It wasn't that long ago when I found myself busking in downtown Tucson, Arizona out of necessity. It was my sole income. Now, this town isn't exactly known for busking although Tucson does have one - count one - weekend street fair in the winter.
While finishing my busking, I meet another busker and we go have coffee and chat. It seems David was a married man from Chicago and wanted to move out west. One night, he and his wife decided to pin a map of the United States on the wall. David would throw a dart at it thusly determining where they were to live. As it turns out, the dart landed precisely on Bisbee, Arizona and that was that.
They soon packed their bags and headed out. David was on disability and collecting federal and state checks. He had a post office box where they were sent. However, he soon noticed his wife was becoming estranged and people seemed to be talking about him wherever he went. Paranoia? He didn't know what to think.
His wife was working at a local convenience store until late then wouldn't come home until much later. When people saw David walking towards the liquor store, they'd actually shout out, "Gonna go git some Colt 45?" How did they know what he drank? He'd walk towards the post office and they'd yell, "Hey, you gonna pick up your check? Today's the 3rd..." He began to suspect his wife had something to do with it all - and he was right.
Poor David's wife had, indeed, turned against him and was having an affair to boot. She had spread misinformation about him all over town. He was a "loser", "on the dole", "a creep" - every derogatory term she could come up with - and they believed her! In small towns, such is often the case. They're so bored, they'll listen and repeat anything they hear. It reminds me of how the news media works. Truth need not get in the way of a good story. Quite convincing, she really did a number on David. As he recalled, "Everybody knew everything about me - where I was going, what I was doing, what I was buying. They even knew which hand I wiped with. It was really unsettling."
In reality, David was an accomplished violinist who picked up some extra money busking. He had a back disability and had served in the merchant marines. He had married what he thought was the "love of his life". Now, it seemed, the whole town was against him. He didn't stand a chance. He had to get out of there.
One day, things just came to a head. David grabbed his clothes & violin then ran outside, threw them into his car, and roared away. "I floored it all the way out of town and never looked back," says David. "I just kept going full speed until I thought I was safely away from those monsters." He sped north to Tucson where I met him telling his tale of woe. Later, I showed him a pitch near the university where he could perform. I took off for Colorado and wished him Good Luck.
I don't know - it just struck me as funny - envisioning this guy flooring his car down a bone-dry dirt road leaving his lying, cheating wife in the dust. He'd rather sleep in his car that put up with all that rot.
Let this be a lesson - Never throw a dart at a map and go live there. You've got to be a bit smarter than that - especially if you're a busker. Buskers need cities teeming with people, shopping districts, and tourists. Living in tiny town wasn't exactly the greatest thing to do. David paid the price - big time.
God only knows what happened to poor David. He probably headed back home to Chicago. Too bad the dart didn't land on Las Vegas where he could busk and get a divorce all in one day.
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