Probably one of the most annoying things about busking is the hecklers. There’s an image of street musicians that combines train-hopping drug addicts with the bohemian life of writers like Hunter S. Thompson, chasing our vices like children on a playground. And honestly, I can’t blame those who believe we’re all out to feed our addictions. The bar district I play in always has a few panhandlers or travelling folk around. There’s a reason for the stereotype, however undeserved.

Where there is drink, there is aggression and stupidity. The worst I’ve experienced (that I didn’t deserve, at least) was a 20-something white girl who wasn’t content with decrying me to her friends. She let her group wander off without her so she could stand in front of me, blocking donations from reaching my case, and lecturing anyone who walked by on how I made more money in a night than they made in a week, how it was all a scam, she’d seen it on the news.

But that’s an angry rant for another time.

I had someone approach me once and tip me after a song, then ask if I did stand up comedy. Hell yes! I plugged my upcoming comedy show to him, and he divulged he had recognized me from this awful open mic I used to perform at. He said he had loved my comedy, I told him I was much better now. He said he’d come to the show – and that I should probably stick to comedy.

Oof.

Most of my negative interactions weren’t nearly so personal, though. The vast majority of hecklers are more than content to yell from a distance. “You suck!” “Free bird!” “Go home!” and the like. But the one I got with stunning regularity was a classic: “Get a real job!”

It used to make me furious. At the time, I had two jobs – 30 hours a week in a call center, 20 hours a week in a restaurant, and all the writing/music/comedy that took up my spare time. I didn’t play guitar on the street because I couldn’t live without the money, I played and sang to add some small measure of joy into the world.

And what if I did? What if I needed the money and this was the only option I could think of? I think after seven years of practice I’ve earned the right to stand on a street corner surrounded by drunks. I think I earned the right to the $50 I was able to make in 4 hours. Two nights a week. If I wasn’t working. If the crowds were there. I think I had earned a small measure of goddamned respect.

It’s been a little over a year since I’ve had the chance to busk. I didn’t have transportation for a while, and I close at work every weekend night. I could still hang around on an off night and try to scrape together $15, but other things have gotten in the way. More excuses I might go into at a later time.

But the time I’ve been off has given me a little bit of perspective. I used to think it was jealousy that caused people to heckle you. People are scared to put themselves out there, and it’s easier to mock those who are trying than admit that you are terrified to take that kind of chance. It’s easier to poke holes than to build something of your own. And maybe I was right. I’m sure jealousy has something to do with it. But there’s a different possibility I had never considered.

Maybe I’m just not very good.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I suck. But over the past year my roommate and I have put together a regular comedy show and finally built it up to the point of having a returning audience that just about sells out each show. And one of the things I ran into while doing that is how people’s perceptions of comedy are filtered through consumption of professionally-booked shows and HBO specials. They don’t have a gauge for comedy that extends to anything below that.

So imagine that a person’s slightly jealous of anything artistic. They know that they would have been great at guitar, and maybe even started learning once, but never followed through. They got a 4-year degree in Communications and got a job at a call center. So on weekends they go see touring bands at bars or concerts in even larger venues to blow off some steam. And then they see some schmuck playing pretty okay covers on a street corner.

See, they gave up before they got to that level. They don’t know how to gauge it. They’re used to seeing musicians who have spent decades honing their craft. So they’re a little jealous of the attention you or I receive, and honestly think we suck. From their perspective, they’re not wrong. And they yell out to let us know.

Use it as a measuring tool. Keep going out. Keep getting better. I guarantee you they’ve already forgotten about the whole thing. But if you persevere, they might one day ‘discover’ you at one of those venues where they hand over their money.

You’ve already gotten farther than they ever will. Don’t spend a second arguing with or worrying about their comments. You’re never going to please everyone. But you can improve. And you can keep adding joy to the world. God knows these days, we could really use it.