This One Will Run It's Course

As busking time came along, I went to the street car stop, intending to ride down to the Quarter; and then walk the ten blocks to Lilly's. That would also commit me to making sure I set aside enough to ride back; or that I'm prepared to walk for about 29 minutes to get home.

But, I decided, after about 5 minutes of waiting for a street car that wasn't even yet in sight, to walk back to the apartment and get the bike. That would give me a couple shots of brandy in exchange for the pedaling down there; and it would make it a less consequential decision to, for any reason just do a ride-through of the Quarter, returning home after having just checked out the scene, type of thing. When you have to pay the street car to return home after not having played, it drives home the fact that you kind of wasted money going down there, only to come right back home, after not liking the vibe of it.

But, last night, I was put in the awkward position of not having a phone on me at such a time as when there were two middle aged black men sitting on Lilly's stoop and advertising "good weed and coke' in a voice loud enough that surely someone inside would be able to hear it. Those "historically accurate" houses, having been patched, over time, using the same bricks and mortar as what was used in the period when they were built; seem to all suffer from very poor dampening of outside sounds. You can make out the conversations of people walking past your house, if you are sitting in the front room. I guess walls and windows have become much more sound proof in the last 250 years...

I failed to communicate with the guys who were sitting there; one of whom being in the wrought iron chair that I had found by a trash can about a half block away the night before. I had intended to call Lilly to inform her that there was probably still a pretty nice outdoor chair in front of her house, that she might want to grab and put by her pool or something; but I had forgotten.

The guys seemed to think that we could co-exist and they could yell "good weed and coke" over whatever music I might be playing; and their proximity to me, as would imply that we were a group of 3 like minded souls, could only become a blessing to each of us.

I don't think there was any malice intended, and it is just like someone on coke to just assume that his company could only be of value in any given social situation -so confident in himself would he artificially be...

But, I wound up trying to play with them hawking their wares at the same time, which lasted maybe 15 minutes; after which I said something to the effect of that people were going to think that we were a group of 3, and that I might just be using the guitar as a prop to throw the Law off, type of thing...and not playing for tips, type of thing...

That got them to move, but only to the other side of the stoop. It was still as if we were a group of 3. I could hear one of them making sounds which might have been him trying to rap over what I was playing; but it was as distracting as I let it become, I guess, which wasn't not at all. 

I think the thing that was perplexing me was, if the guy was being critical of what I was playing, then why did he only move a few feet to give me some space? They were probably arguing over having ceded even those few feet, based upon them having been there first. And, with my phone issues not having been solved yet, I paid the price of not having a charged phone so that I could have called Lilly and informed her about the "good weed and coke" brothers and their apparent unwillingness to move, in a case where they could move just as much product without being close enough to me to make it look like I was with them. 

I figured that I would just let this one run its course. 

I had enough to worry about in just trying to sound good; and after I had played what I thought were pretty good versions of a couple songs all the while being aware that people seemed reluctant to stop to listen for some reason, I eventually packed up. When I went over to get my bike, the one remaining guy asked me if I was going to play at another spot. "No, I wasn't thinking of another spot," I said.

I will just have to call Lilly tomorrow, even if it is just as I'm leaving, so she can check her camera to see if it's all clear. I'm not sure if I've ever seen these particular guys, but I'm really bad with faces. if they are kind of "regulars" in the block then surely they are on Lilly's radar.

I suppose I just let the guy know that he was putting me out of business, just because he wanted to sit just 10 feet away from me and beat box and rap or whatever, so that a listener in a certain spot might assume we were a musical combination of some sort...