The Sparkle Of Your China

Mention of "Tanya Huang" Gets Chinese Attention (again)

• Skeezers Try To Strike
• Tip Drought Continues

Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon, I had 2 dollars left of the 6 which I had gotten Monday night.
I decided to just cash them in for 2 Hurricane Lagers.
I drank them and then walked the length of Royal Street, seeing the two musicians (right, or below, depending upon your browser).
They were from North California, and had recently busked at Laguna Beach, where they made 400 dollars in 3 hours (wow...Tanya and Dorise kind of money!).
They had made one dollar.
They were playing right down the street from a cantankerous geezer who hadn't made anything playing blues songs (like Hesitation Blues, by Reverend Gary Davis Jr.) on a resonator guitar.
He (the geezer) is the same guy who had played all day and not made anything about a week ago when I saw him.

The change in "energy level" was palpable as I left the scowling, whiskey drinking blues guy, who seems to project the attitude of "This is classic old-time blues music; you uncultured morons!" and came upon the guys to the left.
They had a video camera set up on a trash can (just out of sight) and were playing more to it than to the few stragglers who were out.
"We don't really care about the money; we just want to get our songs out there," one of them told me; and closed his case, trapping the one dollar bill inside, as if to illustrate the point...
They asked me about other busking spots and I referred them to Decatur Street where they could get their songs out there to more people. And, since they didn't care about money, Decatur at that hour was a doubly good choice...
400 dollars in 3 hours at Laguna Beach, California, eh? hmmm.....I thought, as I headed towards my Bourbon Street spot.
The guitarist was about at my own level of proficiency; a little below (but has about 25 years to catch up) -all rhythm; no lead.
It was hard for me to assess the banjo guy, because I don't play one, but he told me "We don't play bluegrass. We thought that we did, but that was before we went to Oklahoma City and heard some guys that can really play bluegrass!"
I guess I learned that it's not a good thing to become a bitter, scowling, barking old coot, stubbornly clinging to a musical genre which just isn't the "cup of tea" of the people who shop at Rouses Market and are accustomed to hearing Doreens Jazz Band or Tanya and Dorise at that very location.
And, I learned that it is a good thing to play as if you are shooting a video that you plan to show to all of your friends...
Skeezer Attack
I got to my playing spot and was just unpacking when up rode a black guy on a bike who told me "They don't want you playing here anymore, they told me."
Well, at that very second out stepped Lilly from out of one of her gates.
"I own this building, he can play here all he wants!"
And then, there ensued a verbal volley in which the black man was like someone with a knife at a gunfight, against the fury which Lilly unleashed ("Who are you calling a bitch? Get off my property or you'll really see a bitch!" etc, etc).
The guy rode off.
Later that night, I saw him in the general company of one of the dog skeezers; perhaps reporting the news of his failure to have run me off my spot.
The spitting dog skeezer was nowhere to be seen; and I wondered about that