> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # David Smith: Living life simple in Santa Monica - URL: https://www.smdp.com/david-smith-living-life-simple-in-santa-monica/ - Published: 2004-04-26T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T04:15:04.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: local, Promenade, #archive-import, Homeless *Street performer in the upper crust of street life* When David Smith goes home after playing a two-hour set on the Third Street Promenade, he pulls his Ford van into a familiar spot off of Lincoln Boulevard and kills the engine. “I don’t want to get specific, but there’s a bar and a crack motel — I park there,” said Smith, 39, in an interview last week. “I figure I’m the least of the cops’ problems.” Smith referred to himself as “upper echelon” homeless — crediting the van he shares with three guitars, a PA system, a futon and some other personal odds and ends. He’s been in Santa Monica since September of 2000, playing four to six sets on the Promenade each week. He moved here with his brother Chris, 41, after his marriage went south and his daughter chose to live with his ex-wife. Chris, also a guitarist and singer, left Santa Monica last fall, and Smith now plays solo. But that hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm. Bankrolled partly by a local reverend and by a woman who asked him to help her write a song about her son who committed suicide, Smith recently finished producing a 10-track CD called “Wounded Bird” for just $950. 4A3,“If it wasn’t for them, this never would have worked,” he said. The veteran musician said playing on the Promenade can be difficult, but he’s hoping his new CD will help land him in front of a music executive and things will take off from there. There’s talk among street performers about making it big — one reportedly was picked up for a European tour, another was recently spotted by an industry scout. “I’m just grateful that I have this place,” Smith said. “I don’t have to deal with bar managers, mailing lists, booking agents, all the business. I just show up and I play. It’s saved my life in a lot of ways. I’m really grateful I have this. I mean, I want more, but I’m grateful for it. And I feel like I’m part of the community, even though I live in a van.” Here, the Daily Press sat down with Smith and asked him how he’s made it work for four years on the streets of Santa Monica. What kind of music do you play? “I would say folk, rock, blues with a jazz mentality — if I can squeeze them all in there... My favorite songwriter is Jackson Browne. He’s the man. He’s my professor. But I also love Hendrix. I was born in the ’60s and raised in the ’70s, so all that stuff.” Why live in a van? “Cause I don’t make enough money off music to support an apartment or anything else — and I don’t want to do anything else. I don’t make a lot of money. Some of these guys make $100, $200 a night. Hell, $100, $200 a set.” How much do you make? “Twenty bucks. That’s for a two-hour set, and I could do another set and make $5 or $20, but the voice can’t take it. I tend not to hold back. I live every note... That’s an average. The other night I did a $20 set, and then a guy walked up at the end and bought eight ($10) CDs. Another night I’ll make $5.” Is it enough to get by? “Barely. I am just squeaking by. When I first came out I had savings... Now I’m down to the last 200 bucks, literally. You know there are so many food programs. Santa Monica is great that way — it really helps out... I keep the tank full, my belly full, and I manage to get drunk enough.” You mentioned the food programs — what about showers, other services? “There are public showers. There are a couple of different places to go. We go to Memorial Park. It’s good. I’ve had a lot of people pulling for me. “At the park I go to, the maintenance guys are always pulling for me. Then there’s an old guy, every time he sees me he shakes his head at me. There are people that think I’m getting away with something, the life I’m living. They seem to think that it questions the way they’re living. I think it’s a defensiveness... 750,“In another life I’d like to raise a family. I’d like to see my daughter right now. I had to give up a lot. It’s hard. What it comes down to is I’m not great at a lot of things, but when it comes to writing a song and singing it, I think I’m as good as anyone who’s ever done it... “There are a lot of people that would disagree. There are a lot of people that wouldn’t even consider the question.” How did you wind up on the Promenade? “When we first got here I had some savings, (but) I didn’t have a plan. I’m sure I had some dramatic plan of busting down some record execs’ doors and saying, ‘Here, look at me,’ but I just came. I was desperate. “My friend Steve Goodie, he’s got a studio out here... he told me about the Promenade. He said, ‘You might want to try this to make money.’ “Industry towns, like Nashville, there aren’t a lot of paying gigs, ’cause everyone’s willing to play for free.” David Smith, 39, is the youngest of six kids born to a high school English teacher and homemaker who later returned to school to earn a master’s degree in counseling. Raised: On the northwest side of downtown Chicago. Residence: A 1990 extended Ford van. Said Smith about the move from Chicago: “I know if I have a van — I know the weather in California — I can live in it. I don’t need a day job. I got tired of working 40-50 hours a week for somebody I hated.” Family: Divorced with one daughter. Aubrey, 15, lives with her mother in Chicago. Education: Smith quit high school to pursue music. Background: After spending a few years working in a warehouse, Smith spent seven years playing bars and clubs in Chicago. He moved to Nashville for five years to write songs before heading back to Chicago after his divorce. He moved to Santa Monica in September of 2000. Hobbies: Writing, reading, basketball. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/042604-04_01-7.jpg) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 26, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042604.pdf?ref=smdp.com)