is that a tattoo of the ark of the covenant?
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:27 (eleven years ago) link
but waht do you hate?
― Neil S, Friday, 7 December 2012 20:29 (eleven years ago) link
Did we talk about this barf-inducing story yet?
"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?" By: Josh Nonnenmoc.
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:36 (eleven years ago) link
Oh, there's a blurry photo to accompany it:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/183943_431826886867286_716070848_n.jpg
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:37 (eleven years ago) link
yeh that's a real thing, writer got a Pulitzer iirc http://youtu.be/hnOPu0_YWhw
― ばか ざっぴ (zappi), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:40 (eleven years ago) link
I think that's a perfect metaphor, actually. Much like when you hear a violin recital in the proper context, it's inspiring. When it's in a subway station (and, let's be honest here, Facebook is the subway of the Internet), it's a nuisance.
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:43 (eleven years ago) link
Would be curious about the public transit behavior of Joshua Bell and other people behind this story. Does it take them, like, 5 or 6 hours to get anywhere?
― SHUT UP AND GET YOUR TURKEY SCIENCE BOOKS (Austerity Ponies), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:43 (eleven years ago) link
I couldn't hear it I was jamming out to the latest hippity hop on my mp3 player device
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:44 (eleven years ago) link
I just hang out in public transport stations, they're the new third place everyone loves
― mh, Friday, 7 December 2012 20:46 (eleven years ago) link
well i don't know if something you can walk by is a nuisance, if he was following you around playing bach with a pleading look in his eyes maybe then it would be one.
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:46 (eleven years ago) link
lol
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:48 (eleven years ago) link
that joshua bell story is kind of cool but the writer of course comes to the dumbest conclusions
― before and after broscience (goole), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:50 (eleven years ago) link
that story actually breaks my heart because Josh Bell is total bro who can throw down a girly drink
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:50 (eleven years ago) link
it's transit station though! people go there to go somewhere else. it's not a hotel lobby where ppl are just bored chilling out with nothing better to do...everyone's on their way to or from somewhere else, there's nothing about the design of those places that encourages you to linger except on a platform waiting for a train
if it's so great play it somewhere where ppl might be able/more inclined to stop idk
DON'T BOTHER ME i'M LATE FOR MY TRAIN
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:51 (eleven years ago) link
We regret to inform you that Joshua Bell will not be performing tonight. He got caught up watching the Rick Sprinfield performance at Penn station on his way in.
― SHUT UP AND GET YOUR TURKEY SCIENCE BOOKS (Austerity Ponies), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:53 (eleven years ago) link
That story Jeff posted reminds me of when I saw Megan Fox in a comic book store in 2006 (with her then-boyfriend Brian Austin Green). I didn't notice she was the Hottest Woman on the Planet (Maxim™) at the time and, well, I guess one of the possible conclusions from that experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and notice one of the sexiest Hollywood actresses of her era (2007-2009) getting some comic books with her boyfriend, and pay respect to that beauty/hotness/whatever, how many other things are we missing?" By: Josh Nonnenmoc.
― Cunga, Friday, 7 December 2012 20:55 (eleven years ago) link
the real conclusion of that experiment isn't that ppl are too busy to listen to good music, it's that busking in subway stations is a terrible idea
you need to either set up on the platform or find an outdoor location near a destination like a restaurant or a town plaza, otherwise you're going to suffer from "that's great but I have someplace to be"
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:57 (eleven years ago) link
hmm, not sure if the aesthetic judgments of hotness by a celebrity-obsessed press is the same as the aesthetic appreciation of a musical composition and skilled performer. 6/10
― mh, Friday, 7 December 2012 20:58 (eleven years ago) link
that reminds me of the time my wife had a weird nightmare ("nightmare") about kiefer sutherland and then a couple days later he sat down next to us at a cafe and she barely noticed him. If we do not have a moment to stop and notice kiefer sutherland (the lost boys, flatliners, tv's '24') having a salad at the next table, how many other things are we missing?" By: Josh Nonnenmoc.
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:02 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know, mh, that "Are You Hot?" reality show with Lorenzo Lamas had it down to a science. I'm not sure the same could be said about music appreciation. That's subjective. xpost
― Cunga, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:03 (eleven years ago) link
Tragic tale of busker scraping by on $40/hour.
