Stradivarius in the Subway

[stationary_jew]

I thought this was an interesting experiment: how will people react to what appears to be a random street musician, but is actually one of the world's top violinists, playing one of the world's top violins?

It would be more interesting if they'd included a comparison with the experience of an actual street musician, of course, but we can't really

Comments

[alsafi]

I also thought it would have been more interesting if they hadn't chosen to do it during the morning rush (and then use the fact that almost no one stopped to tut-tut over what philistines we've all become). Well, duh. Some of us work for a living, and maybe it's different at the WaPo, but most places I've ever worked get really pissy about people being late. Can you imagine trying to soothe your irate supervisor with the explanation that you stopped to listen to a busker? I'd say they should give it a shot during the lunch hour and again for the evening commute before they sit shiva for the death of aesthetics.

[stationary_jew]

As I remember the New York subways, it seems like the buskers were mostly out during morning rush. Places where commuting is done by public transit tend to be a bit less exact about starting times, as it's understood that the train is frequently going to run late for reasons that the employee can't control.

And they did consult (waaaay down in the article) people who were willing to give their professional opinion that we're just not wired to recognize Art in that kind of situation.

[rabidlemur]

The March series is waaaaay pulpy - i read them as etexts, which amusingly makes things feel more pulpy, but fun distraction reads. The last in teh series was disappointing - short and just an excuse for a hardcover.

And Friday would have been better as a novella. Neat ideas, but, yeah.

[stationary_jew]

I'll be very surprised if the second one makes me want to read the third. I'm just not that into pulp.

[elisel]

...Wow. Just wow.

[caridad]

Ahh memories. Sometimes I miss the DC area. ... There's a stop on the red line that a violinist used to play at sometimes. Not on my commuting route, I only took the stop a few times, but I loved to hear the music as I went up the escalator - it echoed down and into the station, and was beautiful.