Tonight’s beyond brilliant sunset over the Hudson …. notice how it’s coloured not only the sky but the water as well <3

My intention when I busk is always to see all the tired, sad faces with nothing but love. No matter how angry or bitter or exhausted you appear to be, I see you with & send you love. Some days it’s harder than others to see all of you with the vibration of complete love & on those days, I jump over your angry, tired exteriors & go straight to seeing you all as children, as the pure light souls you came in with. That’s how I reach you under New York – with love <3

Bye Bye Busking Boots. We’ve sure had some rockin’ adventures 🙂 

Towards the end of my run on a sparsely populated “R” train tonight, a little girl peeped her head over the seat as I began to sing & inch by inch, body part by body part, made her way out to the middle of the train car where she; utilizing the space, the poles & the seats, created the most focused & inspired, improv dance creation I’ve seen in a long time.

I adore these kids

Today on trains there was the cutest, most animated toddler who kept me in stitches for my entire tune with his facial expressions & uber expressive hand & body gyrations. Only thing is every time I stopped singing his face got all scrunchy & he burst into tears. I decided to just keep on strumming & humming ’till the very last second when I had to hop off @ 42nd. God help his mom after that

Bye bye to another pair of busking boots … together we’ve had the most awesome collection of adventures 🙂

Tonight on one of my last runs on the “R” train there was a young couple sitting next to each other. The guy had his arm on the girl’s lap wearing a worried, helpless look on his face. The girl, she had a cap on her head & her head bowed and so I could only catch a glimpse of her face now & again. When I did it was obviously she had been crying a lot & was still in the throws of being very upset, in that place we’ve all been in where it feels there’s absolutely no way out.

I could tell the young man next to her wanted nothing more than for his girlfriend to be happy & smile again.  He appeared so powerless.Then I started to sing & she looked up for a second, surprised, & suddenly she caught herself not being able to help herself from grinning a huge grin. Just as soon as the grin overtook her face she remembered she was supposed to be sad and bowed her head once again, hiding beneath her cap. Despite the tears, her smile, that grin that appeared to have a mind of it’s own, kept popping out uncontrollably in response to the music. And her increasingly unsuccessful attempts at stifling it were akin to watching a cat dance with a ball of yarn, never quite being able to tame it.

By the end of the 2 minutes that it took for me to finish my tune, her smile had won. She had, in those 120 seconds, at least temporarily, lost track of why she’d been crying, why she’d been hiding. She was trying to remember but both her boyfriend & I watched as she struggled to recall the depth of the pain & rather failed. Right as I headed out the door to the next car I leaned down & whispered: “It’s going to be ok. Trust me.” She smiled.

~ It’s a busking thing ~

Here’s the deal NYPD – when I surface one hr early from the trains ’cause someone’s warned me of ‘Undercovers on the cars’ & you ask me / beg me for a song as I’m walking home. I’ll sing for you, but only in exchange for a VALID “Get Out Of Jail Free” card. Got it?  ‪#‎busk‬ ‪#‎thesubwaydiaries‬ #firstamendmnet

LINK: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/federal-judge-puts-halt-to-rules-on-st-louis-street/article_76991f42-96fe-533a-b3b3-4c594e2b8d8a.html

Big News in US Busker Laws in St Louis at least. One down, many cities to go…Thank you to BUSK THE MOVIE for this info

ST. LOUIS • A federal district judge has cleared the way for performers to take their acts to the streets of St. Louis without having to audition first, pay for a license or be restricted to a certain part of the city.

Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri to prevent the enforcement of ordinances restricting the performers.

A lawsuit by the ACLU challenged the constitutionality of the city’s street performer ordinances, which require a permit to perform. The court also ordered both sides to try to resolve the case through mediation by Sept. 30. If they fail to do so, the judge will consider a permanent injunction at trial.

The decision affects street musicians, mimes, jugglers, dancers, magicians and anyone else who wants to perform.

“St. Louis’ busking ordinances are as unwise as they are unconstitutional,” Tony Rothert, ACLU legal director for Eastern Missouri, said in a statement. “Besides detracting from a creative, vibrant and diverse city, the challenged ordinances are constitutionally defective.

“Artistic expression at public places is protected by the First Amendment,” Rothert said.

Jeffrey Mittman, the chapter’s executive director, said the First Amendment protects the “marketplace of ideas — from standard political discourse, to the leafleting of unpopular speech, to the performance of a beautiful song.”

Mayor Francis Slay’s office had no immediate response.

The city has regulated street performers since 1997, but last year the permit fees increased from $25 to $100 dollars.

The ACLU had argued in the federal suit that St. Louis’ ordinances violate the First and 14th Amendments because they use vague terms that could suppress artistic expression.

City officials had argued the ordinances were not unconstitutional and said further that the regulations only affected people performing for money.

“The ordinance seeks to balance competing needs on busy streets,” city spokesman Maggie Crane said when the suit was filed in May.

In her order, Perry wrote, “I conclude (the city’s) interests in maintaining public order and convenience can be better served by measures less intrusive on First Amendment freedoms.”

The suit was filed on behalf of street musicians Nick Pence and Frederick Walker.

Alderman Phyllis Young, whose district includes downtown, sponsored legislation in 1997 to allow artists and musicians to perform in most of the city. Before that, the city prohibited street performers.

Margaret Gillerman is a reporter for the Post-Dispatch.