With every day it is getting warmer and warmer as we are slowly approaching summer! Every year it happens - I forget the difference warm weather makes and when it hits you, suddenly life feels fuller, more enjoyable with so many things to do, so many things to see... And of course - a chance to busk! Get that zebra outfit out of the cupboard, polish my amp and dive into the spring with a set of amazing piano music...
I am going All-In. Give or take - I quit my weekend job I had for the past 6 years and now busking full time. Weekends are usually the busiest days and I remember working last year on absolutely stunning days and thinking to myself: "I wish I was busking..." Honestly - it was about time to make that decision! And things haven't been bad for me either.
Busking on Easter Sunday I was caught by a radio DJ from Juice Brighton - Kate Goddard. She mentioned me on the radio show later that day - I wouldn't even know if my friend didn't text me... Isn't that interesting I'm doing this for the third year and I still get local people seeing zebra for the first time?
Nevertheless yesterday an interview I gave to Witness BTN was posted up on Facebook filmed by the same guy who caught me on my first day of busking as a Zebra back in 2015. It was a very good chance for me to say "Thank you" to all the wonderful people in Brighton.
On a smaller scale - I had a wonderful gig yesterday at Life Time Value Conferencein Clarendon centre. Their excuse for hiring a Zebra for a business conference was an article comparing Zebra and Unicorn type of businesses: "Zebra's Fix What Unicorns Break". Being a Zebra is cool!
Another great thing that happened to me - someone told me I have been featured in a poem which was read on BBC Radio 4. How peculiar is that? Funny how inspiration can come from anywhere - even Zebra playing the piano like myself...
Having only started busking this year - I didn't expect so many things to happen already! Busking full time and getting this much support is definitely a tremendous motivation boost in the morning to get up and get out there busking!
Thank you to all the people of Brighton - I'll see you around! ;)
A month ago I was approached by a local night-club to play at their new themed event called "WTF" - full of crazy, quirky, nonsense things happening at the night simply because "why not?!" And Zebra playing the classical piano at the club night seemed crazy enough to give it a shot. Now frankly enough - when you go for a mad idea and have an open mind, suddenly you get a mind strafe of even more ridiculous and insane ideas... I had no clue what I signed up for!
To begin with the weather - it wasn't one of those pleasant and lovely nights by the sea. Complete opposite - the rain was hammering down like a machine gun and the wind raging up to 80mph was not a joke at all! Especially when you get to push a trolley with your piano and all the electrical equipment on it. Can't have an umbrella either - it will be blown away in seconds. Just watch where you going, add to your pace and pray your piano won't get soaked under the cover.
Only 10-minute-walk down the North street, straight through the Old Steine and take right after the traffic lights to get to the Revenge club. Seems possible when you plan your journey at home with a warm cup of tea. Not that much of a fun journey when you actually get out there. Running through the rain with a heavy load, swearing at myrself for not thinking this through enough, stopping to adjust the straps of my trolley now and then and almost crashing into the girl who slips in front of my trolley at the end of the North street - what an adventure! Honestly...
Got to the club around 11:20pm all soaking wet, at least piano seems fine under the plastic cover. Security guards very helpful, quickly let me in and help carrying the gear to the second floor. I can now catch my breath while they are looking for Steve, the guy who runs the night. The music is banging through the space, lights are flickering around the hallway where I am supposed to setup and play. "Too loud though, not sure if people will be able to hear anything I play..." - I thought to myself. Steve comes around and I can see from his hesitation he now thinks the same. "There might be a betterplace upstairs..." he says and takes me through another set of stairs to the third floor, past the arcade machines to the narrow hallway leading straight to the glamorous Unisex Toilets. I'm laughing to myself thinking this is one of the craziest ventures of my life and at the same time it all makes perfect sense: it's way too loud downstairs, despite the actual purpose of the space, it seems more peaceful in here, the room has great acoustics and relaxing piano music would be a nice background for what people are meant to be doing in here...
Steve is looking at me with a great hope in his eyes, but not trying to push me into it. I say: "OK, let's do it! It's going to be one of the craziest things I have ever done, but that's what this night is about!" I see relief on his face and once again he is all excited about the whole night. We get the gear into the toilet, I quickly set up, change into my Zebra onesie and do a quick sound-check before I start. The man working in the club toilets looking at me while I put my mask on, hit the piano keys and go for it like never before! The toilets fill up with the sound, surprising everyone present; Steve is laughing and I hear him saying "This is great!"
The next two hours have been as random as "zebra playing the piano at the toilets" itself. As the night picked up, more and more people were entering the toilets every time totally amazed by what they see. Mostly youngsters - some of them confused, some of them laughing openly loud, girls in short dresses taking selfies with me; crowds going in and out the toilets constantly changing, constantly talking, laughing, shouting to one another. Some girl cries and her friends calming her down, then her boyfriend comes in and they hug. I switch to wedding march and make them laugh. Someone asks me to play something they could sing to and I play Adele. The whole toilet is now singing - both people waiting to get in and people doing their business... Same with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", same with Emeli Sande and theme from Frozen.
Some girl wants to play the piano, she sits next to me and tries to remember the chords of her favourite song. Suddenly more people want to play, six hands touching the keyboard, sound's awful - I turn everything off. No talking - zebra's don't talk. Just waiting for them all to leave and going for it again. And people take pictures, some of them leave me tips, some of them ask for Beatles, others lean over my keyboard screaming for ABBA... It's a bit of a mess, but everyone's having fun! A girl says it's her birthday and I play "Happy Birthday" song. The toilets singing again. Then it gets packed, security guards patrolling the toilets kindly ask some people to leave. The place is buzzing and a tall guy oddly asks me to play what I feel by looking at him. I'm a little confused at first, but make a joke out of it and play 50 cent "In Da Club". He's happy laughing...
