Please check out this guy's artwork. Some of it is very cool. Sos, I wanted to try out playing the Venice Beach Boardwalk. I lived over there for 17 years, its like home. Though I've not been over there very much at all in the last two or three years. I went to breakfast over there with some friends to check it out. There are no permits - you just have to claim a spot at six in the morning to guarantee that you have one. A lot of people leave out markers from the day before, which you are not supposed to move. I walked down from the restaurant and talked to a couple of the vendors marking their spots. and found an yellow marked space (for performers) that wasn't occupied or marked. There didn't seem to be anyone around that looked like they were in possession of it, So I decided that was the spot I'd try for the next Sunday. Next Sunday I'm up and out of the house at 5:00 am with my gear. I'm at the beach parking lot at 5:30. There is a line of four to five cars to get into the parking lot when it opens at 6:00 am. I get out and talk to the folks in front of me. I realize I have a half hour before I'm even going to get to park. I decide I'm going to run down and claim my spot with a folding chair and a bag with water bottles in it, which I did. I come back and hop in the car and wait in line to park. The two folks that I talked to are out there almost every morning of the week at 5:30 am.
So I park, & walk down to stand around my spot. I brought a book to read and my sketch pad, but I'm not in mood to sketch anything. Its kind of misty and foggy. I read for awhile. You can't move into your spot until 9:00 am. The spot was half hidden by sand that had washed down from the hill behind it, so I found an old board to use as a shovel and shoveled off a larger space to sit in. About 7:30 am. these three homeless looking guys come by and tell me they usually hang out with the people that have that spot. I tell them that there's no one else around and I've claimed the spot and I'm using. it. They go away. My friends appear and have breakfast at the same place and then they bring me breakfast to go as they are about to go home. I ask them to hang out for about 15 minutes while I go get the rest of my gear from the car. It's about 9:00 am now. I go get my gear and find two Rasta hippie vans parked on either side of my car and the guy from one of them tells me to move my car. I explain to him that he parked around me and that's his problem. I told him I was happy that he was the center of the universe. I get my stuff and go back, eat breakfast real quick and start to set up. My friends leave. I'm setting up and this toothless guy stops and tells me its his and his friends' spot and I need to leave. I tell him its mine. I have been there since 6:00 am. He says he's coming back. That there will be a group of people later that will take the spot. He comes back just as I'm about to start to play, about 9:30 and glares at me. I tell him, I don't think too much of his evil eye and if he wants to challenge me, he's going to get hurt. He backs off. Did I mention I'm 6'8"? So I play. Some other homeless looking guy shows up and looks at me and tells me he's going to listen to me today. The asshole guy sits behind me on the hill. One of the other vendors that I've befriended comes over and tells me to call the police. That most of the homeless guys have warrants out on them and they don't want to be approached by the cops. I play. A cop car rolls by and I stop them and tell them that the asshole is harassing me and they get out and exchange a few words with him. That shuts him down for a while. I play a couple of hours. Then the juggler shows up. He's friends with homeless asshole. The three that I ran off earlier in morning return and the asshole berates them for letting me have the spot. They go away again. The juggler comes down to set up in the empty space next to me. There are two empty spaces next to me- they were empty through out the morning.
I tell him, I'm happy he's not another musician. He then explains to me that the space I've occupied is for those performers who can attract 20-30 people and I don't belong in the spot. I said oh really. And he proceeds to tell me that as soon as the two break dancers he performs with show up, he will turn his boom box on and start juggling and they will dance. I ask how long before they show up. A couple of hours he says. I ask if there might be a compromise to work out and he says no.
So I continue to play. My buddy shows up on his roller blades and he plays with me for about an half hour. I've edging into three hours now. Still no sign of the jugglers' break dancers. I had intended to leave by 1:00 or 2:00 anyway. My left hand is cramping up and my buddy has to go in a little bit, so we finish and I pack up and my buddy watches the stuff as I take the equipment back to the car. The homeless asshole moves down to occupy the space. I'm thinking to myself- all they had to do was ask how long I was playing - but they didn't.
I return to my car and the Rasta hippie vans asshole is overjoyed that I'm leaving. Asks me to come play with him and his group. I leave.
So I'm pissed. I don't like bullies. I fantasize about what I can do to them. I know where they live- they don't know anything about me.
Then I check out the juggler. He's been there in that spot for four years, with his little band of homeless mafia to scare everyone off. He gets up at 10:00 and strolls over, believing his space is protected. He probably gives out a few bucks to these toothless assholes.
And that's why no one told me or warned me, because no one over there likes him or his little band of merry men. They also see me, this huge guy and I'm offering to protect the girl I befriended if she needs it.
They were probably hoping for something like this to come down.
I sold a couple of CDs, made a few tips, but it's probably not worth it to spend a eight or twelve hour day there for what I can do at a lousy Farmer's Market.
And I didn't get my car spray painted by the Rasta hippie van people. I got off lucky I guess.
1 comment:
Thanks for the info Dan. I.ve often thought about being a troubadour on the street's [i.e. Pier 39].F that!
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