16 Dollars a Day

So here is my dad.

He's on the left there, next to my uncle Bruce

My dad is always telling me I should write down all the stories I tell about my travels, playing guitar on the street and in the subways and in parks and by lakes and in bars and well, all over. So, after reading Steph Delacy's blog http://there-was-a-girl-who-had-a-blog.blogspot.com top to bottom, (I would really recommend reading this. It's hilarious.) I decided I was going to finally listen to my dad. But do me a favor, and don't let him know, cause I'll never hear the end of it. 

This is me: Ryan Westwood. Actor, Singer, Song-writer, Street Performer. I'm playing at my brother Doug's wedding reception as the rain comes pouring down, which, is another story, for another day. 

I make half of my living playing guitar and singing on the streets of anywhere I go. I've been doing it since 2009, maybe 2008. 

It started out just a funny thing to go do. Then I realized I could get PAID to write music. Or to play 3 songs endlessly all day long. Or to practice telling stories for my real shows. Or to play every song I've ever written 3 times a day. Or to stand there with a cigarette in my hand and watch people walk by and STILL throw money at me even though I'm not playing... - The list goes on. The moral of the story - Is I was getting paid to play guitar, and it was ground breaking. 

So - most of my stories are attached to songs. Some I have recorded, some, like this one, I do not. 

I'm going to start this blog off with a story I always tell in every show I ever play. 

16 Dollars a Day 

So. Last October I was living with a good friends Shelee and Brad Frazee on 39th st. in Chicago, IL. Instead of going out and finding a job like any sane person would do, for two months I went down to Michigan Avenue and played guitar for 3 - 5 hours a day for tips. 

I'd take a bottle of water, a thermos of hot tea, a couple of sammiches ( love me a good sammich) and some other munchables. I'd play for 2ish hours, walk to the Marriott Hotel, sneak into the bathroom, then head to the second floor of the lobby and crash down on a green couch to eat my lunch. Then I'd head back out and finish out the day. (Thanks Marriott Hotel for your never ending hospitality)

I figured it out, that if I made 16 dollars every day, I'd be able to pay all my bills. Now - I wasn't paying rent (Thank you Shellee and Brad) I wasn't paying for food (Thank you again Shellee and Brad). But i was paying 2 sizable private loans, a credit card, and a phone bill. 

So there I was in front of the Bennigan's on Michigan across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art playing my heart out. It was a rough day. I'd probably made 5 dollars in an hour, which, is awful. 5 dollars an hour is enough to make me never want to play guitar again for at least 20 minutes. By the end of a 5 dollar/hour hour,  I am ready to completely "hobo freak out" on anyone who doesn't drop me a dollar, let alone a dime.   However, that day, rather that start screaming at the next coach purse I saw stroll on by - I somehow managed to write this little song called 16 Dollars a Day. 

I wrote it for 2 reasons. 1, to document this amazing, difficult, and brilliant experience of playing guitar every day on the street for 2 months. and 2, to BEG the people eating their hot lunches at Bennigan's for the change from their meals. 

The chorus goes 

     "16 dollars a day will pay my bills, hey wont you please help me out. 16 dollars a day won't buy me no thrill but the landlord wont kick me out. If I make 16 dollars, one little old day at a time, I will be just fine"

So here I am in cold October on a street corner with a guitar and a harmonica, in a grey hoody, an orange and red flannel jacket, and bright blue gloves that make me look like I stole the Cookie Monster's hair dye and used it on my hands - Begging the people at BENNIGAN's for money - through song. A terrific sight if I don't say so myself. 

Whether it was the song, or the ridculous sight of me singing to the Bennigan's crowd that did it, I'll never know. But money picked up, I made my 16 dollars and called it a day and at the end of it - I'd written a new song. 

Good day. 

Its an hour later than I planned on staying up. Stay tuned for next time. I might even have song link in here eventually. 

:) 

Ryan