Because the rain and snow are threatening to fall, I am declaring this third Elf busking weekend complete. It began, of course, on a somber note as I came home on Friday afternoon and heard the horrible news of the school shooting. Unsurprisingly, I didn't feel like putting on a silly costume and smiling all evening. But I did anyway, because it was Arts Night Out in Northampton and it would be busy.
But it was actually a lot less crowded than it should have been. Upon discussion with others who would benefit from what's normally a busy night, it was clear that people would stay home in the aftermath of the tragedy. Keep their families close and concede the effort to appear cheerful. I don't blame them. I debated omitting cheerful songs from my repertoire, or conversely slow ones, and looked for accidental tactlessness in my song choices (like "Stayin' Alive.") The feedback I got was that it was good to have a source of cheer out there to distract people. But enough about that.
Favorites in red, since I think this post is on the boring side.
Friday, December 14, 2012
I got my favorite spot outside Faces, but Flaca, as she has been recently, wasn't moving very well. I lamented the unevenness of the bricks and a young man who was hanging out as I set up suggested I go directly in front of Faces and set up on the sidewalk proper. I'm not supposed to do that, according to the permit rules, but I decided to go for it anyway. It was much more level, and she did move a little better, but still not perfectly. Other problems were that I had painted her wooden controller [black], and it wasn't spinning smoothly. Also, I had replaced the broken string, but the ratio of lengths between it and the string that controls her arm had changed, so the arm wasn't as fluid. It was okay, people got the idea. Downtown Dan was out, of course, across the street, and there was a guy "singing" on my side. The police were talking to him and I got the impression he wouldn't be out long.
1. The first of few notable events was a woman with an adorable little white terrier (like the one in "The Artist.") He just didn't know what to make of Flaca, and flinched every time she moved. Of course I had fun with this and let her say still for a while then dramatically move to watch the dog's reaction. After a few rounds of this, he started barking at her, and hilarity ensued. Cute.
2. The man who was checking parking meters asked if he could take a photo, and did so. They're not all bad, I guess!
3. This is an ongoing thing that I've observed each year that I do this: people compliment my shoes! Very nice, of course, but do they not notice the rest of the outfit? And the added thing this year is that people point out that Flaca's and my shoes match. Again, true, but just the shoes? Just sort of funny.
4. I saw a familiar face crossing the street that belonged to a favorite Clark professor of mine, Abbie Goldberg. I had her for two Psych classes, which were among my favorites. She and her husband turned right, rather than left and by me, but I yelled over to them anyway and they stopped to say hello. I began to identify myself and was pleased that Prof. Goldberg remembered me. She and her husband were both so nice, and invited me to meet up for coffee sometime to discuss my "non-marionette future." Clark U. seems like centuries ago, and it was really nice to see someone from my academia days, especially someone so nice.
6. There was a good response to The Final Countdown, as there often is, and one woman asked me to identify the song because it would drive her crazy. On the subject of that song, my favorite part is when I do one of those crazy keyboard slides between the intro in the verse (the only song I attempt it on). My dad was staying by watching during this bit, and saw it. I forgot that The Final Countdown is new since I was home last, and he hadn't seen that. The slide is the kind of thing he would like. And sure enough, he did.
5. My parents brought me some
pizza, which I stood and ate. Some people walked by and one exclaimed,
"Eating pizza! Awesome!" and dropped a tip, as if that was my act. (It
was a joke, of course; they had walked by earlier.) But funny.
7. The weird singer came by, and displayed this little electronic thing that played music, with presumably accompanied him. He noticed the Final Countdown as well, and like stood next to me and sang. Luckily he didn't stay long.
8. After I had been out there for about two hours, the manager of Faces came out and said that I couldn't play in front of her store. She and I both know that I'm an asset, if anything, to her customer base! And I was mostly in front of the bank, anyway. Flaca was the one in front of Faces; she should have talked to her. So I moved back across the sidewalk to where I normally am, and immediately noticed the decrease in both Flaca's functionality and my ability to balance.
9. I was pleased to wrap up Friday night with a visit from Aimee, the bearded lady famous for her piercing salons in both Northampton and Provincetown. I know her from the latter, where she and her bull terrier would routinely walk by and heckle me in the most loving way.
She walked by, as did another young woman I know from Ptown, and it was a delightful little reunion that made me strongly want to go back to the Cape next summer. They discussed "anti-caroling," where they sing songs including "Anarchy" to the tune of "Jingle Bells." Aimee took in my setup and said, "If you were any cuter I'd slap you." Fair enough. I demonstrated my contribution to the "anti-caroling" revolution by playing my klezmer/minor-key "Deck the Halls." Aimee sang along in her gruffest, least jolly voice: "Fa la la la la."
