Subway Music Telepathy

Going up the subway station’s stairs, a guy refused to help me bring my busking gear up… While setting up to play at the Music Under New York busking spot at the 14th street subway station, a guy dressed flamboyantly asked me if I was sponsored by Duracell. He said a long time ago Duracell…

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Is That Made of Cat Intestine?

When busking at the St George ferry terminal in NYC I know to go directly to the guard with the bomb-sniffing dog first, before venturing further into he space. If you don’t do it and you have a large bag – they’ll chase you. The dog, Tailor, was lounging on the floor. “Sorry to wake…

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Rat & Roach Poison

When I got to the terminal of the ferry to Staten Island, the guard with the bomb sniffing dog greeted me: “Saw Lady!” Two men on a tall dolley were fixing the big running sign above the entrance to the terminal. It had numbers from 1 to 9 all along. As I was setting up…

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East Side Access

On the subway train, travelling to my Music Under New York busking spot of the day, the guy I sat next to saw the sign on my busking cart (which advertises my CD and said: “You should sell t-shirts with that on”. Turns out he is a track safety worker for the MTA and he…

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A Bracelet and a Dollar Shirt

While I was busking at the 14th street subway station, a lady gave me a yellow bracelet made of very soft rubber. The bracelet was shaped like a saw! She said she found it at the bottom of a pool, together with two other similar bracelets in different shapes (one was shaped like a high…

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Nobody Feels Like Being on Time on Monday

As I was riding the subway train on my way to busking in the subway, three guys singing ‘This Little Light of Mine’ said ‘hi’ to me as they transferred to the next car. One of them told me that he’s trying to battle a cold, and he’s singing with a soar throat. “Drink honey…

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Musical Clothes

While busking at the 14th street subway station, a man from the Ukraine asked me about the musical saw. After I explained how the musical saw works, he asked me: “Do the clothes you wear affect the sound? If you wear different clothes, does a different quality of sound come out of the saw?” At…

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I Don’t Believe in Miracles – I Rely on Them

At the elevated subway station a lady who walked down the stairs and was already on the street saw me approaching the subway stairs. She turned around and volunteered to help me bring my busking gear up the stairs, even though she was going in the opposite direction. First miracle of the day. At the…

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Boiler Room Job

On my way to busking at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a blue eyed guy offered to take my busking gear up the four flights of stairs, all by himself. Usually I hold one end and the volunteer holds the other. But he just lifted the whole thing by himself. “I work out”, he said.…

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Deserted Circus Music

Busking at the St. George ferry terminal in Staten Island is something I do only once a month, because getting a busking permit there is very difficult. The tall gentleman who has been doing the Central Park Halloween gig with me for years (he plays Dracula while I play a witch playing the musical saw)…

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