This is a great article from the Washington Post about Joshua Bell busking during the morning rush hour. I wonder how much he would have made if he played "Brown-eyed Girl" or "Sweet Home Alabama". I wonder if more people started paying attention to people busking during their morning commutes after reading this article. I should warn any readers, the article is a long one. It also has some interesting sub-points. If the article doesn't wear you out you can read the 53 pages of reader comments afterwards.
When I lived in Boston, decades ago, I saw the exact scenes described in the article occur(with the exception that the good musicians were not the fantastic Bell). It has nothing to do with the music. It has everything to do with the situation. People are generally to busy to recognize what's right in front of them, unless they're told what's in front of them. For example, if there was a big sign that read "THIS IS THE WORLD FAMOUS VIOLINIST JOSHUA BELL" and pointing directly at him he may have made quite a killing. Or, maybe not. I'm pretty sure, though, that this is more a comment on the pace of life in the United States, and hopefully less of a comment on its culture.
Of course, they are often the same thing.
Kudos to the Gene Weingarten for such a fascinating read.
So, two different people sent me that article, and then you blogged it. I was really blown away by it, but not surprised. Extremely well written. Deserves a pulitzer nod.
Still, I still have this nagging urge to grab the iRiver and make you replicate the experiment for a "special podcast."
Posted by: Darrin | April 17, 2007 at 02:37 PM