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Richard, on your idea with the news cameras and media attention: better experiment yet would be Stevie Wonder at one end of the hall, jammin his ass on a B3, but dirty, no media, etc, other end is WORTHLESS HACK who's never touched the instrument he's been handed, but media attention galore.. I agree that the crowd would form at the wrong place.. sad. As a busker of occasion (with possibly the most annoying busking instrument imaginable, large purple tuba) I'd agree with alot of what the list is saying, it's for the experience not the change. I wish we all lived in a complete meritocracy where goodness of all varieties was rewarded, but ah, welcome to the machine. Who are your favorite buskers? in seattle we have a few 5-gallon plastic can drummers who seriously rock, i've got half a mind to walk out on my day job one shiny afternoon with le' funk engine and see if they'd like to jam. I'll try to get video :) Much love all! -Miles On 4/9/07, Teddy Kumpel <teddybut@mac.com> wrote: > Yes, good article, thanks for forwarding... > > if you want something to be true... it can be for you with a little help > from your imagination. > > You obviously lean towards thinking that North Americans are herd >mentality > and have lost touch with music and therefore will be more inclined to > interpret the findings of the article in that light. > > I, on the other hand, interpret it as a bunch of very busy people going >to a > place where they will do something important to them and they don't want >to > be to be bothered with some guy jamming on a violin no matter how good he > is. How presumptuous and narcissistic it is of us musicians to think that > people actually want to hear music on the way to work anyway. They've got > things on their mind after all. Gearing up for the day can be great and > perhaps best done in relative silence and anything other than that would >be > a distraction. Personally I'd rather have control over what I listen to >and > that's why the ipod is good. I bet a lot of those passers by had >headphones > on too and found the violin to be an intrusion. > > I'm all for freedom but busking, for me, sucks on many levels. It can be >an > Intrusion, sometimes as bad as smoking cigarettes in a public place. >There > are good points... but not as many as bad for me. There's the rare >occasion > that a busker is doing something I'm remotely interested in like playing >a > chinese violin or using puppets. That I'll take off my headphones for... >but > a virtuoso classical violinist playing Schubert or a bebop guitarist >playing > standards? forget it. I don't care if it's Joe Pass himself, I'd rather >have > holes punched in my ears with toothpicks. but... of course, that's just >me. > So... no, if I knew it was Josh Bell or any other famous classical >person I > wouldn't have stopped... if it was Stevie Wonder I would have stopped. >If it > was Britanny Spears i would have ran the other way. > > I'm a professional musician who has never busked... so of course my take >is > skewed towards non busking. > > just keep it on topic... have any of you ambient loopers ever busked? How > did you get power in the subway? I think ambient looping would be > interesting busking since ambient music is all about setting a mood >without > being in the way of people's thoughts anyway. > > Teddy > > > > On Apr 9, 2007, at 1:12 PM, Richard Sales wrote: > > I thought the article was amazing not just for the actual experiment but >for > other snippets that occurred, like Bell denying that he is a genius and >the > 'if a tree falls' bit. > > The guy is obviously a top notch virtuoso and I'm dazzled that more folks > didn't stop. In a way, to me, it says something about how the >importance of > music has slipped for many folks. > > I also think it makes a comment about the conformity and herd mind of >North > America. If folks had KNOWN he was a world famous violinist, they most > certainly would have stopped - work or no work. I mean, if Bob Dylan or > Stevie Wonder or Britney Spears busked at the same train station you >would > have had a serious gridlock of gawkers and listeners. BUT! If someone > equally as good and creative (this adjective does not apply to Ms Spears) > did it and wasn't recognizable as a 'famous' person they would have been > shined on just like J Bell. I found it very fascinating and high protein > food for thought. > > I think it would be a fun experiment to repeat the experiment but with >the > Washington Post cameras in full view and maybe some bodyguards there to >show > that this was an important person. I bet the results would be quit > different. And that would be telling. > > And I think it says a lot about our vocation (or hobby maybe) for some. >And > it should be sweet solace for those who know they are very gifted and > working at Wal Mart. The moral might be, "Fame has its advantages." And >it > also brings to mind the brilliant human observation, "To them that have >more > shall be given." > > > richard sales > > > -- ---Miles Ward