HeadingNorth Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I thought I saw Elvis Presley doing Jail House Rock in Picadilly Circus Underground back in 1965 but then someone else told me that he never even went to England. He only reached British soil once, as a stopover on his way back from Germany while in army uniform. He never toured here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing Surely a better conclusion would be that people who are in a hurry to catch a train, are in a hurry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johncocker Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This is so awesome. Please take a moment to read: This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? ... Discuss 1 most people these days don't listen to classical music. 2 most people who do ,don't want to lose their jobs listening to it when they're late for work from my own personal experience I busked in london in the 70"S playing fingerstyle guitar. first thing you find out is where the good pitches are to play . there was a few in and around the tube stations one of the best was the greenpark interchange where there was a long tunnel good acoustics your audience lasted about a minute as they rushed past , if you were good you could make 60 quid in an hour belive it or not. best I ever did was 30 odd . 2nd thing you learn is your audience is in a different frame of mind than a concert audience. 3/most people think you're a beggar with a guitar:D and most people give money out of sympathy. when I was london in the 70's the guy making the most money was a cripple in a wheelchair who had a harmonica on a stand on the arm of is wheelchair this bloke had no arms or legs and he used to play beethoven compositions . he had 2 minders looking out for him , one of told me he averaged 500 quid a day round christmas time. I saw lots of classical violinists ,celloists ,french horn all classicaly trianed and note perfect ,but never saw them making money like "joe the egg" as he was known. the point I"m trying to make is, I think most people do have a sopfisticated perception of beauty but a lot of times its confused by emotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 You're saying John Lennon was on The Moor last Friday? It's a bit of a ghost town down there these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This is so awesome. Please take a moment to read: A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? ... Discuss Can you prove this happened or did you just make it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamingjimmy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Can you prove this happened or did you just make it up? Here, have some video evidence. This is seriously old news though, I'm almost sure I remember someone making a thread about it about 3 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I tend to be wrapped up in my own little world when I am in a rush to catch a train. As much as I would love to stand about and listen to soothing music, I doubt my train would wait for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaquis Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 There used to be film on Youtube - it may still be there - of Neil Young busking in Scotland in the mid-70s on the day of a concert he was giving there. In the film a bloke walks past and says he has a ticket to see Young that night. I also once met someone who claimed he used to go in a cafe in New York in the early 60s where John Coltrane used to play sax on his own. He may have said it just to make people jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I wonder if his insurance covers playing his 'Strad' on the streets though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I stopped on my way to work to watch some blackbirds engaged in pre-nuptial squabbling this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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