rooshvforum.network is a fully functional forum: you can search, register, post new threads etc...
Old accounts are inaccessible: register a new one, or recover it when possible. x


Busking and Getting Laid
#1

Busking and Getting Laid

Quote: (09-23-2014 01:33 AM)Thomas the Rhymer Wrote:  

Slightly veering off topic but:
- Do you ever get a chance to game while busking?
- Would you be able to bust out a data sheet on busking?

Busking seems like a great way to force oneself out of one's comfort zone.

A busking data sheet would be pretty long on the ins and outs, I'll try to write it out sometime.

As far as gaming while busking, this is my take:

Gaming while busking is fun as hell. If you aren't putting the music front and center you don't stand a chance. That said, if you are a well practiced musician this can be a fun little foray

As someone with game, confidence and good body language you can BLOW AWAY every busker in your town. Easily. Think about your average busker...dirty, desperate, hunched over. Or a music nerd with tons of talent but no presentation. Fuck that. My corner is a party and you're gonna love it.

It's funny because Roosh and Soup (any myself to some extent) have written how Dj'ing and being in a band isn't a magic bullet to getting laid. I think street performing is WAY better than playing in venues and changes up the equation in your favor for a few reasons...

1) You can stop at ANY time and leave with someone...this is the most important difference

2) You control the set list and energy. You don't have to play to any theme night. I know international pop songs that will hook in Russians, Colombians...whatever...and I know the lyrics in their original language (albeit pronounced TERRIBLY it ALWAYS gets a reaction)

3) On the street you perform at eye level...it's dead easy to start a conversation

4) On the street you don't have to lug a ton of gear around...everything fits into a backpack. I can't count the number of times I thought I was getting action from playing at a bar and when I got back from packing up my huge guitar rig the girl would be nowhere to be found. The mobility advantage of street performing can't be stressed enough

5) There's a bit of a 'forge your own path' vibe where girls, and people in general, think its ballsy to play on the street. I NEVER heard that even once from all my years of playing in bars/lounges

6) Keep out a cheap conga drum while you play...it lures in folks and ANYONE that plays it will tip you/have a small conversation. This bait can bring in anyone from attractive chicks to chubby fat frat dudes so depending on my patience level that night I may or may not have it out.

As far as social benefits....

On weekend nights I get one night stands at the same frequency as if I hit the bars/clubs. Between dealing with bar crowds or playing music it's an easy choice for me to make.

The difference between gaming in bars and gaming while busking is that your targets will more or less choose you...based on your talent level and song selection. I could literally talk all day about how important song selection is.

The right song played with the right musical interpretation can pique anyone's curiosity. The upside to this is that there is very little dealing with bad attitudes. Girls are happy to chat it up because my music puts them in a good mood. After a while of street performing you can read people and develop an ability to choose tunes that invoke the 'omg I LOVE this song' reaction

[I recommend becoming a human jukebox if you're going to play on the streets. Know ten songs from EVERY genre you can think of. This alone is a pretty fun musical challenge and in addition pays nice dividends while busking.]

The downside is that it's extremely hard to catcall a girl walking by and get her to 1) stop 2) listen to you 3)leave her friends/come over so you can spit game...so you get a lot of people that will come up and want to chat and then you have to filter through til you get something good...meanwhile keeping the energy high and being respectful to everyone. Not gonna lie it can be exhausting and I have to mentally prepare if I want to game and busk on the same night

My 'angle', as it were, is to start chatting up girls around/after closing time and see who has friends that let them chat for a few minutes. If their friends won't let her chat or pull her away, there's a high chance they will prevent her from hanging out with me for the night so I don't bother and wait for something with better odds.

If they let her chat, I'll eventually explain to the friends that we kinda hit it off and would like to grab a quick drink to end the night.

Usually I get three attitude categories of girls who come up...