― ledge, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:04 (eleven years ago) link
we must take time to stop and smell the Kiefer Sutherlands
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:05 (eleven years ago) link
well, if people say that megan fox was one of the hottest of our age in a couple hundred years, I will feel she has the longevity of Bach
― mh, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:05 (eleven years ago) link
i've seen better heads on a mug of beer
we must take time to appreciate beer
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:06 (eleven years ago) link
That story's a few years old, and I remember when it first popped up reading a counter argument by somebody saying that the problem wasn't the quality of the playing, the problem was that Bell was a really lousy busker.
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:06 (eleven years ago) link
you know no one can busk for 8 hours straight, right
xp: lol J3ff
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:07 (eleven years ago) link
here is where we talked about this whole thing before
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:10 (eleven years ago) link
Did he take requests?
― nickn, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:13 (eleven years ago) link
he should have played "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band. people love that song.
― Snoop Lion (crüt), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:15 (eleven years ago) link
yeah I hate to tell the guy, but long form compositions aren't really good busking material
― mh, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:16 (eleven years ago) link
<3 crut
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:18 (eleven years ago) link
playing 'piano man' on violin would have been epic
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:18 (eleven years ago) link
This is a great point, and the next experiment should be, I dunno, a concert pianist (or, ideally, Cecil Taylor) playing in an insanely high-priced hotel lobby, and see who among the moneyed class stops their conversations about credit default swaps to listen.
― and I scream Fieri Eiffel Tower High (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:20 (eleven years ago) link
srsly im sure if he had been on the platform people wouldve noticed that the music is good instead he was in a spot where people hear him for three seconds while walking by, its almost like thats what they wanted to happen
― lag∞n, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:26 (eleven years ago) link
see perception people cant tell if somethings good if they walk past it and dont pay any attention, makes u think
― lag∞n, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:27 (eleven years ago) link
we hung this van gogh by the side of the highway and lets see what happened
― lag∞n, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:28 (eleven years ago) link
i don't know, it's good to be reminded every now and then that i'm a SHEEP maaan. i'd give the author my own version of the pulitzer, if my cloven hooves could hold anything.
― Spectrum, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:29 (eleven years ago) link
Oh, I guess we have talked about it before. It just fits right in with the whole Facebook meme/macro vibe. Like, it has that same really infuriatingly smug, sanctimonious tone to it that all this garbage does.
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:30 (eleven years ago) link
all major news outlets should put out rewritten sanctimonious facebook versions of their stories
― lag∞n, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:33 (eleven years ago) link
Up next: Kim Rhode shoots skeet in the lobby of Symphony Hall.
― SHUT UP AND GET YOUR TURKEY SCIENCE BOOKS (Austerity Ponies), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:34 (eleven years ago) link
it's almost as if a transit lobby and a concert hall are spaces well-designed for their specific human purpose! purposes that people perceive correctly, as they do with their own needs and interests of the moment!
and yes "most intricate piece ev0r" is not good busker jams. i bet if he whipped through bach's greatest hits he'd have upped his take a little
― before and after broscience (goole), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:37 (eleven years ago) link
― lag∞n, Friday, December 7, 2012 3:28 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
ha my versh of this was "we set up the stage of bayreuth in the middle of i-80, and, my god, people just drove right the fuck through it. not even lohengrin is a match for americans' need for speed."
― before and after broscience (goole), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:39 (eleven years ago) link
Or just Joshua Bell playing everywhere. "I really appreciating what you're doing, Joshua, but my kids have to wash up and get ready for school, and I have to take a monster crap."
― SHUT UP AND GET YOUR TURKEY SCIENCE BOOKS (Austerity Ponies), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:44 (eleven years ago) link
"Hey Mr. Pulitzer, have you heard of a little thing called false equivalencies?"
― Bound by Habitrails (J3ff T.), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:47 (eleven years ago) link
it's funny because if the metro train were to smash into one of Joshua Bell's concerts everyone would take notice of it.
― Cunga, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:50 (eleven years ago) link
makes u think
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:53 (eleven years ago) link
headline would read "JOSH BELL PULLS TRAIN"
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:55 (eleven years ago) link
wake up, sheeple life moves pretty fast if you don't catch it -- ferris bueller.
― Cunga, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:55 (eleven years ago) link
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/198408_552040774810507_1431376204_n.jpg
― o_o, Friday, 7 December 2012 22:04 (eleven years ago) link
http://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/132/2790a875316548539e68644ba3218c0f/l.jpg
― before and after broscience (goole), Friday, 7 December 2012 22:06 (eleven years ago) link