Later on I switch to classical piano, playing romantic, beautiful music; it's not that packed anymore and I ease off. Security guard comes in to interrupt me - "You've done 2h now," he says. I take my mask off and take a gulp of "fresh" air. Relief! ...
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2:15am I am walking back home and my head is still buzzing from the club noise... The wind is strong and it's still raining. I walk through the empty, wet streets recalling the whole experience and thinking to myself: "This must have been the most crazy gig I have ever done in my life!"
My first post as a married man. As funny as it sounds - I suppose I could also say as a married Zebra. Whichever you prefer - my "Saving For The Wedding" phase has officially ended and I am left with some wonderful, life-changing memories. Exchanging vows with my current wife Henriika and celebrating our wedding in the heart of Europe, Prague, has been a really special holiday... And yes - I left "my zebra head" at home - even though it would probably look very amusing with my blue wedding tuxedo... Moving on! I am now back to Brighton and finally got my wire fixed; equipped with a new, freshly printed sign "Saving For Honeymoon" and new life ambitions I am ready to get back to business.
Fortunate enough, the weather in Brighton has been very generous with lots of sunshine and little wind since we came back from Prague. Every day I was getting a little temptation to go out and busk, but since I hadn't fixed my wire, there was no way I could possibly do it without it. I went to Maplin's to get a replacement and they didn't have a particular peace in store, so they ordered one via post. While I was waiting, I made a new busking sign using the same design with few changes and got it printed by the time the wire arrived. Well equipped I was finally ready to dive into the world of "black and white" once again after a decent break.
I didn't want to do a whole lot today, just few hours in the morning was good enough for me. I came down to gardens around 10am and took my time to set up with no rush. It felt nice to be out again: fresh air, sound of seagulls and people walking past in a relaxed manner. Much better than sitting in a flat and waiting for a gig to come through, especially in such a nice day.
I began playing a little worried I forgot some tunes, but it all came back to me pretty quick. I made few additions to my repertoire; usually it takes time for me to memorize the new peaces as I can't read sheet music in the mask. The best addition has been Wagner's Bridal March. I got few extra tips for that and one lady said it's hers 40st wedding anniversary today. I suppose many people are having wedding anniversaries around this time - this was a good choice.
Dave came around to congratulate me with the wedding. He was happy to see me and gave me a £5 note for the honeymoon. He also bought me a a new jack lead from Maplin's worth £12.99. Honestly - he gives me too many gifts and tips. I am now trying to pay him back in the same way, I even bought him a new phone. However it only made him buy me even more gifts and I don't see the end to it. I'll have to think harder on this one...
Some old lady took my business card while I was playing and asked me "if I am affordable". I said I believe I am. She then asked me some booking information - seems like I might get a gig at some point.
Speaking about bookings - I actually did my first "Zebra wedding gig" on Sunday. It was a lovely South African couple, they said there are many Zebras out there and they wanted to add some authenticity to their wedding reception. The wedding was based in Wagner Hall, very close to where I live and I had to play in the garden. There were many people and about 6 kids. Everyone very much enjoyed my playing and I got some very nice feedback from the guests. I actually have few more weddings lined up in September and I am very happy for that. It's a great experience for me as a pianist.
Not much to add about today - it was a good warm-up for tomorrow. It's going to be a very sunny day all day and I have nothing else planed, but busking. Got to make the most out of it while summer is still here!
The past few days went extremely well; my wedding is coming up already next week and I decided to make the most out of it while I can. While Thursday I managed to push over 5 hours, today my plan got crashed by a dodgy wire connection... Hopefully nothing serious. Overall - very pleased with the result and happy about the sunny and cheerful weather in Brighton.
On Thursday I came out early around 10am, it was a cloudy morning with a cold breeze and garden was empty because of the water spray system set up for the grass. Not the best busking conditions, but I hoped I'll manage to get enough attention of people passing through the gardens. Also tourist groups are often already there at 10am doing tours around the gardens - at least you get them if no one else.
While I was setting up, Ben showed up looking sleepy with a paper cup of coffee in his hand. If he came only 5 minutes ago, he would have got the spot, but this time I was luckier. I invited him to come around after 1 hour and recommended Bond street as an alternative. He thanked me and left wishing me a good day.
As I started to play, suddenly a crowd gathered around me out of nowhere. I guess the whole zebra thing really brings attention. I should know it by now... Dave came along not long after, crowd changed and disappeared at some point, then again picked up and vanished almost like coming in waves. It was pleasant playing in the morning and witnessing the gardens gradually waking up.
Ben came a bit later and I had a chance to play for 15-20 minutes more. That little extra always helps. To my surprise he said he only made £6 on Bond street. I felt for him. Busking doesn't always work the same for everyone, I guess you need to find your own way, how and when it works for what you do. At least he could play after me in the gardens.
Another guitar player came at the same time and I took a nice photo of everyone including Dave - that's a little example of how busker's negotiations look like:
After that I went to TESCOs with Dave to buy a good, healthy lunch (I'm on the pre-wedding diet at the moment...) and we went off to Bond street. As always before I started I went inside the Tobacco shop to get a permission. To my surprise there was another man behind the counter I have never seen before. He had a very wide smile and welcoming, friendly manner; he greeted me with what seemed to me like an Italian accent and explained to him about my busking. He didn't mind at all and told me he's looking forward my piano playing (I hope he enjoyed Ludovico Einaudi...)