A) The girl who's out loving life and is intrigued by the guy playing music on the corner. A medium lead, gotta reel these in with some game, not too much because attraction is already established. More or less just show that you are normal and confident.
A lot of international girls, aupairs and college age American girls come up to chat, which to me is ideal. No routines, if anything figure out her nationality asap and show that you know something about her country/culture or figure out her college and drop some knowledge about the campus/area/sports culture

B) The super sexual type who will flat out tell me "your music is sexy as fuck" or some variant thereof. For these girls I stop playing, stand up, and lock eye contact/put hand on her hip and go right for the makeout. After the makeout I diffuse the tension with very light small talk while packing up my stuff. Game on.

This is pretty rare, maybe one or two of these a month. The biggest problem is the makeout usually cues motherly instincts in her friends and she gets dragged away/'protected' rather quickly...I still can't get people to get over the dirty/poor/nasty stereotype of street musicians even though I have nice clothes, work out, fresh hair cut, smell good etc.

I think if I didn't start packing up my stuff but just chilled out I would look less thirsty and this is something I'm experimenting with at the moment.

C) Bratty girls who want to say something like "This songs sucks, but do you know XYZ?" Always American 25+ year old chicks that pull this, I politely ask them to go away. They never tip even if you do play their song so I stopped interacting with them and have not regretted it since.

My simple routine is as follows...dead simple and obvious to anyone who knows even a little about game. Nothing revolutionary.

After 5 min of chatting...
"hey it's been a hell of a night, let me go drop off my guitar at my place. Walk with me, I have some liquor, we can chill at the park nearby and I'll drive you home after...I haven't been drinking much tonight."

At this point she either turns her back on her friends and walks with me or goes in for a girl group huddle. I've yet to be shot down, but I have had mother hen girls question me and do their thing. Best approach here is to be calm, steady, and play up the 'quick drink' angle to stress that you're not assuming sex will happen. This usually pacifies these types.

So all that gets her back to my apartment, where we either bang immediately or we drink at the park for a while before going back to my place to 'get the car keys' and I escalate from there.

This whole time I act very low-key/laid back/harmless with the friends but maintain a low, steady voice and very strong eye contact with the girl I want to take home. Usually some light hip touching and I'll ask her to hold my guitar case while I clean up equipment as a compliance test.

Sometimes I'll ask her to count my tips if I know I've had a good night, which she will generally enjoy and 99% of the time she will joke about how now I can take her to a fancy dinner...to which I reply that "now I can finally pay back my drug dealer and bookie, so hope you like McDonalds"

A lot of things go unspoken but the message is crystal clear when I ask her back to my place and she knows what's up before we start walking.

I like my girls confident and sexual and can't be bothered on girls that don't have an overtly feminine energy. If I don't get a strong sexual vibe from her I'll dip out and spit game on my walk home the same way every dude does past last call.

You will get other musicians, usually singers or freestyle rappers, who will jump in and want to jam. If you can't keep up you'll lose their respect and their negative body language will be enough to deter a crowd and kill your momentum. Make sure that you can kick it in multiple musical styles or you'll get clowned on the street.

If you can hang musically, you can get spontaneous crowds to form, other strangers to jam with you, and some truly magical collaborations can happen. It's usually after one of these killer performances that you'll get a girl come up that will be VERY interested in you.

At the end of the night, I had a ton of fun playing music, people usually buy me/tip me drinks, I meet a TON of cool folks, make some cash money and have a good shot at getting laid. It's great and I personally enjoy it much more than hitting the bars.

It's a bit of effort..but so is booking a gig and everything that goes with it...or going out and working the room at a club. This particular goose is great because i do it how I want, when I want, and my logistics are super tight with the bars, a huge park and my apartment all within 5 min walk.
Reply
#2

Busking and Getting Laid

I dunno man to me Busking is a job and one that makes me nearly 35 to 50 bucks an hour. I would keep things professional if I were you because word will get around that you are a player and eventually you'll get booted off your pitch. I know one guy that does the same busking as me (we used to work together) and he ended up nailing the market owner's daughter. Well one day we were doing our thing and this semi-hot young girl shows up and starts screaming like a banshee... it was not cool as we had a line of like 20 kids and parents. He tried to calm her down but she went into this epic rage and more 'f' words came out of her then I've heard in a rap video.

