people still caught on that I was an elf. I went to the bank to deposit the previous day's take, and the teller complimented my earrings. I had to smile later when I set up directly outside the bank, so he could probably see me in the full attire and understand why I was depositing coins and $1 bills.
Steve, the old guy who plays guitar outside of Faces, was there. We talked about Europe and stuff. I went to set up outside Thornes, since it was open, but soon into that set Downtown Dan, the other old blues guitar guy told me that it was his spot. That Thornes didn't want just anyone playing out there, so they asked him to do the honors. I went peacefully, since I am just here seasonally, and I don't want to mess up the busker zen. It was nice to talk to him, though, for the first time. He suggested I go play at the big intersection with Pleasant St., which I considered. I always liked playing at a four-way intersection in SF. I went down there, but it didn't look fabulous, and also it was on a slope which meant Flaca wouldn't work. So I decided to just set up a little ways down from Steve. I explained all that to Steve when I walked by again, and he said he was packing up anyway so he gave me his spot. Very nice.
It was great because there are no bell ringers on Sundays, so I really had that spot to myself. I played there from about 12:30 to 4:30.
1. As I was setting up (this was over at Thornes), I realized that Flaca was tangled, so I began untangling her. "She's tangled, eh?" asked a lady. "Yeah, but she was fine when I put her away last night." "I wonder how that happened." "She probably had a big party." "Yes, she's been naughty."
2. When I was about to start playing at my second spot, an a cappella group from Smith started singing right next to me. I know that town has booked them and that they collect for charity, but they could have greeted me, you know? Discussed the inevitable turf war? But they did not. These are usually short sets, so I rolled with it, but after their fourth song I asked how long they were planning to stay and they were quite cold. Too bad.
3. "Paint it Black" got a good response today. Specifically, one woman totally got it, got playing it for the Christmas grumps, and she said it was her perfect Christmas song. Excellent.
4. Susan Boss, my elementary school art teacher, and her artist husband Mark Brown stopped by, and I played "Paint it Black" for them. Susan was quite funny, singing "I have a Christmas tree I want to take it back..." Ha! Too bad I don't sing.
5. "The Final Countdown" went over very well too. Some people sang along, and one guy said, "'The Final Countdown' made my day." Dave from Primate Fiasco said it'll be a good New Year's Eve song too. Good call. The people who like that song the most are males between the ages of 15 and 30, so I would try to play it for them. I'm now doing a few measures of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" before going into it, so I'll vamp the former until the pack of boys is right where I want them to be.
6. Also, my version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is mathematically challenged. I'll play just enough measures for there to be only a partridge in a pear tree for the first few rounds, then immediately launch into a long line that must be from "seven swans a-swimming" down. Good thing no one's counting.
7. I talked to a guy who reminded me how awesome the movie "Being John Malkovich" is, prompted by the puppet. I must see it again now that I'm in my puppet years. He also acknowledged Flaca being "black," and said she looks like Aunt Jemima. I learned that Aunt Jemima was outlawed at Hampshire College.
8. A group of ladies in Santa hats walked by. One said, "You've been hit!" and handed me a cup of hot chocolate. On it was a label that said: "You've been HIT! This holiday season we are counting our blessings and spreading some holiday cheer by performing RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS! We hope you have a spectacular Holiday Season and pay it forward when you can!" Isn't that nice?
9. A guy gave me a unique tip: a brand new plaid fleece scarf. Wow!
10. I talked to this old guy who was wearing a University of Michigan jacket (go blue!). It was very hard to understand him, but we managed to have a conversation. I mentioned Scotland, and he said he'd been when he was in the navy. That everyone was friendly and would buy you a beer. He said he went looking for Nessie, so we could talk about that. This man asked if there was a place to go for a bite to eat, so I sent him to Sam's pizza around the corner. He came back a while later with a slice of pizza for me! And he didn't know if I eat meat so he got a vegetarian one! Isn't that awesome? As we know from my San Francisco days, pizza is the #1 tip you can get while busking. Can't be beat. Fact.
11. I sort of had to use the bathroom. I saw another a cappella group coming, but they walked right by. Really? I asked them if they wanted to set up there. They said, "That's okay, we can go somewhere else." Wow. Respecting the buskers' space! But I did fancy a bathroom break, so I asked if they would set up there to guard my stuff while I used the bathroom. So they did! They were so nice! It turns out they are DQ from Amherst College, a group I've heard of because I was in charge of inviting guest groups to my college a cappella group's Fall show. They also invited me to come sing with them when I got back, which was a blast. They sang a version of "Eight Days a Week" that was about Hanukkah, and I joined the part of the girl next to me. I was also trying to figure out a ride home, and I asked them about getting back to Amherst and they were nice about that too. Totally friendly people. Nice contrast to the first group. I miss a cappella!
12. A man saw the student loan sign and said, "Don't become a lawyer!" I thought that was a hilarious anti-lawyer joke until someone pointed out that he meant it as taking on more debt. Oh.
13. A woman stopped at said, "I'm a puppeteer." I said, "Oh, I'm not" which I thought was clever, but no one else did. She explained that she's used all kinds of puppets, really big ones, but that she doesn't have them since she just moved back here from Mexico. "Oh, Flaca's Mexican!" "I noticed," she said. Good to know Flaca still looks Mexican despite her change of clothes and facial expression!
14. "This is for the outfit alone." A comment I get with tips every year. But today I really thought about it, how I wouldn't actually have to perform to make money. If the people in stupid store-bought dog or Darth Vader costumes make money on the street without doing anything, which they do, then my homemade elf costume in the holiday season should do well too! Good to know in case I break an arm or something.
15. I was talking to someone I know (but I forget who, there was too much to remember!) about my songs, and I mentioned playing minor-key Christmas songs. This mystery party mentioned "Low," a band that plays slow, depressing versions of holiday songs. I should look them up.
16. A lady stopped and asked if I can do Christmas carols. In the real key, I presume. Jingle Bells, she wanted, so I managed to play it. She requested "Little Drummer Boy" but I failed. I guess I should practice real ones for when the requests come in. It's still early, though.
17. The most important string broke :( This is the one that connects my foot to the controller, which rubs against two eyelets. The string broke once in Prague around the top eyelet, so I just retied it, so today it broke at the second eyelet. I tied it back together and managed to limp through the rest of the set.
I need to have a big repair day though because in addition to the string, both of my elf shoes are broken and Flaca's left leg was wonky today. I'll have to sort that out.
I'm sure there's more that happened that I'm forgetting but I'm exhausted! Time to rest my busking muscles!
Till next time.
This mystery party mentioned "Low," a band that plays slow, depressing versions of holiday songs. I should look them up.
ReplyDeleteTheir "the last snowstorm of the year" was a regular part of my holiday set for years.