Check this out. Fascinating social experiment having to do with how we fail to perceive beauty and recognize talent if we encounter them in "inappropriate" places.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-07 19:17 by tatters.

ha - there's a cool video of neil young playing incognito as a busker in glasgow...

How about people were just trying to get to work,
not be late and make money to feed their families.

Marv Peck

Y'all remember that rubber legged boy

That was awhile ago.

great story! and very sad

I'd do the same. I'm not interested in classical music, and I'd probably have a train to catch.

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FreeBird
I'd do the same. I'm not interested in classical music, and I'd probably have a train to catch.

Not interested in classical music? A very strong opinion...

I think a lot of classical pieces are just like blues: stripped-down and pure music with a lot of emotion!
Not listening to classical music at all is missing out on a lot of beautiful music, in my opinion.

Cheers!

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marvpeck
How about people were just trying to get to work,
not be late and make money to feed their families.

I'll bet if it had been Keith Richards playing in the subway, people would have forgotten all about having to get to work on time.

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MILKYWAY
That was awhile ago.

So? You think the outcome would be any different if he did it today?

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I'm Stoned

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FreeBird
I'd do the same. I'm not interested in classical music, and I'd probably have a train to catch.

Not interested in classical music? A very strong opinion...

I think a lot of classical pieces are just like blues: stripped-down and pure music with a lot of emotion!
Not listening to classical music at all is missing out on a lot of beautiful music, in my opinion.

But that's one of the main reasons why no one stopped to listen. Only a tiny fraction of the population knows anything at all about classical music. That's why he wasn't recognized and why no one realized that what they were hearing was a world-class performance. Anyone that knew anything about classical music would have said, "Holy shit. That's Joshua Bell. What is he doing playing in the subway?" And they would have stopped to listen. Even if they didn't recognize him, they would have said, "Holy shit. This guy is the most incredible violin player I've ever heard in my life. What is he doing playing a million dollar Stradivarius in the subway?" And they would have stopped to listen.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-07 19:32 by tatters.

or maybe classical music fans don't ride the subway, they drive fancy cars

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ineedadrink
or maybe classical music fans don't ride the subway, they drive fancy cars

Everyone rides the subway. Homeless people. Millionaires. Everyone.

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I'm Stoned

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FreeBird
I'd do the same. I'm not interested in classical music, and I'd probably have a train to catch.

Not interested in classical music? A very strong opinion...

I think a lot of classical pieces are just like blues: stripped-down and pure music with a lot of emotion!
Not listening to classical music at all is missing out on a lot of beautiful music, in my opinion.

Cheers!

hey, even Chuck Berry rolls over Beethoven sometimes...

I must admit that I woudn't have stoped.

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I thought the whole stunt was dumb. How many people have the luxury of being late to work so they can listen to some violinist who is clowning around at 8 am in the morning?

Frankly, I think it was a useless "experiment". Seriously, how many times have we seen and heard a musician playing in a subway, on a downtown street corner, or some other crowded place, and just passed by. Why? WE'RE ON OUR WAY SOMEWHERE! Just because this world-class violinist was ignored it doesn't mean people are missing beauty or talent or brilliance. Maybe when they get home from earning a living they sit and listen to classical music for an hour to relax or maybe they went to the Boston venue and paid $100.00 to experience the symphony. It says more about the stupidity of the Washington Post for wasting their time and money trying to discover people's "priorities". Evidently, the main priority was to get to work on time.

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tatters
I'll bet if it had been Keith Richards playing in the subway, people would have forgotten all about having to get to work on time.

If I saw Keith in the subway I'd say "Hey, that homeless guy looks like Keith Richards!"

I agree that it wasn't a proper place to have this kinda experiment. People rushing in and out of the underground. It's not a place to stop and listen to music. I like classical music but I might've passed him without noticing him even playing. This study should go straight into the bin.