I would advise against it especially if you take your craft seriously. Also avoid talking about anything sex related... I get perverts every now and then that walk up to me and ask me to make them something dirty to play around with. That would just look like sh1t on me and I'm pretty sure it would offend and disgust a lot of people. A good trick is to direct them over to your competition.

You are always in the public eye and if you want people to keep looking and dropping money, save your game till later. Instead hand out your business card. I have mine attached to my rig. Another great way to get your name out there is to get a button puncher and punch off your name/email/phone and give them out for free. People love free stuff and you can get buttons for less than a penny. The button puncher (for a good one) might run you $200 but its well worth it. Also a T-shirt press and Hat Press is handy because then you can stick your logo on your clothing for next to nothing... Everyone loves free stuff... buttons, t-shirts and hats allow people to walk home with your name, permanently. You can easily make $400 a gig if you are good at what you do.

I invest about $2000+ a year in my costume/rig/pumps and models so I take my job pretty seriously. I would say, do not busk if you don't want to get blown out of the water by the professional guys. I make sure to eliminate all of my competition on arrival and make it so that when they set up near me, they have to compete with the best of the best. Magicians/Clowns/Musicians are all fair game... if you want to get respect and money, you gotta be a threat to other people. You've got to add as much value as you can, in previous years I had an ex-girlfriend dress up in a HUGE friendly monster mascot costume. You will get people running from far and wide to get 'free' pics with the monster and you together. This is when having that T-Shirt press comes in handy because you can throw a t-shirt with your logo over the monster and when people get those free pics, they are also getting your name/number and email to go with it.

Since I live in the same province as two of the world's best buskers in my craft, I've got to really ramp things up.


If you've got a girlfriend or even just a buddy who's a semi-hot girl. Dress her up like this and tell her to walk around you in circles while you are playing your music:






As for me, I wear sh1t that puts Mystery to shame.
Reply
#3

Busking and Getting Laid

The other thing I would recommend is getting your own style/costume together. Performance is a big deal and people will take you seriously if you are in performer gear. Jeans and a t-shirt do not cut it. People are looking at you to do something that they never could...

Now if you can use your game/personality to make people feel good about themselves while they are standing in-front of you, the money is gonna fly out of their pockets at light-speed. Obviously my target market is different than yours, but I would throw a bit of magic into your gig... trust me dude, even sh1tty magic looks great. When I experience a lull in traffic, we usually bust out some insane magic tricks to gather the crowd. I've had days doing corporate gigs where we have a line up of nearly 100 people. That's the BEST time to have your mascot running around, talking to your line up, playing simple games(up down game) with them and handing out marketing materials.

You can appeal to a much larger crowd if the stuff you do is family friendly and people like nothing better than dropping money on their kids. Half of busking is customer service.






A friend of mine reads tarot cards in costume and women pay him 50 bucks for a 20 minute reading... since he wears this cape and funky hat if gives off the illusion he's some sort of mystic. He says he makes half of it up on the spot but people love it cause he's entertaining and funny. Throw on a couple mascot feet a huge magicians top hat and some big shoulder pads or something or dress up in cosplay while you are doing your thing and people are going to want your picture. Have fun with whatever you do, be fun and crazy and people will naturally be attracted to your style.
Reply
#4

Busking and Getting Laid

You can do all kinds of wicked stuff with busking and if your show is off the hook, women will DEMAND to know who you are. Salah took popping, added a bit of entertainment value and made it into a really wicked show that is completely family friendly. We always get a ton of people who circle us just to get a handshake or pat us on the back. Social proof [Image: wink.gif] I have a Chinese friend who plays the bagpipes in full military gear (desert camo) and it attracts a ton of attention from the Chinese, most of which who have never heard the bagpipes let alone seen a guy wearing military dress (and helmet).. different stands out and the idea is to stand out from the crowd at all times.






