*APRIL 2012*
*1st busking session in ‘princeton’*
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i had driven into princeton from the jersey shore mansion to give guitar lessons to a 35-year-old asperger case…then i played songs outside frist campus center…didn’t garner much attention…but i got a dollar from audrey hall…
i busked several times outside the frist campus center (even though my asperger-afflicted “student” told me i ran the risk of arrest)…
(and i was on ‘probation’ at the time)
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*JULY 2016*
(back to earning money busking in princeton)
(defying the orders of the cops)
(buying (legal) drugs with my busking money)
(beer)
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*22 APRIL 2016*
(stopped by cops while playing on nassau street with david lee)
(friday night)
(our cases weren’t open)
(“noise complaint”)
(“final warning” from cop before issuing ticket)
13 MAY 2015:
done busking in princeton…got my yearly “PNG” this month (for busking outside frist on a saturday night)…stopped too many times by the cops to comfortably play on nassau street…
when should i strike the princeton campus and clear up all lingering enemies?
i can’t take the abuse…
gotta hit up princeton tomorrow
MARCH 2015:
busking on a monday evening
(juan the terrible attempted to film me)
(but of course he mssed up the shots and nothing was captured)
(collected $4 outside the movie theater)
(and an old man from the hamilton jewelers building gave me $20 to move when i was playing outside starbucks)
(because they were having a meeting inside)
(went back outside the movie theater)
(until juan warned me that a cop was parked behind me)
(i approached the cop and said i was just packing up)
(he gave the usual rap about not being allowed to solicit money for playing)
(at least he didn’t write me up)
(i didn’t recognize this cop)
(young white male)
(was he even there to stop me?)
(juan is usually a source of discouragement)
(because of his own insecurities)
(just like bergblum)
OCTOBER 2014:
i kept playing…voice in great form…left camera running on top of trash can…almost got stolen a few times…finally somebody interrupted its flow and the third (and best) video got corrupted…only got the first 25 minutes (of course)…even though others were taking vid…only got one female friend request…a danish girl…and when i checked my fb there was no friend request there…did she cancel it?…i thought i saw it go through (i typed it in)…her fb was in danish…an american blonde bimbo sat next to me and asked me to play jason mraz…she was flirty but not very hot…and a brunette next to her…then some wackos came with swords…i swiped a floater corona outside a dorm room…should’ve drank all the floaters there…
made some change but that’s it…but got compliments…also thought i heard the usual jeers of “you don’t even go here!”…
14 march 2014:
(alchemist + barrister)
(played for cigarettes + booze)
(*BANNED* three days later)
(for taking a spill on the patio on 1 february 2014)
18 september 2014:
busking in princeton…
so i busked outside starbucks…the voice was in reasonable shape…earned $15 (out of pity?) before some girl from the apartment above starbucks shouted “shut up!” as i launched into “rock n roll”…got a cigarette from a dude in a hoodie and went down near triumph…got another (nicer) noise complaint from the same girl from last sunday out her window…it wasn’t even 10pm…
(spent all my busking money on drinks at the ivy inn)
19 september 2014:
busking in princeton…
decided to set up shop near the theater…then i spotted tricia bitteto on a date at an outdoor table…didn’t want her calling the cops on me…so i set up further on up nassau…saw her walk down the corner…made $55 on the night…and didn’t get stopped by the cops…lots of little girls told me i was “the best”…voice felt good…then i walked to ivy inn…a washed-up cover band playing…
spent the busking money on natural ice and cigarettes the next day…
20 september 2014:
busking in princeton…
i collected a bunch of dough…probably $65 in all…saw heaven on a date and she sang with me…
collected more dough later in the evening @ the frist campus center…
21 september 2014:
there was no point in going into princeton last night…i started playing outside starbucks but it was late and my voice was shot…
26 september 2014:
busked outside the triumph brewery from 8 – 10pm…collected ~$80…then a cop showed up and said there had been a noise complaint (the same girl that had twice asked me to stop playing on previous occasions)…he said i could go to the municipal building and get a license on monday but that for now i couldn’t collect money…he was nice about it…a pretty middle-aged woman then slipped me $20 at the triumph brewery after witnessing the ordeal…i had been chatting with two chubby black ladies at the time…
then i went to the ivy inn where a young man told me that it’d take me 2 weeks to get a license (“as long as you don’t have any felonies”)…i then played outside the frist campus center until 3am…
the next weekend i was frightened to play at frist for fear of being accused of solicitation…i called up the princeton municipal building and they informed me that i’d need to “write a letter to the clerk” indicating my intentions for street performance in princeton…didn’t even give me the damn address…
so i went to the municipal building on 6 october 2014…linda s. mcdermott (RMC / CMC) is the municipal clerk…lmcdermott@princetonnj.gov…i sent her an e-mail inquiring about obtaining a street performer’s license…the two chubby secretaries (one black / one white) told me that there was no way i could obtain this license…fucking a…
the clerk’s deputy quickly responded via e-mail:
“Mr. Gatti…for profit street performances are not permitted in princeton.”
