June 2010
1 post
February 2010
14 posts
more strangers, and a smoker
A group of them walked past, obviously tipsy, having a good time, dressed up to the sevens. One returned from the apartment they went into; not quite hipsterorgay material, but enough of each category that you’d ask the question, at least in your head. He paused entering the convenience store, and on his way out, walked over and pointed a cigarette packet at me, his lack of a lighter obvious.
...
writing and requests from strangers
I bought a pen and paper and sat inside to write. Not much lyrically, but musically the taps opened. I crafted a two-part verse and a chorus for a new song, but only one verse worth of lyrics. My washing was done super fast, and into the dryer. Suddenly it was dry, and it was time to depart. I felt satisfied; writing had opened up something that had been off for a while and I was starting to...
drunk and generous
I went out of my way to not take money from people last night. When I politely refused their donations, one boy apologised. Later, a man in his 30’s congratulated me and walked back to his truck. A girl in her 20s pondered for a second before deciding this was A Good Thing and went on her way.
But the streets, as always, have their own plans for such endeavours. An older man in his 60s...
a flock of photographers
One of the more satisfying acknowledgements playing on the street is the head nod. It doesn’t say thank you, hello, or comment. It just acknowledges that you are doing something, and that the other person approves with respect. I get these sometimes. Tonight there were four; three from a passing car, and one from a guy walking with his girlfriend. It’s satisfying and for something that’s...
eye contact
After going home sick from work, I was too tired and headachey to be awkward and uncomfortable with convenience store girl. She said she’d put Save Yourself into rotation around different times of the day in the store so different groups of people would hear it. I thought she was joking but I had a couple of people come out and comment ‘nice cd’. She’d been playing it while I was outside 10m...
a skating harmonica-er..ist
It was the first time I’d seen the blonde girl work works at the convenience store since I awkwardly managed to fumble out that I’d made a record and I was giving her a copy. I’d usually stop in for a drink and she’d come out and listen for a while. She said that a few of the songs kept getting stuck in her head and she’s played it in the store a few times.
A chinese girl came out of her house...
i forgot to tell her my name
I’d found a stash of milk crates that made a much better seat than my usual perch, and there weren’t many people coming past on account of how late it was. But near the end of my washing/set, a girl came to the convenience store in a singlet, pyjama pants and a pair of flipflops. She tied her dog, a medium sized black furry thing, up on the lamppost on my side of the convenience store door and...
a wild cd appears
Tonight I took a copy of Save Yourself for the girl who works at the convenience store. She comes out and listens sometimes so I thought it’d be nice. A couple who had parked a few spaces up finishing their cigarettes moved the car down in front of me so they could listen. They sat for a few songs and then drove home with their groceries. My clothes and the rain finished their cycle, and I...
no free sitting
Last night when I turned up to wash and play, two Japanese families were eating at the No Free Sitting cafe. That’s not the name, but there is a sign out the front to that effect, designed to scare away people who might sit for free.
They sat and listened and alternated between conversation and absorbtion. People working in nearby shops came outside to listen, returning only to serve...
i am not busking
Tonight I went to do my washing and I realised I’d never done that on a Sunday night before - everyone in the world was there. I had to wait for a washing machine and then for a dryer so I was there for nearly two hours all up. I played every song I had - 18 in total, plus a few of my favourite covers that I like doing. At one point a girl walked up to me and I must have looked at her...
dance like you're five
Laundromat shows (read: doing my washing) are always interesting, since different people are always there and react differently. My most interested audience member yet was a small boy. I think he might have been half african. He was in awe of the guitar before I even opened the case, and asked me in the most ‘kid just learning to speak’ way what was inside. He stood in awe and...
how to play: step 1
When the washing machine I used moved out, I started going to the laundromat in Highgate Hill to do my washing. The idea of sitting on my butt for an hour waiting for the machines wasn’t too appealing, so I took a guitar down with me and stood outside on the street and played while I waited.
But this is Highgate Hill, so weird shit happens. This blog is a diary of those weird happenings.