Almost nobody ever stops to listen to a busker in the Tube, whatever the quality of the music. (And there are some that frankly you can't get out of earshot quickly enough!) Good ones give you a few minutes of pleasure as you walk by, and deserve their "tip" for cheering up your morning a bit. Joshua Bell made $32 in 45 minutes and several people actually did pause to listen for as long as they had time - in busking-in-the-subway terms, that's fairly good going, and certainly not being "ignored". But a tunnel is not the place to collect a crowd, whoever you may be.

Maybe he had a bad day and his $3.2 million dollar violin wasn't tuned well and people got a bit irritating.........pity they didn't record/filmed it

__________________________

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Green Lady
Almost nobody ever stops to listen to a busker in the Tube, whatever the quality of the music. (And there are some that frankly you can't get out of earshot quickly enough!) Good ones give you a few minutes of pleasure as you walk by, and deserve their "tip" for cheering up your morning a bit. Joshua Bell made $32 in 45 minutes and several people actually did pause to listen for as long as they had time - in busking-in-the-subway terms, that's fairly good going, and certainly not being "ignored". But a tunnel is not the place to collect a crowd, whoever you may be.

But that's exactly the point of the experiment. We are conditioned to experience beauty and talent only in places that are designated for that purpose. If we encounter something spectacularly great in a setting where we would not expect it to be, we are unable to process it, to recognize it. We are pre-conditioned to think, "Look at that loser playing in the subway. He MUST not be very good, otherwise he wouldn't be playing HERE, he'd be playing with the Philharmonic". Likewise, anyone we see performing at Carnegie Hall sort of gets the benefit of the doubt, doesn't he? We think, "He MUST be great, because he's playing HERE". My favorite part of the story is the three-year-old boy who wanted to stay and listen. Somehow, HE KNEW he was in the presence of greatness. He was too young to have been pre-conditioned. No one told him that great musicians only play in concert halls, and that no one very good ever plays in the subway.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-07 23:25 by tatters.

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tatters

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Green Lady
Almost nobody ever stops to listen to a busker in the Tube, whatever the quality of the music. (And there are some that frankly you can't get out of earshot quickly enough!) Good ones give you a few minutes of pleasure as you walk by, and deserve their "tip" for cheering up your morning a bit. Joshua Bell made $32 in 45 minutes and several people actually did pause to listen for as long as they had time - in busking-in-the-subway terms, that's fairly good going, and certainly not being "ignored". But a tunnel is not the place to collect a crowd, whoever you may be.

But that's exactly the point of the experiment. We are conditioned to experience beauty and talent only in places that are designated for that purpose. If we encounter something spectacularly great in a setting where we would not expect it to be, we are unable to process it, to recognize it. We are pre-conditioned to think, "Look at that loser playing in the subway. He MUST not be very good, otherwise he wouldn't be playing HERE, he'd be playing with the Philharmonic". Likewise, anyone we see performing at Carnegie Hall sort of gets the benefit of the doubt, doesn't he? We think, "He MUST be great, because he's playing HERE". My favorite part of the story is the little kids who wanted to stay and listen. THEY knew they were in the presence of something very special, but only because they were too young to have been pre-conditioned. No one told them that you have to go to a concert hall if you want to see someone very good, and that no one very good ever plays in the subway.

good post, tatters

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DaveG
Frankly, I think it was a useless "experiment". Seriously, how many times have we seen and heard a musician playing in a subway, on a downtown street corner, or some other crowded place, and just passed by. Why? WE'RE ON OUR WAY SOMEWHERE! Just because this world-class violinist was ignored it doesn't mean people are missing beauty or talent or brilliance. Maybe when they get home from earning a living they sit and listen to classical music for an hour to relax or maybe they went to the Boston venue and paid $100.00 to experience the symphony. It says more about the stupidity of the Washington Post for wasting their time and money trying to discover people's "priorities". Evidently, the main priority was to get to work on time.

It sounds like you and everyone else here needs to learn how to stop and smell the roses.