18 october 2014:
busking in princeton always fills me with confidence…i’ve gotta be more disciplined in creating my contacts…some dude offered to book me at an eating club this week but i don’t think i even got his name nor number…
now i’ve gotta follow up with my busking contacts and start playing at eating clubs…start booking shows in princeton at all costs (and beyond!)…figure out from the street juggler how to get on his nonprofit “art for charity” list and start paying $10 to the township every time you plan to play…and make it all back in spades…or just defy whatever “law” is allegedly in place and just perform to your heart’s desire!
i won over another huge crowd @ frist on saturday night but i only made ~$12…(along with a glowstick necklace)…
i made an important contact last time i played @ frist on a saturday night…hunter rex…he invited me to play a “VIP night” at the colonial eating club…forwarded my name to the social chair…i also made a female friend in “flava”…and a street performer ally in will imbert…and made more money while riding high on a “firecracker” from ray…didn’t get much video footage…hope others did…also got called “rapey” by some dude…”you don’t even go here!”
i played outside the princeton theater anyway…beginning at 10pm on a saturday night…emily gabriele flaked…saw everest goldstein enter and exit the theater (but didn’t say anything)…filmed myself…made around $40…even though i told the people that i wasn’t allowed to collect money…they put it in my carry-on case anyway…then i went to frist campus center and made more money…met a street juggler who informed me that i’d need to fill out a noise permit application and pay $10 every time i planned on playing…
submit it 10 days prior to event…
i just want to beat the system and play anyway…
http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtGoldstein.html
the juggler told me about this case…now i’m an advocate for street performance…
robert goldstein vs the town of nantucket MA…
(1979)
(he was a folk music singer who won a case against a vendor who wanted to stop him from playing outside their establishment)
now it’s getting cold and my acoustic guitar is broken…
31 october 2014:
made $5 playing outside princeton movie theater (and a nice beer)…made another $5.75 playing outside hoagie haven…even though there was a cop stationed nearby (and it was past midnight)…the couple from the upstairs apartment gave me props so i wasn’t worried…playing in “the mask” (with bergblum’s classical guitar)…don’t have any nylon strings…harder to play (but it sounds nice)…
1 november 2014:
rainy cold saturday night…busked from 10:45pm to midnight outside princeton movie theater…guitar + camera got soaked…made $10…then i busked outside hoagie haven after ivy inn closed…made another $10 (and a sandwich)…got some good video footage…
8 november 2014:
was going to busk on friday night @ frist but it was cold and i didn’t have the mojo…
returned @ 1:15am sunday morning…made $2 in pocket change…
enigma flaked all day…so i headed to the 606 stop for 12:34am bus…saw it pass at 12:22am…was it late or early?…i was there past 12:34am and didn’t see a bus…enigma finally called back…wouldn’t tell me why he never got back to me…picked me up at bus stop…we went to wawa for cigarettes…
then we went to A+B and he bought me a bourbon and coke…$7 with tip…saw jaffy (again)…”you again?”…she smiled in a disgusted manner and averted her gaze…smoked a cigarette outside by myself and we left @ last call…then he dropped me off at frist…he stayed in the car…
1:20am…texted imbert / mennin / diego…mister track star…ohio state meet…he brought me a shirt from terrace (but i never got it)…met another dude coming from terrace…i need to get into eating clubs…then he went to go smoke dope…i asked to come along but there wasn’t enough…he gave me some dip (he gave up inhaled smoke)…
