Crazy of the Week - Homeless People

I'm making a mass generalisation here; many panhandlers are not homeless, but that's who I'm talking about. I have grown to hate panhandlers. They take all the good busking spots, and I'm kind of scared of them. They all know each other and they tend to be very territorial. I've been asked to move by panhandlers multiple times. I have a strict 'don't mess with homeless people' policy, so when they ask, I always move.

Yesterday a man reeking of stale beer approached me while I was busking.

"Do you mind moving? I want to have a beer, and this is my spot."

It didn't make any sense. Why couldn't he have a beer somewhere else? Why couldn't I keep playing while he drank his beer? I didn't ask, I just moved on.

I found a nice spot downtown. I was a little wary of the panhandler across the road, but I figured it would be OK being on the opposite side of the street.

After about half an hour he came over to me. He had long, greasy hair and a beard that looked like a birds nest. His clothes were dirty and full of holes. I sighed this man was going to make me move again. He nodded at me, pulled a few quarters out of his coffee cup and dropped them into my case. I was gobsmacked.

There was another panhandler up the road a bit.

"Hey give her some money" panhandler no. 1 screamed at her.

She shook her head. He threw his arms up angrily.

"Give her some" he yelled again.

She wouldn't, but I didn't care. I watched the scene in disbelief.

In conclusion, I have no idea how I feel about homeless people/ panhandlers.

Fresh Meat

I went busking with my friend JV the other day. She plays the tenor sax but had never busked before. I took her to downtown Kingston to show her the ropes.

Within 10 minutes of setting up, we had $15, an offer to join a swing band and had been filmed for a segment on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). JV was in shock.
"Is it always like this?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much" I said trying to play it cool.
"Wow. I'm going to do this more often"

I'm sure she will. Nervous at the beginning, JV is now a pro busker. She reminded me of how terrified I was when I first started busking. Here are my top few tips for new buskers out there.

1. Confidence

Generally, people don't know a whole lot about music. They know it makes sound. So make sounds - the louder the better. Don't worry about screwing up, no one will notice, and if they do, make them think they're wrong. When I make a mistake, I often shut my eyes like I'm really into it to make it seem EXTRA musical.


2. Image

Image is definitely more important than skill. JV and I found we made more money standing there with our instruments than actually playing them. Why? Because we play cool instruments. And we're girls. Sucks to be you if you play the guitar or you are male or you look over 15.


3. Don't look homeless or look homeless

Nothing in between. I have found not looking homeless to be very profitable. However I recently found out that ever since I started this trip, my Nanna has STOPPED giving money to buskers. She says she thought they were homeless and now she knows that some buskers do actually have homes, so why give them money? If you're taking that route, and want my Nanna's money, don't do a half arsed job. Stop showering and start drinking from a paper bag.