K&W in Laguna Beach -- Saturday, 01Nov2014

When I got down there, as I feared, there were a bunch of homeless guys hanging out. Most of them were on the far bench, and so not much trouble, but there was a new older Australian guy who was far too friendly and wanted to get involved with me, my songs, any people who came by, etc. He was pretty intrusive, and when another homeless surfer guy came by and joined him in dancing to any and all my songs in the middle of the corner, my potential audience went to zero.

So I just quit playing and sat on the side bench and chatted with Mikey, hoping they'd get bored and leave, but these guys are professional sit-arounders, so they can easily outlast the likes of me. Finally the surfer guy asked me if I was going to play anymore, and I gave it to him straight: "As long as you guys and your stuff are taking up the whole bench so nobody can sit and listen, there's no point in me playing". He got it, and moved to the far bench, but he couldn't convince the Australian, who continued to cramp the act all night.

But it wasn't all bad. Traffic was pretty slow because of the cold wind that's finally broken our heat spell, but the guy who drives down from Pasadena just to hear me play came by and listened for a while. And occasionally some people would stop and stand off to one side, away from the bums, and listen -- they just couldn't/wouldn't stay very long. So I played for them, and then when there was nobody but the bums, I ran through some songs that I wanted to practice, or just like to play.

The art college was having a Day of the Dead party in their museum, two shops up from The Corner. It was pretty fun to watch the face-painted and fancy-clothed party goers walk by. Unfortunately, they all had someplace better to go, so none of them stopped for long. And that party got pretty loud toward the end...

At one point a nicely-dressed extended family came by, and the mom asked if I knew any James Taylor. I told her I know *all* of James Taylor's stuff, and to name anything. She asked for the classic, "You've Got a Friend", and though her son wanted "Mexico", I always go with "Ladies first". Which was clearly the right move, 'cuz the dad got up and put something in the jar, and has to be the explanation for the hundred dollar bill that I found in there. (It was such a surprise that I jerked away like it was gonna bite me when I spotted it.) That's *awfully* generous for one song! And that one bill, which quadrupled the take, definitely made the night!