Looking at myself I didn't know who I was. My beard had changed the shape of my face. I looked about 12 and I was shocked. Although I feel a bit exposed without my beard, I felt it needed to come off. I needed to look at myself and see who I was if that makes sense - I needed to start again and go through this process I am going through. But it felt like I had lost a body part, chopped my nose or ears off or something, I just wasnt used to seeing me like this. The last time I shaved was 3 years ago in the Desert.
Anyway, I put on my sunglasses and my suit to see if the new look worked, and it did. I was looking sharp and knew I needed to go busking. I had about a euro to my name and no tobacco. I get a bit crazy when I don't have tobacco, so set out to the old faithful spot of EisenacherStr. There was a guy playing in the quiet end, where I had first wanted to go, as the cafe was still open at the other side. I bought myself a beer and got some tobacco off a guy walking past. It was still quite windy so I decided to just go back and listen to the guy who was playing.
He had a big cube and was playing his set when these 2 guys walk up to him screaming in German. I got the jist they were saying it was too loud, but they were aggressive arse holes drinking from a bottle of Whiskey. After screaming at him they went down to the platform and he carried on playing. The next minute, they come back and give his case a big hard kick! All his stuff goes everywhere as people start to get involved. After a few minutes they go back down and I say "Don't let them win, lad. Keep playing and show your not scared of him." He wasn't really feeling to play and I had already set up at this point, so I start to play.
After 2 songs they come back up and start walking over to me. I put my guitar down and meet them head on. I say "Get out of my space here, you are no-one to tell me not to play". He backs off and walks away and the other one starts telling me that they own this place, we have knives and if you don't stop playing we take it all. He was a little weasal eyed rat and I just looked at him in distgust and said get out of my sight and don't be the darkness of Berlin. Just as I said that, the guy who had backed off threw a full cup of Whiskey and Cola over me!
So, in my best suit, looking so sharp, to being soaked by Whiskey and cheap Cola. I was shocked and looked at the pathetic creature who had thrown it. "Too scared to come near me, hey, you piece of shit!" The weasel eyed one was getting frantic with excitement over the throw and started to make more threats. I looked him dead in his rat eyes and said "You creatures are the darkness of Berlin. You are the decay and the disease of this city. Don't be the darkness, be the light." This got the weasel worked up and as he got closer, I just pushed him away and said "Get the fuck out of my face you fungus".
A big part of me wanted to go home, wash myself and stay in. But I refused to let the darkness win. I buttoned up my suit, the shirt had taken the brunt of the damage, and washed myself. My face and hands were so sticky from cheap Cola, it was horrible. I dried off all my stuff with the busking scarf and bought a beer with the euro I had made in that time and kept playing. I wasn't going to let them scare me or make me stop. That is only the 2nd time in 6 years that something like that has happened, and I think it was because I was too quick and still in the other guys energy. But I just wanted to show them that they can't put out the light of the street music of Berlin.
En garde!
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