He's been all over Asia doing this stuff.






Contact Juggling and Breakdance together.

As you said, sometimes I see guys on the street who are breakdancing or singing and if they are half decent and I speak to them first, I'll throw down my stuff and we take their show into orbit. It's always important to ask permission first. I had a Michael Jackson impersonator on a pitch in China, when I hear music, I have a hard time not dancing.. so I went on as if I was walking by and let him sort of 'hit me' accidentally with his dance, then I pretended I was hurt and I scrunched up in a ball on the ground, the entire crowd hushed and looked in. The guy ran over and started to apologize profusely, so I winked at him, had my wife start playing some music and started into my popping routine. The crowd went absolutely nuts, it got even better because my wife really hammed it up as if she couldn't believe what was going on, then we took out our magic kit. I threw all the tips his way in the end because sometimes its a pleasure just to preform.. he ended up calling and asking if we wanted to do a show together. It's really an excellent way to network with other entertainers in the city and the locals all know the best pitches. BEWARE: Only do this if you are awesome at what you do.

Surprise the crowd once in awhile, but don't steal the spot light, always make sure to be humble and thank the original pitch holder in some way infront of the crowd, big smiles, bowing and visibly big handshakes. Any pictures the crowd wants of you, make sure to include the original pitch holder and whomever is taking the picture, personalize it if possible, it leaves lasting memories for everyone. If you've got skills don't be afraid to show them but always work as a team, anything done as a group always looks better than if you were doing it yourself.

Santoro maybe you should join us in Asia dude, I'm sure we'd have a blast if you are open to learning some entertainment skills. If you dig busking, you should definitely get into English teaching.
Reply
#5

Busking and Getting Laid

I live in NYC and have wanted to for years. I am a lifelong guitar player and can play blues really well on a little old beat up acoustic, but my schtick would be something like an early Beck, with a beat machine, and maybe a little amplification and sounds to compliment the guitar. I can literally walk out my door and be in Central Park in 5 minutes. One kid I see with a trumpet there every weekend plays Pharrell's Happy over and over again and makes a killing. I'd like to see what I can do with it. As far as game, I would see it as a major positive if you are good and can be mobile without literally blowing up your spot.
Reply
#6

Busking and Getting Laid

This thread makes me regret that I'm such an anti-talent for music.

"Imagine" by HCE | Hitler reacts to Battle of Montreal | An alternative use for squid that has never crossed your mind before
Reply
#7

Busking and Getting Laid

Badwolf...what part of Asia are you in? I'm going to be on a six month stint in Japan in the near future....

Some market owner's daughter going apeshit...? Worrying about stuff like that would be, with all due respect, pathetic.

I can do what I want. I have multiple income streams so fucking around is my main MO with busking. I guess if I was truly dependent on it I might give it more thought, but living on my knees doesn't seem like the way to go.

Besides, living in fear of some chick chewing me out isn't really my style. If anything that sounds mad hilarious. Maybe there's a cultural barrier that separates our thoughts...in America it wouldn't matter AT ALL if everyone knew I was banging chicks from busking. If anything it would only help my chances....both for money and poon

The whole costume thing reeks of gimmick. People compliment me that my style and music is real. That's all I care about. I'm not trying to be billboard certified or even get famous. This is purely for love of music. I take out a 5 gallon bucket, sit down, and play my heart out. People can take it or leave it.

I guess there are a lot of good musicians out there and to get noticed sometimes you gotta do stuff like that...it's just not for me.

I can't shake the idea that if I dress up and play make-believe rockstar I'm no different than early-era Mystery or Kiss...and we all know general opinion on both...total joke

Vaun...I have a busking setup that would allow you to have a backing track and a fairly hidden/discrete speaker...it's what I use when I'm not 'legally' allowed to be amplified and no one has ever complained/noticed...PM me and I'll send you the exact setup. It's cheap and very reliable.
Reply
#8

Busking and Getting Laid

I'll be back in China before February, you could probably just jump a ferry.