I packed up, explaining that I wanted to leave time to get ice cream before catching my ride (I decided a sad night like that called for ice cream). I crossed the street, not knowing that my parents were on my heels. Aimee reportedly saw them notice my absence and declared, "You must be the ice cream connection" before yelling across the street, "SOOOOOPHIIIIIIE! YOUR MOM'S HERE!" :)
And that was that.
Saturday, December 15
This was going to be a good day. The weather forecast looked okay, and it was the penultimate Saturday before Christmas. I drove into Northampton early to get some stuff done before setting up, and the first available parking spot in the garage was on the roof. Wow. I rode the lift back down with an older couple. The man asked if my box contained presents for him. In previous years I got a lot more such comments, so I was glad to hear it. After I told him that it was full of presents for him he asked what was really in there, as they do, and I told him. He said that he hoped I'd be playing his favorite song when he walked by, and I promised him I would be.
Just as I expected, Downtown Dan was at his spot and Steve was at his/mine. I knew that Steve doesn't usually stay past 1:00, and I was hoping this would be the case today. I could do errands for an hour, break my caffeine fast for a chai at the haymarket, then take over at 1:00. So I struck up a conversation with Steve that would hopefully include the unveiling of his plan for the day. Sure enough it did, but he planned to leave at 12:00, which was about 5:00 minutes away. So I ran around doing errands so there would be no idle time at the best pitch in town. I'm not sure who I was worried might take it, but with all the activity it was worth ensuring that I got it.
Before setting up I ran into a family friend who was out on a yearly shopping expedition with two of her friends during which they wear festive holiday apparel and try to offend as many shop owners as possible. It seemed like a grand old time. They agreed to come watch my stuff at some point so I could take a break.
I set up, under the scrutiny of the Faces manager from the night before (seriously), and commenced a record-breaking day. I had never made it eight hours before, and I now know why. Ow!
1. This was a day in which people were most impressed with the mechanics of the puppet (rather than the other aspects of the act). I got several tips "because it's clever," and had people say they could never multitask like that. I'm really glad it's getting a good response, because adding Flaca was on my mind for a while and it's nice to confirm that it's worth the extra effort.
2. There was a lady handing out pamphlets for something, and she was totally in my space. But I forgave her because I'm an elf. But then she started "helping!" She was worried money would blow away, so she picked up the lights and moved them onto bills to weigh them down. Not only were the lights no longer where they belonged, but the bills were never in danger of blowing away. I've been in this business long enough to know what caliber of wind takes bills and what doesn't. So I had to wait for her to turn her back and undo it. Nice intentions though, of course.
3. Flaca still wasn't moving well, which disappointed me. I sanded down the controller since the previous night, but she wasn't bouncing back to her original position like she'd supposed to. I hypothesized that the rubber band wasn't doing its job, although the first rubber band lasted much longer. There was another on the ground in front of me, so I grabbed it. It turned out to be a hair tie. I added it to the setup, so there were two stretchy things, and this did the trick. It just needed some extra elastic. She worked great, and I was very happy.
4. Someone asked me for "Smoke on the Water." It's not the first time, I really ought to learn the opening.
4.5. An hour or so into my set, a Salvation Army bell-ringer set up. She was dressed in holiday accessories, and had a dog wearing reindeer ears. Cute. Last weekend the bell ringer was annoying, but I had chosen to set up next to her so I lived with it. But today I had clearly set up first. The bell was annoying, and it was competition for money (I feel a little bad saying that, but it's not a charity I support due to their stance on GLBT rights). I finally had had enough and went over to her. She smiled and said, "[My dog] is cute, but you two are even cuter!" Well that's nice, but I was on a mission. I asked her if there was anywhere else she could go, since I had purposefully gotten there early to get that spot and found it hard to play with the bell ringing, and buskers pay $25 for a permit that clearly states that performers can't use percussion or be within 50 feet. Why should she be any different? She said that she was assigned that spot, and couldn't move. She did give me five minutes of silence though, which was nice. But this really boiled my blood. The town organizes them and the a cappella groups to bring bells and music to the streets, which somehow overrule the buskers. I agree that not all buskers are joyful, but what's the point of enacting permits and restrictions if they're obsolete in the month that matters the most for buskers' income? I drafted several versions of letters to the editor in my head. Argh.
5. Yes, there were more a cappella groups. The college ones didn't check in with me, just started singing next to me, as they do. One group said they were assigned my spot to sing, so I asked if it was a 10-15 minute set, like most. That would be okay, I could get dinner. But they said it would be for like an hour. So I just said, "Sorry, I'll be here till 8:00." Luckily they didn't push it. Come on, Northampton! Don't double-book!