i kept playing…voice in great form…left camera running on top of trash can…almost got stolen a few times…finally somebody interrupted its flow and the third (and best) video got corrupted…only got the first 25 minutes (of course)…even though others were taking vid…only got one female friend request…a danish girl…and when i checked my fb there was no friend request there…did she cancel it?…i thought i saw it go through (i typed it in)…her fb was in danish…an american blonde bimbo sat next to me and asked me to play jason mraz…she was flirty but not very hot…and a brunette next to her…then some wackos came with swords…i swiped a floater corona outside a dorm room…should’ve drank all the floaters there…
packed it in before 2:45am…enigma called twice starting at 2:08am…mennin said “you around?”…imbert never showed…
made some change but that’s it…but got compliments…also thought i heard the usual jeers of “you don’t even go here!”…
11 november 2014:
i was ready to busk on monday night but it was too cold and quiet…
tuesday night was unseasonably warm…perhaps the last warm night of the season…took advantage…got the 6:46pm 606 bus and headed to lewis library until sometime past 8pm…then i headed to nassau street outside the movie theater…
made $8…saw eddie wang and cliff bersani with two cute little girls…gave the 4 of them free CDs…broke my E string…videotaped some of it…but the battery wasn’t charged and the camera was off when i returned…
freshman @ princeton university…
i met him + his crew while playing with maniac magee on a saturday night outside frist campus center…we became FB friends and he liked the joga page…he told me i should try out for “the voice”…i’m going to take him up on that…
ran into him later while playing outside princeton movie theater…gave him and his friends some free CDs…
a black cop shut me down past 10pm…said there was a noise complaint…at least he didn’t take my info…he was the same cop that came to dorothy’s house when she invaded my room back in january…
i may as well stick to indoors @ frist from now on…until i get shut down there as well…
i walked into the triumph and a lady gave me a $20 that she wanted to give me beforehand (because her little daughters had given me dollars before)…then i went into the bathroom and gathered my dough…
i bought a venti iced coffee and water from starbucks and tried in vain to charge my phone…then i walked aimlessly around princeton and took a short video of the library…
then i decided to go to the A+B…made nice with the manager amanda…paid $7 for a guinness….bummed a marlboro off a cute girl named virginia…then i headed to winberie and got another guinness for $6…talked to some middle-aged ladies who were leaving…drank their leftover wines…talked to a wacky bald dude who played sax and his cute girlfriend…then i went back to the A+B and talked to a middle-aged dude named george who had also been playing guitar in the park…with his son? and brother?…
then i headed down to the eating club lane but didn’t see any openings…i foolishly put my starbucks iced coffee empty in my bag and the ice melted and spilled all over my camera…but it was still working….it seemed charter club was happening….and i could’ve gotten into colonial with a student ID…but i felt like a total outsider walking around alone with my guitar…
the camera caught 48 minutes of me playing…even though the battery didn’t run out…why?…guess i’ll post it…
i outsang actual classical vocalists tonight…they are homeless and smoke cigarettes…i’ll use them for drugs + girls when we go to frist campus center next weekend…
when i moved to princeton in fall 2012, i continued busking outside the frist campus center…usually from 1am – 3am when all the bars were closing…i generated a great deal of positive attention…i’d also busk outside the local bars (mostly the princeton sports bar + grill)…
then i busked INSIDE the frist campus center in april 2013…two police officers asked me whether i was “soliciting money”…i denied it (as i hadn’t received any money and was merely promoting my music to a group of cute princeton freshman)…
(they suggested that i leave the premises…)
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👈👈👈☜*“ADVENTURES IN BUSKING”* ☞ 👉👉👉
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