Tokens

These days when I ride the subway, I have to remind myself not to smile and nod at everyone I see. After all, I’m officially sanctioned to smile and nod in my role as a subway musician—but not as a subway passenger.

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I was speaking to a friend today, a young singer-songwriter also from Winnipeg. I last spoke to her in September, just before I started working on the subways. She confided in me that busking had always terrified her—she couldn’t imagine doing it. Today she told me that after our conversation, she went out to Queen Street and sang for over an hour. A few days later, she did it again.

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A young man called to interview me. He’s a first-year journalism student writing an article about subway musicians. Twenty-three years ago, I was a first-year broadcasting student producing a radio documentary about subway musicians.

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During the past week, two friends have asked, "Are you still singing in the subways?" When I say yes, they say "really?!" as if they’re genuinely surprised. Tomorrow will be my two-month anniversary as a subway musician. Did they really think I’d only last that long?