5.5. Someone commented that the previous night he had heard me play "Joy to the World" in minor key. He asked why. I told him that people are sick of hearing standard Christmas songs, so the purpose is to mix it up and to tie it into traditional accordion tradition (Klezmer). "Well it doesn't sound any better" he said. Some people just don't get it.
6. A middle-aged couple stopped and listened for a while. Then the woman asked me how I do minors with a 12-bass. Ah, a fellow accordion player. I explained, declaring that I actually play minor sevenths. "So that's why it sounds jazzy!" Finally, some positive feedback about having a 12-bass without a jab about it not being a "real" accordion. See? It's a jazzy accordion? She and her husband both play (which triggered me to remember them from last year), and they were super nice.
7. An older lady asked where I got my accordion, and said that she recently purchased a 12-bass as well. She played a big one when she was younger, but she's selling it and is seeking lessons on the small one. She's curious to see if it will all come back. So I might just give her lessons. I'm nervous, though! I expressed an interest in buying her old one, which she describes as being very beautiful, but it sounds too huge and heavy.
8. An older gentleman took some photos on a fancy camera. A little while later he walked by, when others were watching, and did this dance move and like puckered his lips. Cute.
9. Someone commented on all I do at once, and called me a "musician, puppeteer, and ventriloquist." Ventriloquist? Because the puppet's doing the same movements as me, she said. I should totally add real ventriloquism to the act!
10. Some kids came by a few times, and danced a little. So I played the Beer Barrel Polka (which was tricky in gloves!) and their whole family did a big dance number, which amused passersby. Love it. Warms me up too!
11. Two other little girls had come by a few times, and we discussed the setup. I told them I want to have Flaca do more, and they gave me some suggestions: making her head move around, and possibly inserting a speaker (factor in adorable Rs) so she can talk. "What song next?" Good to have feedback from youth :)
11.5 A guy dropped me a tip, and said "This is for playing Van Jealous!" What the hell is that?
12. I talked to one guy about favorite foods in San Francisco, and he dared suggested that burritos are LESS filling than Japanese food. WTF??
13. I'll admit I was suffering a bit by the end. I've never exceeded like 6.5 hours with a long break in the middle where I sit, but today I did 8 with a quick 10-minute break with no sitting. I badly wanted to pack up, but decided to push myself till 8:00 to be sure I broke my record (maybe I had done seven hours before). This act is exhausting, and I hurt everywhere. I will definitely have to get squishy shoe insoles and start wearing my wrist support again. I was also cold, for the first time this season, and tried to make my gloves work, which they never do. I was tired, I was bored, and I was hungry. I had to remember that people were seeing my act for the first time, so I couldn't look bored. I didn't want to take a break because I didn't want to lose my spot, and it's a hassle to pack up these days. I was glad I stayed though, because people are generous in the evenings, and I got the majority of the day's $5-bills in that final excruciating hour. I wasn't too disappointed when Sunday's forecast was bad so I took that day off! Phew.
14. A group of hooligan teenagers stopped to listen for a while. One of them was really into it, laughing and applauding for "Paint it Black" and "The Final Countdown," which is to be expected. But then he also reacted the same way to "Funiculi Funicula." That amused me; what business could a hippie-dressed badass teenager in 2012 have loving a Neapolitan song?
15. Lastly, a middle-aged man dropped me a tip right as the clock struck 8:00 and I was beginning to pack up. "Let's hear a song!" he said. Fiiiiine. So I played him one, and he stuck around, so I played one more, and then another. 8:05! I wanted to go home! But then I had to laugh when he struck up a conversation about food. About his fancy dinner that night. It was just like the Ultimate Dog Tease . There I was, sooo hungry, and he went into great detail about his entree. "Well that sounds delicious, I'll have to check that place out!" "Yeah, and wait till you hear what Bob had!" He gave me detailed descriptions of entrees, starters, and dessert while people within a mile radius heard my stomach rumble. Ha. He should have talked about the comfortable seats and ideal temperature, too :)
Then I packed up and limped back to the car (elf shoe is broken again, too) and began to defrost. These are exactly the kind of days I planned though, to make money while I can. And I'd rather work really hard one day then take the next day off, anyway.
On another note, I did an exceptional job of pulling up close to the ticket dispenser at the parking garage. I didn't hit anything, but I was so close that I could casually push the button and get my ticket, then stick it back in upon my departure, without putting the car in park or awkwardly leaning out the window or anything! I know you're impressed.
One more week till Christmas! I'll go into Hamp Thursday evening probably, as well as Friday night and briefly on Saturday. I imagine I'll take Sunday off to hang out with my family and make cookies! Then the elf costumes goes away again and the piano dress gets some new patches.
Till next time!
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