Today I spent about an hour jamming with a homeless guy in front of Burma Superstar on Telegraph, Oakland. Never judge a book by it's cover. He was playing on a child's toy guitar that looked like it came from disney land, I think it had Mickey Mouse stickers or paintings on it.
My man was covering "No Woman No Cry" as I was walking by looking for a spot to sit and play my guitar, already strapped over my shoulder. I stopped to hear what he was playing and eventually we started to jam. I handed over my guitar so I could play harmonica, we killed it to some funky classics and originals. People started filling up this cup he had tied to the neck of his guitar with money.
I think while I was there at least fifteen bucks got put in, I saw at least a couple fives. This is where my story gets better. The guy saw the cup starting to over flow and the first thing he said was " Hey, lemme share this with you". I don't know how long he had been there before I showed up, or how much he made before I got there but I was moved by his offer.
This is an example of people I look forward to meeting in life. I like fair people, people who value honest activities. People who understand how to share when there is a cooperative effort to accomplish something. I turned down his offer to share the monies, and he went inside the restaurant to order food.
I never met this guy in my life, I've seen him there, playing and asking for leftover food or alms in front of this same restaurant. For some people it doesn't take much for mutual respect and understanding to be established. This is what most of my experiences with making music, the way I do, is like.
Most of the people I've jammed or had street performances with have been fair and trustworthy. The rapport built between respectful musicians is almost instant, especially when we don't write people off for their appearance or circumstances.
My man was covering "No Woman No Cry" as I was walking by looking for a spot to sit and play my guitar, already strapped over my shoulder. I stopped to hear what he was playing and eventually we started to jam. I handed over my guitar so I could play harmonica, we killed it to some funky classics and originals. People started filling up this cup he had tied to the neck of his guitar with money.
I think while I was there at least fifteen bucks got put in, I saw at least a couple fives. This is where my story gets better. The guy saw the cup starting to over flow and the first thing he said was " Hey, lemme share this with you". I don't know how long he had been there before I showed up, or how much he made before I got there but I was moved by his offer.
This is an example of people I look forward to meeting in life. I like fair people, people who value honest activities. People who understand how to share when there is a cooperative effort to accomplish something. I turned down his offer to share the monies, and he went inside the restaurant to order food.
I never met this guy in my life, I've seen him there, playing and asking for leftover food or alms in front of this same restaurant. For some people it doesn't take much for mutual respect and understanding to be established. This is what most of my experiences with making music, the way I do, is like.
Most of the people I've jammed or had street performances with have been fair and trustworthy. The rapport built between respectful musicians is almost instant, especially when we don't write people off for their appearance or circumstances.