Busking on Bond street went really well - I was trying to get people's attention with comic, loud, happy tunes and then reached for their heart by following with very musical, beautiful peaces. And it worked. A family with parents and teenage girl set up opposite me in a pub and they became my main audience. I played all my repertoire to them until eventually I "ran out of material" and they left giving me a good tip. Eventually I played for 1,5h (because Tobacco shop didn't mind at all this time) and stopped to have a lunch.
I shared some of my healthy meal with Dave, we were sitting across the street and watching my piano with a zebra mask lying on it. It was funny to see people not noticing me at all without the mask even though I still had my zebra trousers on. Instead they were passing by and looking around wondering where did zebra go. At some point few teenage girls came to the piano, they were looking for the money (I put a zebra blanket across it), one of them lifted the blanket up and they dropped few coins in there. I thought it was very nice and thoughtful of them to come back and still give me money even though I wasn't there...
After a good lunch we moved to the gardens, but it was busy, so we went to East street instead. There I met Ben - he just finished his set. Unfortunately it didn't go well here either. And he didn't feel good competing with the Jazz Band just around the corner. We talked about how unfair it is to other buskers - they play there every day for the whole day. If you tell them you want to play after them, they'd say it's all booked from now on; other people are already coming after. Or it would be fair to say "joining in". Sometimes I see them having long hour breaks where other buskers could potentially come and play, but spot is literally still taken because they leave their instruments lying around there... It is not fair, but what can I do? What can Ben do? Unless we all start interfering in their daily routine and get an hour each, nothing will change. But is it worth the hassle? Someone will have to have "that argument" with them at some point and tell them how it should work to benefit all the buskers... To be that guy - you need to have some guts. And I don't think I am brave enough myself...
I played on East street for 2.5h with a half an hour break in between. I did very well. Halfway through I was having a back pain - it's not good to play for very long, but I really wanted to push it for the wedding. Here is little video and picture from Instagram feed:
A photo posted by annaL đŸ‡®đŸ‡¹đŸ‡¬đŸ‡§ (@moshimoshibox) on
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Today (on Friday) I came to the gardens surprised how beautiful and sunny it is. Many people were already sitting on the lawns enjoying the sun and constant flow of people was going through the crossroads. I happily set up just to find out my piano is not turning on... It took me some time to figure out what's the problem - the wire of DC adapter has gone loose. I did my best to fix it and it worked (for some time)...
After playing for an hour I had a little break to help my fiancee set up on the New road. She decided to give it another go and was more than happy to help. I ran back to my spot where I left all my equipment with the guards to find no one has come to take over yet. Very unusual for such a sunny day.
I kept playing and people were very responsive. One little French girl wanted to give me a kiss on a cheek. I told her it's my first kiss as a Zebra. Dan, one of my piano students, was passing by with his son and wife - that was a pleasant surprise. Few minutes later - my piano turned off on it's own again!
It sounded like amp is running out of batteries, because the keyboard was still on. But after I changed the batteries, piano started switching off on its own... I think it must be the wire. Unfortunately I didn't have a replacement on me, so I stopped busking after playing for 1.5h.
I called it a day and together with Dave we went to listen toHenriika's (my fiancee) busking. She wasn't doing very bad and it was very pleasant to listen to her singing. Generally it's not particularly great when there are another 2 buskers along the same street; considering this fact she did quite well for the day.
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I really enjoyed busking these two days before the weekend. The only downside is I got some annoying back pain now, but still happy. I beat my personal best on Thursday earning the most I ever did in one day. And Friday didn't seem less promising... If not the wire - it could have been very close, especially because Pavilion gardens were completely free. Until I fix the wire - no busking for me. Got to do it asap!!
After a rather active pride weekend, Brighton and frew rather cold and cloudy days today we are lucky enough to get a Tuesday full of sunshine. The crowd is out, lots of tourists around. Thousands of people have already visited i360 and more keep coming ahead. When it comes to busking - it all sounds very promising with a potential to earn few quid...
I came to Pavilion Garden around 11:50am surprised to find out no one was busking yet. Garden seemed busy with constant flow of people. I set up right in front of the "Conservation Area" sign as usual and because I already had few kids waiting for me to start, I began my set with a "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Pretty much straight away I got the crowd around me and kids dancing and laughing in the middle.
Five minutes later Ben came around with his guitar. I kindly asked him to come back in one hour. Not long after Dave showed up with a big smile and camera hanging from his neck: "I got some pictures and DVDs for you!" He put them in my bag and stepped aside. Then my fiancee showed up for her lunch break and we had a little chat.
Today I had few rather disturbing experiences with the kids and one of them happened in the gardens. A girl came over to me and stood on my right side staring at me with a very serious face. I kept playing without saying anything. She was still there after some time, so I decided to offer her a "high five". Suddenly she made this hysterical scream and ran away from me as fast as she could. That was still a funny part. After that she came back, stood in the same position and told me "Zebras don't play piano", I kindly replied "I do!". After that she suddenly slapped my mask as hard as she could and announced "Zebras don't talk!" I was so shocked with her reaction I didn't know what to say - she seemed very annoyed. I just ignored her look and she walked away in a very angry manner. "Some kids are weird.." I thought...
