Damien in The Irish Times
Posted on 29. Nov, 2008 by admin in Damien News.
Thanks to Gloria for sending us this interview with Damien about his busking roots from yesterday’s Irish Times:
When did you start busking?
The first time I remember I was about 13 or 14. But I guess this wasn’t real busking because I wasn’t doing it for the money, just playing for the Spanish and Italian students who used to visit our school during the summer holidays. Proper busking started after leaving Juniper. The reason I did it was because I’d never done it “properly” before, and I wanted to wander.
Did you make money?
I used to make great money. I could go busking for an hour or two and have enough money for the day, 20 to 30 quid, which would get me food, a hostel, and a bit of savings for the next bus to the next town.
Were people receptive?
People were receptive in their own way in different places. Ireland was certainly the best earner and the most receptive, especially the Galway Arts Festival. I met people there who have become some of my dearest friends in life. Germany was a little different because they had rules whereby I had to get a permit from somewhere. Then I went south in search of warmer weather and eventually landed in Spain and enjoyed busking on the streets in Alcalá de Henares, just outside Madrid, during their town festival.
Any busking stories?
One time I was busking in Elgin in Scotland 10 or 11 years ago. I played and played and nothing came in, not a penny, people just walked by. Just as I was starting to doubt myself, it started to rain. I pulled my stuff in from the path and put the amp and mic under a window ledge for shelter and sat there a little depressed after what felt like a wasted hour or so in the cold. I curled over my guitar and started humming to myself in my defeated mood. And there I was, hanging sloppily over my guitar and vomiting up whatever words came to me and out of nowhere a £2 coin fell into my guitar case, then another pound, and then another, and on it went.
It was quite surreal. When I played for them they ignored me. When I played for me they paid me even though they could hardly hear what I was doing in the midst of writing a song, mumbling to myself. Perhaps there’s a message in there, or maybe that was just Elgin on a rainy day.
