You’ve heard of street performers?
Sure. Like the men who stand like statues.
Well, that’s one kind. There are also the musicians who play for contributions from their audiences.
Right.
Well, in those cases the audience comes to the musician. My first experience had the music come to the audience.
How’s that?
When I was a kid growing up in Baldwin, my first encounter with a street performer was with an organ grinder and his monkey. The two would come up the street, he cranking his music box and the monkey dressed in red and carrying a tin cup.
We kids would hand a coin to the monkey, who would drop it in his cup. I think the biggest thrill was that transfer from my hand to the monkey’s little hand. So cool.
Of course, we kids of 7 or 8 or 9 didn’t have much money to give, but during the Great Depression every little bit helped.