More Yorkdale

The Yorkdale busking stop is right in the middle of a glass-domed walkway that looks out over the Allen Road expressway (a short four-lane highway) and the subway trains themselves, which come above ground at that point. The walkway is just wide enough for four narrow lanes of pedestrian traffic, which is to say, it's pretty cozy.

At many of the stations I played at, there was a lot of space between the busker and the public--so much space that each one could comfortably ignore the other. This wasn't true in the Yorkdale pedestrian walkway. In fact, people tended to bump into me here. While it seemed a bit claustrophobic at first, it seemed to ultimately work to my advantage. When forced to meet eyes with a performer, people actually did and seemed to enjoy it. They smiled, nodded, said hello and threw change. Thursday had turned out to be an excellent day for me, with lots of money and encouragement coming my way.

Thursday had been a beautiful fall day too (this November in Toronto feels more like September) and the walkway was quite warm. By Saturday, however, the weather was rainy and several degrees chillier, which was definitely noticeable in the busker stop.

I kept my coat on and unpacked enthusiastically, remembering my positive experience of the day before. I set out my CDs, which looked especially festive with Christmasy ribbons attached (hopefully a good marketing idea). As I started to sing, I had my usual out-of-place feeling for few seconds but quickly got into the rhythm of things. I realized when you're a busker, starting to sing is much like getting into a swimming pool. It seems cold at first but you quickly get used to it.

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It's remarkable to me that now I can simply break into song in public. Even after I started working as a "professional singer", actually singing in front of anyone was challenging for me unless I had a certain amount of architecture around me (ie. lights, a stage, and some distance between me and the audience).

Today I noticed how freely I simply picked up my guitar, tuned up and started singing even though nobody was listening. It seemed to go against all the social conventions I'd been brought up with. Don't speak too loudly in public! Don't call attention to yourself! Don't speak unless spoken to! Maybe that's why busking seems so uncomfortable to many people: it seems to go against some basic values. Even though I have an official license displayed in my case, when I start to sing it always feels as if I'm doing something without permission.