This happened a couple-few months ago.  I think it was November.  Anyway.

It was 11:30 or so in the evening Friday night, after the drum circle in the hippy-dippy area/street of town, and me and my buddies were hanging out at the pizza place planning our next move--which turned out to be pool, but that's another story.  We were sitting at a table near the cash register.

I had only brought my piccolo snare and a pair of nylon brushes, no case, stand or anything else.  So I'm sure I looked quite the bohemian walking around with the snare under my arm. 

Anyway, it's on my lap, and I was idly swirling at a quiet volume despite the free nature of the place, when up comes some big guy asking if they could play.  I asked if he played, and he confirmed, I get excited and thinking I'm in for a treat at being able to watch a brush player go at it.

He proceeds to wail away with the brushes as if he were KT Tunstall in her video for "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree", paying no attention to the bristles catching the rim until I told him to take it easy, playing a knuckle-dragging series of singles and triplets with nary a hint of dynamics.  I was more disappointed that he couldn't actually play than with his disregard for my brushes.

I nodded when he finished, said, "All right" or some such half-encouraging comment when my equipment was confirmed in good shape, and then he proceeds to ask for money to help with getting to the nearest American Idol audition.  We refused, of course.

Just when he played.  He was dressed decently---I'm thinking just some kid in his early twenties (by the way, it's weird for me to say that, as I've just approached my late twenties and I feel about the same in spirit as I did back in 2003).

Come to think of it, I should have asked him for an impromptu audition right there, but I was still disappointed and taken aback.

Hmm?  I didn't just buy them...did you read "brought" as "bought"?

And, given the artsy-fartsy vibe of the place, more often than not you'll run into someone who knows how to play, as was the case with three other guys at the circle (good drummers who were giving the brushes a shot for the first or second time).