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Before I get into it, I’ll just mention that we fixed the JPY issue on our website. Due to a bug, you couldn’t set your default tip amount above 999 JPY — just less than the equivalent of about £5. We’ve removed that bug, and are very grateful to the street performer who pointed this out to us — George Tsai.
If you find any bugs on busk.co, please let us know as they will get fixed!
Trigger warning: this email mentions suicide.
Hi everyone,
Below is a message someone accidentally sent to our website’s support email address. I helped ‘T’ to get in touch with the intended recipient, but also asked if I could republish for you here. So, here it is in full:
Hello there-
I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but I’m gonna try anyway. Yesterday I saw you perform in Galway and I need you to know how much of an impact you made on my day.
See, I’ve traveled to Ireland to be with a man I’ve loved from afar for decades, and through a series of catastrophic events it turns out he’s a violent, dangerous fuckwit. I had to leave his companionship in order to survive.
I was wandering around Galway not knowing what to do next when I saw you performing. You made me laugh, and smile, and I can never thank you enough for that. I tipped you as much as I could but I wish I could have done more.
Your art, your work, your very existence gave me hope and turned my entire attitude around. Thank you kindly,
– T
She later added: “My trip has gone from bad to beautiful in the last few days and I’m now enjoying Ireland, unencumbered, in all its glory 🙂“
Her story reminded me of one I was told years ago at a pub by a busker in Australia who’d noticed the same person sitting in his crowd every day for a month. [It might have been only a week — it’s been many years since I heard that story].
One day this person came forward and put a note in his hat. After that, he never saw her again.
The note said that she’d been on her way to jump off a bridge when she’d chanced across his show. He made her laugh and feel better, so she decided not to do it. She came back again the next day to watch his show, and then again, and again. Now that she was in a better place she didn’t need to keep coming back any more. She thanked him for saving her life.
Both of the above stories are beautiful. The world is full of many more. For example, I know that performer Lee Ross (see a nice interview with him here) back in the 1980s used to take a large note out of his wallet, rip it in two and then get all the single people in his audience to raise their hands. He’d give one half of the note to one person, half to another, and say they could only spend it if they went on a date together.
Considering how epic a ‘meet cute’ story this is, it’s no surprise that Lee knows of two marriages that were as a result of this trick—and who knows how many more that he never heard about.
“Impact” can mean many things—not just changing the course of a life, but also changing a life in a moment. Take a look at this video of a blind, autistic, 6-year-old girl interacting with street performer TenK Cliff:
Also beautiful. I have a hazy memory of an another kid with autism who interacted with a street performer, whose parents said he never talked to any strangers—this was the first time. (If you know what I’m talking about, please send me the news story or video, I’d love to watch it again.)
In light of all that, I’d like to ask you to tell me:
What was the most you’ve ever touched someone in your audience? What’s the most beautiful feedback you’ve gotten? How much has your show impacted those around you? What’s the most wholesome thing you’ve engendered during your time on the street?
I know I’ve asked this question before, but there are over a thousand new street performers who’ve joined The Busking Project since then, so I’m asking it again. Please send me your stories (either reply to this email or write it in the comments) so I can share them here (and maybe in my book).
I think a lot of us need something heartwarming in our lives at the moment.
Here’s one of mine—an email I received last week, an email that made all these hours spent writing to you all feel even more worthwhile:
I've been reading your stuff for quite a while and I love how much you strengthen my personal belief in a sense of togetherness in the global busking community, and I'm sure you do the same for many others.
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