Fun busking story.

Rllink

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There is a stone wall, three blocks from my condo in San Juan, and it is part of the Spanish defenses, probably the original wall was built in the early 1600s. Beyond and below the wall is La Perla, and beyond that is a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a nice wide sidewalk that runs along the wall that connects a fort called El Castillo, with another called El Morro. I have a little place just off the sidewalk where I can sit and play my ukulele. There is a plaque close by that people can stop to read about the wall, and then there are a couple of cannon ports that they can walk out on and get the view. I station myself next to the cannon ports.

The routine is that several days a week I mix up a rum and coke, I go out there, sit on the wall and play some songs and drink my rum and coke. When I'm done with my drink, I put the glass out in front of me on the ground, and I can usually collect five or ten bucks out there in a half hour, forty five minutes. Then I take my hard earned cash and go over to the neighborhood bar for a beer or two.

Yesterday I went out there and sat down to play. I was playing Don't Worry, Be Happy. I was about half done with my rum and coke when this man and woman came along. He was reading about the wall, and she was listening to me. Whenever I got to the line, "don't worry, be happy," I would wink and give her a smile. So then I got done with that song, and I was singing something else, I don't remember what, and I noticed that a cruise ship was coming in so I kept looking at that as well as the people passing by, not paying attention, and the woman came up while I wasn't looking and stuck two one dollar bills into my half drank rum and coke that was sitting on the wall next to me as they were leaving. I turned just in time to see her stick them in there.

There I sat, a rum and coke with two dirty dollar bills stuck in it. I quit playing, fished them out, shook the rum and coke off of them, dumped my drink, and headed straight to the bar where knew that I could exchange them for a cheap buck and a half 10oz Medalla beer, and still have enough for a fifty cent tip. Needless to say, my local bartender was not too happy with my drenched dollar bills either, but he took them. So that's my story. Adventures in busking. I hope that you enjoyed it.

The wall.jpg
 
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bwahaha. i hear most people put out a hat to avoid mishaps like this. :p
 
I enjoyed that. You are a good writer. Felt like I was there, inside the story. Thanks for sharing.
 
Very nice story. The last time The CC Strummers busked was for opening day of the LA Metro subway going through Culver City. We were given 45 minutes to perform, but we could only stand right next to the Andy Gumps. At least we knew as they were being used, the people were entertained.

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8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 8 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://.www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
I enjoyed that. You are a good writer. Felt like I was there, inside the story. Thanks for sharing.

Rollie is too modest to directly say anything...but regarding his writing, click on the link on his signature. :)
 
There is a stone wall...
There I sat,
a rum and coke with two dirty dollar bills stuck in it.

Could be the start of some song lyrics there...

Cool story Rollie! Keep em coming. I really do enjoy reading about your adventures.
 
this made me smile/laugh - thanks for sharing
 
bwahaha. i hear most people put out a hat to avoid mishaps like this. :p
I have to keep the hat on my head. I don't have very much protection up there without it.

Rollie is too modest to directly say anything...but regarding his writing, click on the link on his signature. :)

Rllink, it is such a nice story that put a smile on my face. I followed Choirguy's advise and bought a copy of your new book on Amazon. Looking forward to reading it.

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks, thanks Chris for the plug, and thanks Lapyang for buying the book. I don't make a lot of money out there busking on the wall, I need all the help that I can get. I just thought that it would be a fun story to tell. I actually meet a lot of really nice people out there. Lots of them want to know how I found myself sitting on a wall in Old San Juan playing a ukulele for passing tourists. There is a young woman who busks with her ukulele here as well. She has a place to sit down by the old gate at La Princesa, which in the day was the main gate through the first layer of defenses. It is nice and shady down there, and she seems to do quite well. I've never spoken with her. She walks by with a fellow once in a while when I am playing on the wall but has never stopped to talk as well, although she has waved. Anyway, she is a pretty good busker and just has that look about her that makes people want to put a buck in her tip jar. I just look like some old guy who finished his rum and coke and is trying to get enough money to go buy some beer. Appearances are everything when it comes to busking.
 
...Appearances are everything when it comes to busking.

Maybe you do not appear needy enough for lots of money to be given yet....

You could sort of 'bum it up' and look more like a 'Hobo Joe' character, or if not so down and out, at least a little scruffy and tattered so folks would think you actually need the money from the tips so you can eat...
 
Maybe you do not appear needy enough for lots of money to be given yet....

You could sort of 'bum it up' and look more like a 'Hobo Joe' character, or if not so down and out, at least a little scruffy and tattered so folks would think you actually need the money from the tips so you can eat...
Actually, my wife is not real good with me going out there and playing on the street for money anyway, so I have to be a bit sly about it. She is willing to allow me to play for beer money without a lot of evil eye, as long as I don't appear too needy. So that is good advise Booli, but I probably won't be taking it. :)
 
Actually, my wife is not real good with me going out there and playing on the street for money anyway, so I have to be a bit sly about it. She is willing to allow me to play for beer money without a lot of evil eye, as long as I don't appear too needy. So that is good advise Booli, but I probably won't be taking it. :)

No worries :)

I am sure that there are other, less honest methods of garnering sympathy from by-passers to try and entice them to throw change into a cup, but those kinds of activities and motivations kind of reminds me of the story in Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' were the evil Fagan sent kids out on the street, to do pick-pocketing (and also maybe begging for change?) and Fagan hoarded all the loot and kept the kids dressed in rags and fed them only porridge...you may remember the Artful Dodger?

It was an allegory yes, but back in high school we did this as a musical, and I was cast as Bill Sikes (and rather liked playing that part) back in the day...first time I ever sang in front of an audience, and was kind of a break-out moment for me. :)
 
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