After I finished my hour, Ben came around with a slim, blonde girl. At first I thought they'll busk together, but then he explained he is just showing her around Brighton busking spots the same way she once showed him around Bath. It's quite interesting to meet buskers from other towns, I would like to go around myself one day and see other places. I decided to sit down in the gardens, listen to her playing and have my lunch with Dave.
While I was eating my sandwich, I slowly browsed through the pictures Dave gave to me earlier. There were around 30 pictures he took from different days mixture of both color and black and white. What I thought of his pictures was they were amazing. Intentional or not - he always manages to capture the most genuine moments of what is happening when I busk. Dave has literally captured all my journey from when I only started busking to now and I am very grateful to him for these printed memories. Below is one of these pictures he gave to me today. Perhaps one day I can scan them all and make a gallery on my blog.
On my way out from the gardens, a lady stopped by and told me there have been thousands of people visiting i360 and perhaps while they are waiting in the que, I could provide them with a little entertainment. The whole i360 thing was very tempting for me, I thought if I ever want to find out if it's a good busking spot, there is no better time than now. I thanked the lady for the advice and turned my way to the seafront.
When I got there I found a very nice observation area right in front of the tower. I asked a staff member for a permission to busk, she wasn't really aware of any busking regulations on the site and advised to give it a go until someone says anything. I was feeling shy on the new spot unsure where to set-up, The spot next to the que seemed good enough to give it a go and I went for it.
It didn't take long until some kids came over and gave me some coins, bet adults on their own seemed not very impressed. Only very few stopped by and gave me a tip. The que on my left was very long, but the problem is even if I am entertaining them while they are waiting, they're not going to quit the que to give me money - too much effort telling everyone around they'll be back in a moment and trying to get out and back from enclosure. Besides after playing in the spot for 20 minutes, I got asked to move away from the site closer to the road.
I was puzzled weather it's going to be good busking here, but it took so long to get here, I decided to give it another try. The second spot I found was much closer to the que and the entrance of the ticket office. I played there for about 1 hour to really test it out. It wasn't going particularly bad, but it wasn't great either. At least I could see more people were listening to me and enjoying the music. Four kids came around and kept me company for more than 20 minutes. I treated them as my main audience and kept doing funny things to make them laugh. It helped to have them around - at least I didn't feel alone next to this massive que.
Would I go to i360 again? I am not particularly sure. Perhaps if I set up somewhere on the way out instead of the way in, people would be more appreciative and won't feel restricted coming along and giving me some money. After all - it wasn't too bad busking there, but generally I do better when I'm in town.
My last busking spot for today was East Street crossroads. I got there at 4pm, the spot was glittering in sunshine inviting me to play. I quickly set up and started playing. It felt like home again. People were stopping by listening to my playing, many people taking pictures and videos, kids greeting zebra and laughing. It all made sense again and I felt really relieved. Until...
Another disturbing kid experience happened here when bunch of kids stopped in front of my piano and a little boy kept asking me "if I am gay?". I had to stop playing and hit some low notes to show I don't like his persistence, but he kept on going. It took some time until his mom finally came over and told him off "it was very rude thing to do".
I finished playing at 6pm, happy to go to bank. After all it wasn't that bad at all, but hard to say how much exactly I made at i360 and how much elsewhere. Perhaps it wasn't that average after all, but who knows... Some things are there to remain a mystery.
Yesterday I mentioned opening of i360 and completely forgot about Brighton Pride coming up already tomorrow! This definitely has much greater impact than the tower - Brighton will be packed! Unfortunately it won't be packed for me as I will be working my other part-time job... For that reason I made the most out of it today! Over five hours busking with another personal best - that's what I call feeling of accomplishment.
The day began at famous Brighton Pavilion Gardens - one of the most regulated busking spots in Brighton. That's right - the new rules are "still in place" and "buskers are being kicked out" after one hour of playing on every occasion... At least that's what I told Gary and Lionel (I finally found out their names) when they came to take over me playing in the gardens for two and half hours... God, I hate lying, but I felt like I had to. If I had told them I was in the garden for more then two hours, they would go straight to the garden administration and complain how unfair and huge this is... Even though straight after I left they also played for more than an hour - happy in peace. The thing is - when they get a chance to play more, they will definitely do so and not say a word about it, but once someone else gets to play more, they'll go and shout out loud about it. Perhaps they've been kicked out few times after playing for one hour, but to be honest - it's their problem and they shouldn't hang it on other buskers, that's what I think...
Moving on - I enjoyed playing in the gardens. One particular moment has stuck in my memory - a group of teenagers singing "Someone Like You" and "Clown" along my piano accompaniment - it was a really special moment. It has never happened to me before and they absolutely loved it too. In the end we made a nice group photo (which I hope will appear on Twitter at some point) and wished each other well.
Dave has been with me all this day from the very beginning. Thing about Dave - he loves to be around people and when I busk he always engages with my audience in a very positive way. Sometimes he tells them about me and it works as an ice-breaker, people become more interested in me. Sometimes he makes up a joke about zebra playing the piano and people become more relaxed watching me play. It's almost like he is welcoming my audience and making them feel home. It's not as he is talking to every single person, but when he does - that's how I see it.
We both had a quick lunch after leaving the gardens and went to my next busking stop - Bond street. Sun was still on the right side of the street when I came - that's something I always pay attention to when I come to play at this spot lunchtime. Later on sun changes direction and spot becomes rather "dark". I find when I play in shade people don't notice me as much.
