PING
That’s what I thought would happen when I first started reading the piece.
The article made me really very thoughtful. And sad.
I wish I was shocked by this story, as I’m sure a lot of Europeans will be. Had Bell dressed as Snoop Dogg and spat out some impromptu hip-hop, he would have made a lot more money.
Bookmarking to read later...
My preference is that it says more about D.C. residents since so many of them are either crack dealers or bureaucrats.
A more interesting experiment would have been to have Mr. Bell play at the same Metro station at the afternoon rush hour, when people aren't facing the wrath of a supervisor if they come in late and so have a better chance to stop and listen. Furthermore, people aren't necessarily in their pre-caffeinated fugue state.
Street violins in Washington, DC? He should have had a Saxophone accompany him........Sax and violins in the streets of DC is all too common.......
Great Article, saved it to a .pdf file to send to friends.
At that hour people are in a hurry to get to work, they don’t care who is playing. George Bush could be there himself shaking hands, and they would be running to get to work (perhaps not, but I hope people get the idea).
If he played at a central place in New York City where people were sitting around during their lunch hour, people would be paying attention and stop to listen.
I have met Josh Bell years ago when he played with a Bluegrass / Classical combo Short Trip Home, consisting of Sam Bush, Edgar Myer and forgot who else off the top of my head, it was a session to record a video and some other things, I got tickets from a radio station I was a member of.
That’s amazing. I’ve met Bell; he sold me an autographed CD about 10 years ago after a concert. He’s very good looking and he plays the violin like an angel. I fell in love with him even though he’s probably 35 years my junior and I’m married. I don’t think that I’d forget him, had I been in that crowd on January 12, and I think that I would stop to listen. Of course, I don’t work in DC. That level of stress takes all the enjoyment out of life.
I don’t give money to bums on the street. However, if one has a musical instrument that (s)he can actually play, I’ll cast in a buck or so, and may actually stay for a moment to analyze their technique and how good they really are.
I heard him last September in Colorado Springs, and he is quite a virtuoso (and the Springs orchestra is outstanding—much better than those in other comparably sized cities I’ve lived in—had to get that plug in).
thanks for the story. sad commentary.