A series of Sketches gifted to me by the amazing artist/ graphic designer, Hardy Wilms
Heidi Kole
So I was busking the “R” tonight & this girl laden down with tons of shopping bags looked at me as I approached the door after my tune: “I don’t have any cash, but I have lip gloss…” she said with a mini question mark at the end of her offer. “Oh it’s ok, I don’t want to take your lip gloss” I said to shopper-girl. “No, no I have tons of other stuff, really it’s brand new, it’s Clarins. Take it, really – your singing was so lovely I want you to have it” #buskinglove
Under cover cop was way too obviously patrolling the #7 train that I was busking today so I had to do a whole lotta darting about to keep working. Finally my friendly subway maintenance worker & I came up with a code system that would alert me when one of the 3 under covers on that line was snooping about – code word ‘UNICORN’ #stealthbusking
Favourite face of the night: I noticed him with his cup in hand about half way through my tune. His eye’s were so sparkly & calm when I smiled at him. It was as if he was nodding with his eyelids. After my tune I walked the car & went up to him & said: “Where’s your cup?” He pulled it out from beneath his coat where he’d stashed it & I dumped the money I’d made into it. His eye’s smiled again. #ChristmasEveUnderNY
I wish I had a million dollars so I could, instead of passing the hat for tips while busking at Xmas, I could pass the hat & hand out $100 bills. How amazingly fun would that be? #BuskersDream
There’s this violin player on the 7 who is always happy & always cheerily fiddlin’ away despite his accompanying sign that pleads for help for his wife who, apparently needs a liver transplant & has for a very long time… He’s there every afternoon as I hop on & off the 7 train while busking. Today he motioned me over as he was counting bills, big bills, $20’s $50’s etc & in English/Italian said; “You know how much I make?”
“Ummm, no” I said
“$300-$500 in 2-3 hours”
“omg!!!” I exclaimed wondering if the sick wife thing was real or merely the ‘lucrative part of the act’ at which point he grabbed my hands and flipped them both over saying; “No ring?”
“Oh no, no, no, no…” I heard myself repeat many times (another story) Then he looked straight at me & pointed to himself & to me & back to himself again & asked: “You? Me? Italia? Marry?”
Well that mystery got solved super fast! And I’ve obviously been workin’ this Subway thing totally wrong #humanpsychology101
Email from my dear friend & rockin’ photographer – Ester Jové Soligue – www.esterjovesoligue.com
“Today i took the subway after a couple of weeks. I thought about you and yes Heidi, I could figure out all the strength it needs to busk down there. With all these faces of people. Very grey. I can not be more proud of you – you are making a better world with your music, your voice and being yourself. Thank you.”
Busking fixes well…almost everything 🙂
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