The hour went quite quick. Once again - lots of kids around; it helps to play in a narrow street - I like to surprise children when they walk past right in front of the piano. Some curious ones tend to lean down and look into the nostrils of the mask to see if Zebra is real. I often notice them leaning down and scare them with a sudden shake of my head just before they manage to see my face. It's always lots of fun.
Someone gave me a "Dairy Free" chocolate instead of the money. After I finished I had a little peace myself (as I'm on the special diet) and gave the rest to Dave. I also gave him £4 because he went to Poundland for me before to get the batteries for my amp. He also tends to take pictures of me and then he spends his own money to print them off at Boots before handing them to me. I think he deserves much more than £4 for all the things he has done for me, but he never wants to take any money from me. I convinced him by saying "it's for the printouts, its basically for me". Only then he agreed to take it.
By the way - here is a little video I made of Dave showing "how it's done". If you can't play the piano, but really want to become a busker - this is what you do :D
My last stop of the day was East street crossroads. I tend to go there around 3-4pm when the sun enlightens the spot like a stage light. Street was quite busy when I came with many street sellers set up for the Brighton Pride and selling various rainbow colored accessories. I set up opposite few South Americans selling various bracelets and little wooden pan flutes. They didn't really mind me playing. My street-seller-friend was also around there holding his little son Omar in his hands. He came to talk to me before I began playing. It reminded of the last year when we met for the first time - it was actually on the Brighton Pride and I had a picture of us somewhere on the computer...
I played an hour before having a little break and then carried on for another hour. Good thing about this spot - no one else really busks in here, so I can play for as long as I want. My brother in law came to see me with his parents at one point. Dave left for a bit to get himself a beer and brought me some mixed fruit. Street sellers came few times to exchange a note into coins. At that point I noticed someone left a £10 note and again I didn't notice who it was just to say "Thank you!"...
I finished playing at 5:10pm. I wrapped all my day's earnings in zebra blanket and gave it to Dave for a wild guess of how much money is in there.. I couldn't really guess myself, but it was definitely more heavy than usual.. Turned out to be the most money I ever made busking in one day. Perhaps one day I will set a new personal best, but as for today I've done my best and enjoyed every single bit of it. .
A big day for Brighton - today was the opening of a world's thinnest tower, i360! People now can go 161m up in the sky in a special curved-glass pod that personally in my opinion looks like an UFO. I was actually waiting for this day a long time - such an event usually attracts a lot of tourists and I believe the buzz will go on for few weeks from now. This is all helpful when it comes down to busking. Perhaps one day I will try to find a sweet spot somewhere close to i360, but today I still went down to my favorite spot in Pavilion Gardens.
I went out later than usual, left home around 11:35am a little bit anxious of new garden regulations that have been put down in place recently. To be honest - I don't think it's really fair to the buskers and it only happened due to the disagreements between the fellow buskers with an African drum and saxophone (I should really remember their names by now) and the garden administration... The new rule states that if you have played for more than 1 hour in the garden and there is no other busker waiting (it's basically still a free spot), you still need to move on to another place and come back in 1h. I don't know the idea behind these regulations, but I don't think that playing for more than 1h creates any kind of disruption to the people. I believe it does frankly opposite.
In the garden I met Ben who was playing guitar at the time. I met Ben before, he's an average-build man with blondish dreads. When I see him, he often plays Spanish-themed tunes on his acoustic guitar. Always creates a nice vibe in the garden. It's easy to talk to him and we got some things in common. I'll ask him out for a pint one day (perhaps if he reads this blog - it's already an invitation, heh)...
Ben told me he only started playing recently, I could step in after 40 minutes, but that was no good to me - by the time I'd find another spot and set everything up, I will already loose 15 minutes. That leaves me with another 15 minutes to busk and 10 minutes to pack it all up and get back to the gardens. I offered Ben to play for a bit longer to give myself more time to busk in another spot before I come back. We briefly discussed the new garden regulations and left with the hope that they won't kick Ben out from there, so he can keep a spot for me.
To ensure it's all good, I had a quick chat with the guards on my way out - I always been treating them with respect and have built a nice, friendly relationship with few. It really helps on the way -whenever I go and play, I always bear in mind people working in the area. I treat them as my colleagues - same as marketing team treats the sales team, or same as waiting staff works together with the chefs. We work in the same public space and try to make most out of it...
This instance was another example - I don't know if I should tell exactly what guards told me, but we were left alone to do our own arrangement. The whole anxiety and worries about today's busking disappeared. It was such a relief I texted Ben "it's gonna be all good".
For one hour I played on Bond street. And before I started I made sure I ask Tobacco shop for a permission to do so. Another example of building relationship. Never mind all this talk about regulations - once I started to play, it all came into place and fun part began. Kids astonished by Zebra playing the piano, people laughing and smiling to me, international student groups filming and taking selfies. All the positive emotions you get from it - it really fills your day with life.
Another hour in Pavilion Gardens went as good as Bond street. The weather was great, the garden was full of people reading books, sunbathing, having pick-nicks... I was playing and thinking how beautiful this place is and how awesome it actually is to play here. Besides all the politics, this busking spot still remains my favorite place to busk in Brighton and I won't give up on it yet.
