I got off the bus last evening and walked down Canal Street.
I saw the brass band on the corner of Bourbon and Canal, and the drunken street people who were making a big show of dancing to the music, in order to sell the dance-ability of of it to the tourists and create artificial excitement, in exchange for a little bit of beer money out of their tip box. ...those people didn't throw their money in until I started dancing like a fool....so, let me get a buck...
It disgusted me.
Then I went to Unique's and saw the regular crew of beggars who all turned to me with that practiced look of "help me; help me!" on their faces, until they recognized me as the guitar player who never gives them anything for free, and then their expressions evinced their own form of disgust, or involved a slow shaking of the head, to indicate "Ain't it a shame; he make all that money playin' that guitar and he can't even come off of a dollar for a nigga' out here just like him!"
One Dollar
I found my way down onto Decatur Street at about nightfall, and decided to take a chance and busk for a while, as I was fortified with a couple beers and some medicinal herb.
I made one dollar in about an hour.
THen, the voice of reason got through to me and I decided that I wasn't making nearly enough to risk going to jail, should the wrong cop have come by.
I knocked off and got a pretty good nights sleep.
I haven't seen Sue.
I might leave tonight for Baton Rouge, or at least tomorrow morning (probably depending upon weather or not I see Sue).
Those drunks dancing so they might get a buck ... reminds of me when I tried moving back to Hawaii, where for all its problems *is* where I grew up. The whole town running on hype, everyone trying to look like they're doing great but running on fumes, monetarily speaking. Maybe all tourist areas are like this.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's convinced buskers are all making a killing but if the vast majority of 'em in Santa Cruz are, they hide it well. Everyone thinks the guy/gal standing on a freeway onramp is making a killing, but mostly they're not. Maybe $10 for a pack of cigs and something cheap and alcoholic. One bum in Santa Cruz I got friendly with told me he felt he "had" to make $10 a day. Man, that's rough - I can make $10 in a half-hour in Santa Cruz if I have to, just asking politely and turning on the charm. Those beggars in front of the Unique store are probably making a better daily average than you are.
I should say that while I consider panhandling a sort of a safety net, I do not ever want to use it again if it can possibly be avoided. I do think that, guitar obviously in tow, you could panhandle/hitch your way across the US to out here, without shame. It's obvious that you're getting just barely enough to survive, not travel. People can sense if you're really trying to get somewhere and they'll help you.