At first funny, then I found this very sad.

[Michael Bulatovich]

Must be my time of the billing cycle.

[3D Peruna]

Thanks for the link. It was a great story...something that I don't see very often. Well written, researched and caused some good "serious" debate at home.

Also sent me spending the first couple of hours looking up Bell & Bach. I suppose it's the perk of working for me... (gotta make it up later tonight, though...)

[Michael Bulatovich]

Glad you liked it. At first I thought it was just going to be "Duchamp's Fountain Debate Redux", but then I found myself choked up at the thought of the transience of all art but especially performed art, and all the collective struggle and sacrifice that goes art that never sees the light of day. Not new thoughts, surely, but it stopped me for a while today too.

[Pierre Levesque]

Must be a Washington thing because I have many friends who play the subways in NYC. Not Joshua Bell quality or anything but damn good musicians. On average, during one 3 hr rush hour (oxymoron?) at a similarily busy subway station, they routinely make about $20-30 an hour. For most it's a matter of "hey if I'm going to practice today anyhow, why not practice in public and make a few bucks".

But Bell said it best: "Actually," Bell said with a laugh, "that's not so bad, considering. That's 40 bucks an hour. I could make an okay living doing this, and I wouldn't have to pay an agent."

What's sad about that?

[3D Peruna]

It's the people who aren't aware that he's even there... It's like Musak...

[Pierre Levesque]

I get that part but anyone who takes on something like playing in a subway station in a major urban center cannot and I mean cannot ever think or be affected by stuff like that. If they did, they'd be eaten alive.

Same goes for those walking past. Their only concern is getting to the office and meeting that deadline etc etc etc. Is it a problem? Yeah probably.

But it's as natural an event as the tide is to the oceans (Jane Jacobs just rolled over in her grave).

[Michael Bulatovich]

The lack of appreciation.

[Michael Bulatovich]

That's it. If a virtuoso plays the D-minor Partita by Bach on a 1710 Strad in the middle of a subway, and no one notices, is there any music?

[Michael Bulatovich]

I should say, of the art. It's not wholly unlike the destruction of those amazing stone Buddhas by the Taliban.

[Edgar]

Buddha says your too attached to impermanent things.

You desire appreciation, and desire leads to suffering. Let it go.

Ask the Hot Dog vendor to make you one with everything.

Or something like that :-P

[Michael Bulatovich]

You've got a point, but I don't want to get to attached to the idea of avoiding suffering either....

[Pierre Levesque]

BTW, being a successful and good street performer is not just about being talented. As they say, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. In this particular case Bell sets himself up to play BEFORE the turnstyles to the subway? C'mon any intelligent person can figure out that that is the one location where people hurry up the most of their entire commute... the only thing on their minds is "get to the platform, the train might be there!". The place to play is either on the platform where people waiting to take their trains are essentially forced to listen, or in some plaza where traffic is heavy but away from that final rush to the turnstyle.

Just an observation...

[gruhn]

What kind of f****ng n00b busks right by the out door?