[Dixielandjazz] Fw: [TPIN] Kirk

[Bob Romans]

This is worth passing on to the DJML...street musicians! This one wins first
prize!
:~)
Bob Romans
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leonard C. Mayer" <frostclaws at juno.com>
To: <tpin at tpin.dana.edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2003 3:53 PM
Subject: [TPIN] Kirk


> Remember Kirk? The guy who auctioned off a gig of him wearing a chicken
> suit and playing his trumpet on eBay?
> He asked me to pass this email to me on.
> Len
>
> Kirk says:
> You send me an email asking how I am doing.  Lots of adventures and
> upcoming
> adventures.  Let me fill you in.
>
> I made a decision to try to make a living with my horn starting in April.
> In
> order to do so, I had to get used to working in front of an audience.  My
> first
> audience was a bunch of children that played in a local playground.  I
> decided
> to watch them playing so my music would be more playful.  These kids
> really
> started to appreciate my playing for them and make requests.  They showed
> their
> appreciation by going to a music store and pooling their little milk
> money to
> buy me a music book.  I was touched.  Of course I played that music over
> and
> over for them. If was a fifties rock and roll for trumpet since some of
> the
> kids liked Elvis.  I also found by playing my music touched a lot of
> other
> people.  That was a hotel for shut-in a block away and someone told me
> they
> looked forward to hearing me each day because they were shut-in.  Also
> speaking
> of shut-ins the local jail was nearby and prisoners said they could hear
> me and
> one man said it gave him hope because I happened to be playing religious
> songs
> that day.
>
> The Summer arrives and I put forth my plan to earn a living.  The next
> step was
> to become a street performer.  I made my debut on the 4th of July wearing
> red,white, and blue.  As a street performer I wear many different
> costumes
> and do comedy stchick and some magic and a lot more.  I am trying to
> develop my
> act.  At first, I make very little money but each day I go out I get a
> little
> better and this is reflected in my earnings.  My earnings have been
> increasing
> from a dollar a week to a dollar a day to now about $2.00 a day.
>
> By Fall, I am ready to perform where the elite street performers
> practice, a
> place called Saturday Market.  To say I was scared stiff would be an
> understatement.  But I find the courage and perform.  A week or two
> performing
> there and I suddenly encounter the professional rivalry and jealousy you
> hear
> about in show business.  I knew I would encounter it.   I only thought I
> would
> encounter it  when I was about to make a name for myself.  Not at the
> very
> bottom of the show business ladder.  Anyway what happened is I was
> scheduled to
> perform in a spot.  Only someone else a drummer was there performing.  I
> politely inform him I was schedule and he would have to stop.  Well he
> didn't
> was to stop.  He said he need the money.  Well I told him I need the
> money.
> Then he offer me $10.00 if I could give him the spot.  I said: "No, I
> also need
> to practice in front of an audience."  I was also kind of insulted.  I
> knew I
> could make a lot more than what he offered but his offer was his opinion
> of my
> musical talent.   Anyway, he didn't want to go.  So I set up and start
> playing.
> Obviously he didn't have a high opinion of my talent.  He started playing
> his
> drums behind me.  I listen to see if he was  playing along.  He wanted.
> He was
> purposely disrupting me.  Not I don't care how good he performer he
> thought he
> was or how bad a performer I may have been but to disrupt another
> performer
> when it is their turn on stage is extremely unprofessional and extremely
> rude.  After enduring a minute or two of him disrupting me and really
> throwing
> off my playing, I had enough and yelled at the guy.   Remember, I am
> known for
> clobbering with my horn for disrupting me while I am playing.  It didn't
> go
> that far but I was angry enough to hurt this guy.
>
> A week later  I saw this guy again.  He has something to say to me.  He
> tells
> me:  "You're a good trumpet player but you don't take your seriously.  I
> am
> just starting to get into your music and then you do some corny shit.
> You
> don't take music seriously!"  I was wearing a propeller beanie and so I
> wasn't
> taking life  seriously. "You mean corny like this?"  I pull out a bicycle
> horn
> and honk it at him.
>
> "Yeah, you can't be corny like that."
> "Hey I can be anything I want.  I happened to be corny.
> "But,...it embarrassing!"
> "I'm not embarrassed.  You shouldn't be embarrassed for me.  I'm just
> having
> fun and giving people cheap laughs."  I honk my horn again.  Meanwhile he
> rants on and on about me being corny and I'm thinking:  "My god, just how
> rude
> is this guy?"
>
> Other adventures.  I've told you one of my goals is to be booed off the
> Apollo
> stage.  Will I recently came to realize just how hard a road I've taken.
> I
> perform up to twelve hours and I have yet to endure the rigors of the
> road.
>
> The next step it to get a widespread audience in the city and to that
> goal, I
> will be advertising in the yellow pages.  I also need to set up a
> web-page and
> will be running more "I need a gigs auctions on eBay.
>
> That pretty much catch me up now.  I noticed you are part of a trumpet
> player
> internet group so you can forward this to other members and let them know
> how I
> am doing and I hope to hear from them as well.  If you want to correspond
> with
> me, my e-mail is
> wotrkingkirk at yahoo.com.  The address you have been sending email to me, I
> very
> rarely access so I missed a lot of your emails.
>
> I hope to hear from you soon.
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