The difference I guess would be that I get hired out for $400 for an hour and a half show [and thats low compared to my competition]. The two guys who got me started making decent money collect $1500 for a half hour show and they do a couple shows per weekend.

The market owners daughter owned the market where we ran half our shows at and where we collected 30 to 50 bucks in tips per hour. If you are just using this for pvssy, well that's fine but I look at busking as a small business on the side and presenting a professional/clean and family friendly image is very important to me and the clients who use my services to promote their businesses.

Again man, if you wanna make money, you gotta do stuff regular joes aren't willing or able to do. Entertainment is big business. Anybody can get a degree, not everybody can dress up and make people laugh.

Quote:Quote:

I can't shake the idea that if I dress up and play make-believe rockstar I'm no different than early-era Mystery or Kiss...and we all know general opinion on both...total joke

Total joke? Both groups are millionaires. At the end of the day, they are the ones laughing.
Reply
#9

Busking and Getting Laid

Busking sounds like a lot of fun, I would love to try it sometime. I loved the part where you can meet and jam with other talented musicians, for me that alone is more than worth it.

Santoro what instrument do you play? I am guessing acoustic guitar. Any styles in specific you specially like?
Reply
#10

Busking and Getting Laid

Badwolf - it sounds like you run an actual entertainer business, and are in a relatively smaller area than a major city, because you are concerned about reputation, regular clientele, your image. When I think of busking I think of being relatively anonymous, mobile i.e. transient to location, and a more DIY approach of just showing up somewhere with an open instrument case. Sort of the hobo lifestyle. The buskers I see on a daily basis appear this way. There are those I see that have their regular spots and have permits, and more elaborate performances and props who are what I call street performers. Thats for sure not me! I just want to show up and play my guitar and collect some money for it.
Reply
#11

Busking and Getting Laid

That's true, as a busker in my trade you've got to have $1,000,000 worth of insurance just in case. The only thing that happens if a musician does his job wrong is a couple of boos from the audience, mine is a bit more serious but then again these kind of guys are my competition so I have to be on top of my game at all times.






You could be looking at a serious lawsuit if you mouth inflate balloons in Canada.
Reply
#12

Busking and Getting Laid

Quote: (09-25-2014 05:36 AM)FretDancer Wrote:  

Santoro what instrument do you play? I am guessing acoustic guitar. Any styles in specific you specially like?

I play an electric hooked up to a small discrete amp. I've found that if the amp is out of sight cops won't bother me about being amplified (so long as I'm playing at a very reasonable volume). Hide it in a backpack with the backpack open and the speaker facing out...from eye level it's not visible.

My argument if cops give me shit is that on a truly busy street corner you can't actually hear an un-amped acoustic. My amp's sound can be heard within a 15 ft radius...which is pretty small

A friend plays bucket drums and does really well too...

As far as styles go...there's what I like and what makes me money.

I love playing hard rock and gypsy jazz. No one really gives me money for that stuff

What people reliably love/give me money for are Sublime covers, Red Hot Chili Peppers stuff, Lorde songs arranged in rockin' covers, slide guitar, synth lines from rap songs, generic power chord riffs, Bob Marley, Beatles and Rush tunes.

Lot of guys are surprised to hear Rush tunes from a busker...the first few times I played their tunes I was blown away by how many people recognized their stuff and opened their wallets
Reply
#13

Busking and Getting Laid

Nice on the gypsy jazz! But definitely an underappreciated genre. I saw The Hot Club of San Francisco playing to old silent films a couple years ago at a college, 75%+ of the audience were college kids who got in for free and were on their phones most of the time. The couple I talked to said they were just doing it for the required arts credit... And I paid $25 and drove an hour for it. Disappointing, but maybe some quality busking can bring it back around!
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)