The Sounds of the Underground Page #3

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which is great because then

people can hear you

and you can

sell your CDs in most locations.

-Put it in the case. Thank you.

-Is this the one I should get?

-Yes, definitely.

-The whole street performance culture

is are there rivalries

between different performers

because of their status

or classification as a result

of something like that? I think

the community of the people

that do this sort thing,

it's fascinating.

-Like, if I come here and

somebody's here, it's kind of

thing where you know each other

and you see each other all the time.

You're like, what time are you

gonna be here until? Oh this time.

Alright, we are just going

to come back.

Could you make sure

that you tell people that it's our spot?

You know what I'm saying?

-It's legal to busk, but it's not

legal to have an amplifier on

the subway platform, even though

some do and they get away with it.

It just depends on if the cops

are feeling good or bad

that day. So, it's legal to busk.

You can busk anywhere acoustically

but the moment you bring an

amplifier into place or

roll out your CDs and start

selling merchandise,

that's when they can ticket you,

write you up, force you to leave.

Or worse, arrest you.

(Guitar music)

Don't worry, they're gone.

So play.

-I got

two weeks on the chain gang

or road gang, whatever you want

to call it for playing guitar in Arkansas.

On a Sunday.

(Passing traffic)

But the funny part about that

was it's just slave labor.

They don't have a department of works

like you have around here.

Prisoners go out and do that stuff.

You know, along the road, and

you work

the half a day on Saturday and then

Saturday afternoon you have free time

and Sunday you have free time,

and on Saturday and Sunday

I could have my guitar in jail

and play my guitar,

but I got put in jail for playing the guitar.

So, you're just slave labor.

(Guitar music)

I started in the subway.

Actually, I started playing in the streets.

In San Francisco.

(Background crowd chatter)

We were new recruits for this

orchestra to back up sax artists.

-I have a little

side project, sometimes private

parties. Gigs that I do,

CDs that I sell live, as well

in the subway. I teach

privately here. I coach

voice and guitar and

songwriting. I do workshops.

Um, usually one on one.

Sometimes groups will come to

me. They're doing harmonies

and stuff like that.

(Piano music)

I don't drink anymore.

I gave it up almost a year. I

don't drink anymore and any time I go

in barrooms is to make money,

but I used to live in a barroom.

And you want to see some crazy

sh*t go on. I mean, all the time.

(Cough) All the time.

(Background traffic noises)

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