(Photo by robert@hot-shot.at)It was really great to be asked by Andy to contribute to his series on sexism in punk. When he said he’d been trying to think of someone from a band in the UK punk scene, to write something from a UK point of view, it sounded like he couldn’t think of many…
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true 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 people’s priorities.
The questions raised:
- In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
- Do we stop to appreciate it?
- Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing?
(Source: Washington Post, via michaelpartridge)
To follow up on my random drug free lifestyle post, here is the hole in my nose!
Yeah, I did that to myself, and you know what, probably cheaper than doing it with cocaine!
Lesson to learn…get a septum piercing and a bunch of tapers, its cheaper and doesn’t require surgery to fix…well it might, but I like mine!
I watched Big over Christmas and it occurred to me how easy he had it. I wonder if he would have grown up to have such a successful career or if the imagination & wonder that made him so perfect would for that job would have been sucked out of him by the world leaving him just another guy working in an office.
Could be worse, Josh Baskin may have grown up to be the guy who redesigned the Pepsi logo.
I’m slightly dubious about that actually being ink but fair play if it is.
(Source: blowjobswithbraces, via rasputin)
If this coming year isn’t an improvement on the last, I’ll begin to think the universe has it in for me.
(via thatsmyrabbit)
I spent an afternoon with 2 new friends from New York, then had band practice, then had dinner cooked for me, then almost burnt a garden down with dangerously large fireworks and now I am going to bed!
Great day!
George Foreman’s were the best things in Uni. I used mine more than my shower.
YOU RULE !!! 100 followers!!!!- and I think you are all fucking lovely- 2 days into Tumblr and I feel its home. I want to give you something back to say thanks. I have only a few of these posters left in my store - who wants a free one? Reblog the image and I will pic a winner at random tomorrow along with 5 runner ups who will get stickers ‘n’ shit.
