Pearls Before Breakfast
Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews

Yep, I would have stopped, listened as long as he played, and asked about his fiddle!

I would have stopped for sure, but I think that guy is crazy, I mean I always leave my Strad at home if I'm playing on the street.

I would've stopped too. Once while in a dept store they had a guy in there singing folk music & playing guitar. I was the only one who stopped to listen to him. Yet, he carried on as if he had an audience. Never seemed to let it faze him. I've seen the street buskers in Alexandria. Pretty neat...

he did a really good west side story a few years back and the soundtrack to the Red Violin that i thought was pretty Good. It would have been cool if Edgar Meyer or Bela Fleck would have joined him!

I got nothin'

I saw that on the news earlier this week. While I'm definitely not comparing myself to Joshua Bell, it made me feel better about playing in bars on the nights that people react to my playing like I was a radio on in the background. And while I've made a lot less in tips than $32.17 (one night all I got was a wooden drink token), I've also made more with only about 3% or 4% of the number of people that passed him by. Maybe the bad nights aren't that bad after all! I'm surprised he didn't get arrested. In places like Boston or Northampton, Massachusetts you need a busker's license to do that ($25 in Boston!).

What would be more interesting to me would be to know how the day of the people who heard him play went. Even if they didn't stop to listen, they still heard.

but the one man band by the quick lunch stand
played real good
and for free

how can it not make the day better!

i remember the guy in the garden park playing the flute in the drizzle and rain
(native american flute music) ...just one other lady there

i still love that.
also managed to get some of his music to take home
(i asked him if he had any CDs)

cliff i didn't get a movie picture either...if that is what you're saying.

No, agnes, I got the video but thank you for considering my lack of clarity. I have thoughts on Strads and $1,000. a minute artists... but it was just easier to admit to nuthin'.

In all fairness to the passers by, probably 99.99999999% of them were on their way to work. Be honest. Unless you're self- or un-employed, who among us would even be able to stop for very long?

But at the same token, Americans do seem to be unappreciative of a lot of things artsy, musical etc. I knew this Scotsman who owned a pizza joint (one of the best pizzas I've ever had, too!) and had traveled extensively and lived in a lot of countries (Howdy, Graham, if you're out there). He said that America was by far the most expensive country that he'd lived in. But then he said that Greece was great. "If you moved to Greece you could live like a king and you only need one thing." Then he pointed to my guitar. "Find a street corner, open your case and play some tunes for a few hours a day! People will throw all kinds of money into your guitar case!" Don't know if it's still true but from what he said busking seemed to be pretty lucrative.

i always got a rock?

Are you sure it was not a chunk of coal

may the quartz be with you