Jun

13

Musical Changes.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

June 13, 2008 |

Recently I was walking to an appointment (with gas prices the way they are I’m happy to either walk or take the bus when I can, in spite of the heat) and walked by a guy on the sidewalk playing a guitar and singing. Even though Nashville is “Music City” you don’t often see street performers here, and I felt bad that I didn’t have any change I could throw into his guitar case. In fact I didn’t have any money at all. What I did have was a flashback to almost twenty years ago when I was in London, in the Underground where you find a lot of performers. I walked by a girl who was playing a sad, slow song on a flute. She had a backpack spread out in front of her with a few five pence coins, maybe some pennies. It wasn’t much, so, feeling magnanimous, I tossed a one pound coin onto it and kept going. As I looked back, though, I saw her reach out, grab the pound, and slip it into the backpack. I immediately thought, You con artist! You probably have fifty or sixty pounds hidden in there and you make it look like you haven’t made anything! And then, having hidden the coin, she suddenly started a new song, light and happy with a fast tempo. Within less than a minute I went from feeling smug to angry to ashamed. My one pound coin was probably the most money she’d gotten from a single person all day, and the new tune was her way of saying, “Cheers!” She’d never know, but I felt bad for being angry at her. I try remember that moment as a reminder not to be so quick to judge.

In his book The Soloist, journalist Steve Lopez describes his own encounter with a street musician, a violin player named Nathaniel Ayers who’d studied at Juilliard but left because of mental illness. In an interview for Fresh Air, Lopez talked about his relationship with Ayers, his efforts to get Ayers off the street and get him treatment, and how the experience changed his life. It is amazing how a chance encounter can change us, and usually for the better, as long as we’re receptive to the change.


Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Saw Lady on June 13, 2008 10:11 am

    From my experience as a busker (street performer) I can tell you that money left in one’s donation’s container has a tendency to get stolen while one is playing. It happened to me a few times as I was busking in the NYC subway (where there are many buskers). This is why if somebody gives you a large (relatively speaking) denomination, you would have to immediately put it away. So, as you found out, that girl was really not trying to con anybody.

    All the best,

    Saw Lady
    http://www.SawLady.com/blog

  2. Christopher Waldrop on June 14, 2008 8:37 am

    Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that. That makes me feel even worse for thinking she was trying to con people.

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