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Counting coins in the bank, I didn't expect much of few hours of play, but when receipt came out, I was pleasantly surprised - I managed tobeat my hourly rate ever made busking already second time this month! Perhaps it was something to do with the opening of i360, perhaps I was just lucky... In the end it all comes down to the people appreciating what you are doing, your talent, the joy you are giving and music you play... As a reminder to that - a tweet of someone passing by:
As I woke up in the morning, my fingers were itching of excitement to go out and play the piano. The last day of July has come very quick and I was about to make most of it. Usually I don't busk on Sundays, but today I was eventually off my other part-time job and decided to compensate it with a full day of busking. Never mind my plans, in the end my day didn't go quite as I imagined...
It was 10am. I was already in Pavilion gardens setting up my signs an connecting wires. Although there was no soul sitting in the garden, I was still positive on amount of people passing by at the garden crossroads. I thought even if it's not very busy, I'm still going to make at least some money and some is still better than nothing.
As I was about to start, a large group of Asian girls were approaching my busking spot. They stopped by hesitating and giving me curious looks. As soon as I put my zebra mask on I got their full attention and they quickly gathered around my piano. Waving my head away I gave them all funny zebra looks tapping my zebra ears at times as a special gesture of greeting. Somehow it always looks funny and makes people laugh.
It was really nice to play for the group, some of the girls left after few peaces, but nevertheless new Asian tourists joined in and the crowd kept a constant decent size. I played the best piano tunes I knew including my own favorite "River Flows in You" by Korean composer Yiruma. That one especially went really well. The girls kept taking videos and pictures, some of them stayed aside listening for quite a while.
At some point one of the girls named Sarah came to me and asked if she can play the piano. It used to happen to me more often when I played without mask, but even now, being a zebra - I never let people down and encourage them to give it a go if they want to. So I gave up my seat and let her play. And guess what - she played few peaces including "River Flows In You". Well done to her! :)
Time went really quick and garden was getting more and more busy towards the early afternoon. At 12pm locally well known buskers with African drum and Saxophone came and I let them take over. Unfortunately there was a disagreement between them and the garden administration about me playing 2h and them being kicked out from the garden yesterday after playing for 1 hour. It took some time to sort out, but in the end I was informed since now everyone is allowed to play only for 1h and even if no one else is coming to play after me, I still need to leave and come back in 1h. No busker was happy about it and I don't know if they really going to push these rules further. I only hope that was just a bad day for everyone and it won't get that strict in Pavilion Gardens...
Henriika is a very good singer herself and before I came out I encouraged her to go out and busk. Therefore she was ready with a small amp and microphone with her. As we were finishing our launch I finally decided to stay around, help her to set up, listen to her singing and play few decent games of chess.
I gave her the Wedding sign I made before and set her off busking. As I began my first game of chess, her signing quickly filled the street up with a pleasant and beautiful vibe in the background. The time went on, occasionally I looked up to give Henriika a smile and realised she is doing extremely well: she already had few £10 notes lying on her bag...
One and half hours later Henriika was absolutely thrilled by how much people enjoyed her singing and I finished my chess adventure proud with 5 wins and 1 draw. I decided to call it a day and spend the rest of the day together with her...
Funny enough when we got to the coin counting machine at the bank we were both pleasantly surprised - today I beat my highest hourly rate ever made in 2 years of busking and believe it or not - Henriika made even more dressed up as herself with nothing but talent and a pretty busking sign. That - my friends - is really something special!
Yesterday was raining, so I took my time off busking. Weather forecast dictates my work schedule. Luckily this morning the sun came out and I could go out busking for a bit before it got cloudy again. Living in England I learned to take advantage of every sunny spell you get - because weather never stays the same for long.
This morning I woke up early because I decided to improve my Wedding Sign. I had to send it off for print and then collect it right before my busking. I just wanted it to look like I have put effort into it, not simply scribbled it on the peace of cardboard. And I hoped my fiance will like it too. It only cost me £1.80 and the print was ready to collect 10am.
I took me some time to setup. I attached the new sign to the cardboard and changed the batteries for the amp. Once everything was working, I began my playing as usual.
At one point I noticed a guy trying to dance to my music. His movements reminded me of contemporary free dance. I was playing "Hallelujah" at that point and as soon as I noticed him dancing, I tried to keep a steady pace. It was a good attempt, but halfway through the song someone tapped on my right shoulder and I looked up to realize it was Dave.
Dave is a lively man in his 70s, we met more than one year ago while busking and I wasn't dress up as a zebra back then. He used to come and tell me about his complicated situation with a women he loves and I often helped him out with that. In return he's been taking really good photographs of me playing the piano, he often prints them off and hands them to me as a present. Since then we've been good friends and I very much enjoy his company when I busk.
Today Dave brought me a new photograph of me and few graduates posing next to my piano. We had a quick chat and he stepped aside to let me carry on with my busking. The day was really nice and sunny, a lot of people were sitting in the garden, many were passing by and smiling to me. Occasionally I heard someone reading my sign out loud and I responded with a nod of my Zebra head.
There were still many graduates today. Someone told me "they were missing me yesterday". Not as many kids as previous days, but still occasional "Twinkle Twinkle Little Start" and "Run Rabbit Run" were present. Overall a really good day - I played for 3h until another buskers came. Dave stayed until the very end until we both left for a friendly pint of refreshing beer....
The week has began very good with a nice, sunny weather. Not many buskers around on weekdays which makes my job very relaxed - less moving around. On Monday I started busking at 10:30am as usual, today I came out at 11:30am and Pavilion Gardens were still available. If it was weekend, I'm sure someone else would be already there playing...
