Via Flickr:Walking along Jefferson near Fisherman's Wharf, I heard him meekly playing tunes on his harmonica. As he moved around playing, I stopped and watched for awhile, taking some candids from afar. As I moved closer, he spotted me but continued to play. When he took a short break, I struck up a conversation with him.
I told Richard about the $2 Portrait project and he said he'd do it for $4. I replied by asking him if he'd just tell me half his story. He chuckled and said he'd do it for $2. Richard told me he was in a bad way (and he was), all self-induced. Definitely not fully with it, but enough to carry some good melodies. Richard has played the harmonica since he was 12 years old when his grandmother gave him his first one. He told me that he drove her crazy by playing it every day for 6 months until she couldn't take it anymore. He's now 54 and still playing.
I asked Richard if he's from San Francisco and he replied, "Yes, uh no, wait - yes, uh, I guess I didn't answer that one too well". It became clear to me that further conversation was not going to be easy. At that point Richard asked me if I wanted to go sit down and have a beer, to which I declined. I might have taken him up on it if I thought a coherent conversation could result. I thanked Richard for his time and gave him $2. He thanked me and then in a blink of an eye, disappeared.
Taken 8/8/12
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