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tatters

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DaveG
Frankly, I think it was a useless "experiment". Seriously, how many times have we seen and heard a musician playing in a subway, on a downtown street corner, or some other crowded place, and just passed by. Why? WE'RE ON OUR WAY SOMEWHERE! Just because this world-class violinist was ignored it doesn't mean people are missing beauty or talent or brilliance. Maybe when they get home from earning a living they sit and listen to classical music for an hour to relax or maybe they went to the Boston venue and paid $100.00 to experience the symphony. It says more about the stupidity of the Washington Post for wasting their time and money trying to discover people's "priorities". Evidently, the main priority was to get to work on time.

It sounds like you and everyone else here needs to learn how to stop and smell the roses.

even me? hmmmph...

No, I really do take time to enjoy life and all its pleasures. I simply think that, if people are on a deadline to catch a train, bus, plane because being late to work will create problems, then their first priority is to get to work, not stop and listen to a street musician, no matter how talented he may be. I wonder if the results would have been different if the violinist had been playing in one of the subway cars. Then people would have been able to at least have the choice of listening or tuning him out.

If one of my employees were late to a meeting and he told me it was because he took some time to listen to an awesome street musician, he'd be reprimanded and given a warning.

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DaveG
No, I really do take time to enjoy life and all its pleasures. I simply think that, if people are on a deadline to catch a train, bus, plane because being late to work will create problems, then their first priority is to get to work, not stop and listen to a street musician, no matter how talented he may be. I wonder if the results would have been different if the violinist had been playing in one of the subway cars. Then people would have been able to at least have the choice of listening or tuning him out.

If one of my employees were late to a meeting and he told me it was because he took some time to listen to an awesome street musician, he'd be reprimanded and given a warning.

Sounds like a fun place to work.

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DaveG
If one of my employees were late to a meeting and he told me it was because he took some time to listen to an awesome street musician, he'd be reprimanded and given a warning.

i hereby rescind my application for employment with you....

StonesTod, we were about to offer you position of VP of Office Music, always your choice. But . . . .

tatters, do you work? Self employed? Hey, I'm not Michael Scott!!

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tatters
My favorite part of the story is the three-year-old boy who wanted to stay and listen. Somehow, HE KNEW he was in the presence of greatness. He was too young to have been pre-conditioned. No one told him that great musicians only play in concert halls, and that no one very good ever plays in the subway.

What makes you so sure of that? Maybe he'd been driving his mother crazy by stopping for any random street musician, no matter how bad. You're guilty of the same kind of assumptions you accuse others of.

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StonesTod

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tatters

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Green Lady
Almost nobody ever stops to listen to a busker in the Tube, whatever the quality of the music. (And there are some that frankly you can't get out of earshot quickly enough!) Good ones give you a few minutes of pleasure as you walk by, and deserve their "tip" for cheering up your morning a bit. Joshua Bell made $32 in 45 minutes and several people actually did pause to listen for as long as they had time - in busking-in-the-subway terms, that's fairly good going, and certainly not being "ignored". But a tunnel is not the place to collect a crowd, whoever you may be.

But that's exactly the point of the experiment. We are conditioned to experience beauty and talent only in places that are designated for that purpose. If we encounter something spectacularly great in a setting where we would not expect it to be, we are unable to process it, to recognize it. We are pre-conditioned to think, "Look at that loser playing in the subway. He MUST not be very good, otherwise he wouldn't be playing HERE, he'd be playing with the Philharmonic". Likewise, anyone we see performing at Carnegie Hall sort of gets the benefit of the doubt, doesn't he? We think, "He MUST be great, because he's playing HERE". My favorite part of the story is the little kids who wanted to stay and listen. THEY knew they were in the presence of something very special, but only because they were too young to have been pre-conditioned. No one told them that you have to go to a concert hall if you want to see someone very good, and that no one very good ever plays in the subway.

good post, tatters

I agree with Stones Tod! Actually I've written about classical music and its 'entourage' some years ago. A couple of days ago I posted it on my own blog (it's about Socrates, Mozart and the good old Stones). That blog is now active for almost three weeks. Pay a visit if you like. Everybody is welcome of course. Some posts are even written in English, but most of them in Dutch of course.

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