Posts Tagged ‘Would You Know My Name’
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The Last Day of August
0September 1, 2017 by admin
It was a warm and breezy Thursday. The roses at the Women’s Gate have started making hips. Behind the benches, gomphrena is king. Farther down the path, past the browning chestnut tree, the wood anemones have started to bloom, each with a single white flower.
The cowboy was finishing up at Bethesda Fountain. He played “Your Song” (Elton John, 1970), while I waited in the shade. A 50-something woman standing near me hummed along as she fished money from her purse. For his final number, “Would You Know My Name” (Eric Clapton, 1992), I moved into the sun near the fountain and began to set up. People there were humming too. I waited a bit before starting my set, in order to let the vibe of dead children dissipate.
It was a slow start, but eventually a flock of kids from Mexico ran up to dance the hula. One of them threw 86 cents into my case. At the end of “The Hukilau Song,” their mom kicked in a fiver.
A dad with an 11-month-old baby in a stroller was talking on the phone when he noticed his baby’s bobbing to the rhythm of “Get Out and Get Under the Moon.” He rewarded me with $2. A woman, who had been sitting near me, threw me some small change as she got up to leave. A man who had been listening from the benches gave me a buck.
A 40-something woman walked by with her 9-year-old daughter. “Have you got time for a hula today?” She kept walking, then turned to me. “Change your mind?” I said.
“No, no hula, but I will listen. Play me something.”
I launched into “Little Grass Shack.” After the last humahumanukanukaapuaa swam by, she gave me $2.
A 60-something woman stopped to talk. “I have to ask,” she said. “Are you a retired New York City school teacher?”
“Close,” I said. “I am retired.”
“I could tell that from the smile on your face. You’re really good with the kids.”
“Are you retired?”
“I’ve got 2 more years. I hope to be as happy as you are.”
When she walked off, a man approached, opened his wallet and took out his Hawaiian driver’s license. He was originally from Puerto Rico, had grown up in NYC, and had been living in Maui for the last 7 years. “Love the hukilau,” he said, then made canoe-paddling motions as he danced off.
Finally, a couple lurking just out of sight around the fountain breezed by and dropped a buck, ending the month with another $12.60 to show for it.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: Get Out and Get Under the Moon, My Little Grass Shack, The Hukilau Song, Would You Know My Name, Your Song
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Good Day/Bad Behavior
0October 12, 2016 by admin
Another cool morning developed into another beautiful day. Behind the benches, a single rose bloomed high atop a singularly aggressive branch. The dogwood fruit, pink and spiky, hung over the button seller’s head. The guitarist at the mosaic sang “In My Life.” Where the art seller lounged with a book on a plastic beach chair, the electric guitarist sat on the ground, picking out riffs.
At Bethesda Fountain, while the cowboy sang his final 2 songs, “Sweet Caroline” and “Would You Know My Name,” I chatted with a group of bible-schoolers from Rochester. When I stood up to play, I asked, “Would you guys like to dance the hula?” In response, one of them said, “We don’t dance.”
An elderly man stood some distance away taking my picture. He came a little closer and took some more. When he lowered his camera, he pulled a dollar from his pocket. He told me he used to live in the city, but had retired to Albuquerque. “You picked the perfect time to come back,” I said, taking in the blue sky, the happy crowd, the architectural and natural beauty, all in one broad sweep of my arm.
Two girls from Long Island did the hula and gave me a dollar. Two girls from Queens did the hula and walked away.
Ninety degrees around the fountain, facing the arcade, a saxophonist started wailing. This, of course, was a flagrant breach of busker etiquette. When he turned on his electric accompaniment, which seemed to consist of a drum and bass, it was an illegal act. For a while, I contemplated going over and talking to him, or moving my operation somewhere else, but in the end I decided to summon all the aloha spirit I had and play on. Even when the violinist from the arcade joined him, even when people on the benches applauded enthusiastically, I sang my songs.
A woman took a video of my singing “Sunday,” both verses, then came forward with a fiver. A 7 or 8-year-old girl stopped to listen. “Have you got time for a hula today?” She shook her head and ran back to her parents, who were listening to the sax. Sometime later, she came back with a dollar. “Have you got time for a hula now?” Again, she shook her head and ran off. I saw her skipping around near her parents; she was playing the air-ukulele.
A family rode up on bikes. The teenage daughter started moving to the music. It wasn’t long before she was at my side, lei-ed and hula-ing.
At the end of my set, I counted an even $10, not bad for such a competitive outing. Then all the attention shifted to a 1-year-old girl who was walking wobbly in brand new shiny black patent leather shoes. With each uncertain step, the shoes squeaked loudly, succeeding where I failed, to drown out the sax.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: In My Life, Sunday, Sweet Caroline, Would You Know My Name
