[Harp-L] Frigging Froggy's Franc Exchange (was busking in Europe)

["Dave R. Fertig" <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Monsieur Fouquet's advice is sound and typically worthy of emulation 
except, I regret to say,  the one which got him 50 euros.

(Excerpt: Nicolas said he played ," n front of a jewelry in Shop 
Street (Galway, Ireland). I have been asked to go away by the 
waitress (very cute btw...). I just said: alright, 50 euros!    She 
smiled, I did to. Then She went to back to the store and came back 
again with a E 50 note...   I move 10 yards on the right and started 
playing again.")

It reminds me of a '79 train ride - before Froggy was even a tadpole 
-  from Calexico to Guadalajara when, 20 hours into the grueling 0 
hour trip,  a sniffling ten-year-old kid stood next to my shoulder 
and started caterwauling (i.e., like Dennis the Menace with a 
toothache) with his hand out.  When I gave him a peso he moved on to 
the next row of seats and resumed his extortion.

Of course, we traded smiles, too,  but I don't think the experience 
found its way as an alluring anecdote into Busker-L.

Harp Content: It occurred to me to pull out a harp and start playing, 
to drown him out, but the other passengers were already considering 
throwing the kid out the window into the river, and I wasn't that 
much bigger at the time . . .

-Dave Fertig

P.S.: MORE HARP CONTENT:  As a temporary resident of France I must 
attest to the fact that Nicolas "Froggy" Fouquet, despite his 
sparkling yet ironic personality and his penchant for dressing  - and 
playing  - like Dennis Gruenling meets Jason Ricci meets Big Walter 
meets Mel Blanc (uh oh I am in trubba, bubba!)  is one fine and 
fastidious harptech, and monster player.  Now if only he would stop 
doing his Road Runner dance in public . . .

Here's Nico's next "gig," 
tomorrow:  http://www.elmtreeblues.org/L'OPERA%20BOUFFE.htm 
Several harp players from around the South of France are coming, 
along with a bunch of others, to jam gutbucket blues til the wee 
hours, a la Elmtree mode.    Y'all come on down!