From yesterday I started using a new sign. I made it up from the cardboard I picked up at the recycling bin. I am getting married in 1 month and thought it might be a good idea to make a sign: "Saving For Wedding". I thought it might help a little bit as I depend on the busking income quite a lot now. And it also makes it a little bit more personal.
On the other hand I really wanted to make a funny sign I came up with few days ago: "Rarest Pokemon Ever Seen". I thought it's really funny as "Pokemon Go" is a very big thing right now. Lots of people go to parks and play this game. I assumed Pavilion Gardens is not an exception for the local Pokemon hunters.
So what I did - I wrote the Pokemon sign on the back of Wedding sign and occasionally kept turning the sign around. I can't say for sure if the both signs made a big impact on my earnings, but it gave people something to talk about. Whenever I used Wedding sign people were throwing the coins in and saying "here is some for your wedding" or "give him something, he's getting married!" And whenever I used Pokemon sign people kept reading it loud to each other and laughing. Many people took photo of the sign and I could tell some boys were playing Pokemon Go and found the sign very funny.
Both today and yesterday there were graduation ceremonies taking place at Brighton Dome. Graduates often come to the garden to take the pictures afterwards. Last year when I was busking around this time I got in the local news. Don't know how is it going to be this time, but some graduates did ask me if they could take a picture with me. Someone asked me "if I graduated myself today", that made me think I should have got a graduate hat for myself - would have been really funny...
On Monday my sister came to see me with her parents in law. They are from India and it was a real pleasure to play for them. They are visiting UK for the first time and I'm glad they were out in the garden on such a beautiful, sunny day. They told me afterwards it was very funny to watch me play and they were delighted of how many people were enjoying it too. My sister is into photography and she took some really nice pictures of us together. I promised I'll post one on my blog.
What really stuck in my mind after these few days were kids! Honestly, kids bring so much joy to my busking I can't get enough. There was a little girl today, she was so amazed by me she was standing and watching me for a very long time. When parents took her away she began to cry... Bless her! Another little girl was left in a pushchair very close to me while her mom taking a picture. She was so excited and was reaching her little hand out for me wanting to touch me. I reached my hand back and her mom took a really nice picture of her holding one of my fingers in her tiny fist... At some point there were so many kids around my piano, I began playing "If You Happy And You Know It". All of them were laughing and lively clapping along. Later on there was a kid with a "Happy Birthday" ballon attached to his pushchair - that was a perfect time to play "Happy Birthday" song! Another tune I often play for kids is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and after I hit the last chord I often point to the sky as if there was a star... The girl in the picture stood out from all of the kids today by running back and forward to me with the phone. At first I thought she wants to take a picture of me, but then I realised she wants me to take a picture of her. She was so happy she ran back to her mom holding the phone high up and laughing.
Both days I played without stops for more than 3h. Somehow when I play I don't really feel any hunger or tiredness. It's after I finish playing when it suddenly hits me. Perhaps I a little bit over-did-it today. I was just waiting for someone to come along and replace me, but there was no one around...
After all when I went to the bank with all the coins, I knew it was worth it. The bag was so heavy I was afraid it will break... I believe busking is very rewarding both mentally and financially. In the end of the day I feel accomplished and I feel I have lived. As Abraham Lincoln once said: "It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
It's Sunday! So lovely to have a nice, summery day in Brighton. It's about time - the end of July! Days like this really make a difference - a lot of people outside: tourists, international students, parents with kids etc. The whole city just comes alive - vibrant and lively. Perfect conditions for Zebra to come out and play some piano!
I usually come out around 10:30am, not many buskers around at this time. Advantage of living in a center really helps - 10min and I'm in Pavilion Gardens. The sun becomes more present as I set up my gear. Few people passing by giving me smiles. I can hear them saying "zebra" to one another, they probably have seen me busking before.
As soon as my mask goes on, I hit the epic choir chords to make everyone aware of my presence. "The show is on" and audience quickly builds up around my piano. They laugh and poke each other. Most of them have phones in their hands taking pictures and videos of me playing. The theme from "Amelie" goes down very well - I can already tell it will be a very good day!
As I keep playing crowd keeps changing. I swing my head around and often look at the people, sometimes shaking my head in their direction. I focus more on the people rather then playing the piano - I trust my finger memory. It's about engaging with people and making a contact.
I often see kids and I give them a wave. Some of them give me a wave back, some of them keep staring at me with big, open eyes. They are so funny! Parents love watching their kids reaction too - they give them a coin and push them towards me. Very carefully they make their way to the front of the piano where "zebra mat" is lying for the money. They throw the coin in and laughing they run back to the parents as fast as they can.
The day goes well, the time comes to 12pm and I have to move to give space to another buskers (famous man with an African drum and his partner with a soprano sax). We have a little conversation while I pack my stuff. I wish them well and keep moving.
Bond street is my best second choice, but I often get moved by police there. This time I'm smart. I know it's the tobacco shop that's calling police - I go straight in and ask the owner if I could play for no more than one hour promising to move straight after. He looks at me with a grin, but then agrees. I'm really happy! This day is really going well.
Bond street very busy, people wondering through the lanes. The narrow streets make it look packed. I quickly set up and begin my set as usual. It's going well straight away. I keep getting smiles, laughs. People imitate horse sounds (not knowing the fact Zebra's actually have their own sound). Lunchtime is a very good time to busk on this street - sun is facing me like a spotlight.
A family settles down on the other side of the street next to the pub. A little girl keeps looking at me and her father holds her hands. They become my main audience and I play for them. Sometimes I give them a wave and shake my Zebra head to make little girl laugh. Few kids stopped by and comment on the amount of money I got. "He must be rich," says one of them. I smile behind the mask and give him a funny head shake.
I finish my set one hour later as promised to the Tobacco shop and pack my stuff. My fiancee comes along on the bike to give me a kiss even though I am all sweaty and smelly... I decide to take a little break, come home and have lunch...
Around 2:15pm I come out again. First I try Pavilion Gardens, but I notice an orchestra setting - they often have concerts there on the weekends. I can't go back to Bond street and quickly decide to try East street.
East street is a very nice place to busk, there are at least three restaurants with tables outside, street serves as a link between seaside and Pavilion gardens - lots of foot traffic. The only downside of busking here - the spot is always taken by a big jazz band. They are regulars here and probably have been playing there for many years. According to the council busking leaflet (advisory) you can only busk in one place for 1h, these guys seem to be there 24/7. I think it's unfair to other buskers...
So what I do - I just move a little bit up the street and play on the crossroads with Bartholomews. It's a very nice spot around 4pm when sun makes a turn and it gets a lot of sunshine. I was there around 2:45pm. The street was packed with various street traders, a fortune teller, portrait artists and also a massage therapists which is quite tempting after a long day of busking...
Anyhow - I talked to one of the street traders, he's a really nice guy, sells different hand-crafted jewelry and bubble guns. He was holding in hands his 5-year-old son Omar, I never met him before, really cute boy. In the end I set up just opposite his stall and began my usual Zebra show.
I played for 1 hour, as always got lots of attention. The friend I just spoke to making bubbles with the bubble guns - goes really well with my music. In the middle of set I noticed someone has put a 10-pound-note on my Zebra mat. I feel really appreciated when someone gives me such an amount. I wish I noticed the person at least to say thank you...
I finish my busking day at 4pm. Played 3.5h. Really great day, wasn't tired at all - that's how it should be. It pays off when you look after yourself - no point forcing the busking process. Have a nice lunch, drink plenty of water - it's all important.
This is pretty much how a usual busking day goes. Lots of positive emotions, joy. Being Zebra is really fun and I feel like I made a lot of people happy today. This is what I will think about before I go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day. Hope it brings as much fun as today!
I begin here. At my desk in central Brighton flat. Apart from all the other reasons, we moved here to be in the center, less hassle and walking when getting around busking. Just down the road, five minutes away are famous Pavilion Gardens - my favorite place to busk. I believe busking in the garden makes me look more authentic as an animal. Nevertheless it compliments my image and blends well with the music I play.
I call myself Mellow Zebra. The other option was Piano Zebra, because I play the piano, but that seemed too straight and obvious. "Mellow" sounds better and underlines the mood rather than the instrument. I think that's important, I love playing beautiful, mellow piano peaces, but also I love a bit of fun. As a zebra I don't take myself too serious - element of fun in my playing is often much appreciated.
People often ask me - why? Why Zebra? And after I tell them the answer they often realize how obvious it is. I can give you a little hint if you want - it's about colors... But otherwise - you have to guess yourself. Perhaps you already know...
ESCAPE FROM THE ZOO
This is where I begin my story about escape from the zoo. You see, Zoo is a very nice place, you have your own cage, your own stall. You have few Zebras of your own kind living next to you and you are all being looked after by the Zoo keepers. You comply with their rules and life doesn't seem too much of a hassle at all... But then deep in your heart you know that you belong somewhere else, somewhere out there is a huge land with Zebras living free in the wild. You dream about that place and sometimes you talk about it with your fellow Zebras, but often they are scared to leave Zoo and they say "they like it here". And then you try to forget that dream and begin to focus on the life at Zoo. But whatever you do - you find it boring. There is no excitement and every day is the same. Sometimes Zoo keepers change the cage, but after few days it all comes back to normal and that voice inside your Zebra head keeps coming back reminding you about the land where all the animals are living together - free...
Busking for me is a little escape from the Zoo. When I busk I am being myself and feeling completely present. It's a very rewarding feeling. I love what I do and when you do what you love, it's simply amazing. What else do you need?
* * *
I sometimes wonder how would the job description look for what I do? Say you are looking at the newspaper and you see this post:
"Street Musician Wanted!
No previous experience or qualifications required. Need to have intermediate piano skills and passion for playing. Zebra uniform, instrument and necessary gear provided. Work on your own. Flexible hours of work. Travel around the world. Immediate start."
At this point many people would probably think how much would this job pay? A very important point missing is salary. Apart from knowing it depends on flexible circumstances, say we could actually travel to the future and see exact annual salary and then come back to the present and complete this job description with a certain number. Wouldn't this job advert look so much more attractive once you know the number, once you actually see it can cover all your costs? The point is we don't know the number yet and there is no one else out there to tell you what the number is going to be, but if you'd know it would be good enough and you were playing the piano - would you take the job?
The way I think about it - I took this job. Even though there was never a job post like that and I made it all up in my head. When I think about it this way, it all doesn't sound too crazy after all and somehow goes along "the society norms". Perhaps it's a good way to explain the logic inside the silly Zebra head to a regular human being working "normal" 9-5 job.
On a smaller scale - I had a wonderful gig yesterday at Life Time Value Conference in Clarendon centre. Their excuse for hiring a Zebra for a business conference was an article comparing Zebra and Unicorn type of businesses: "Zebra's Fix What Unicorns Break". Being a Zebra is cool! 
