Halloween in the NYC Subway
On the train I often sit at the end of the last car – that way my bulky gear doesn’t interfere with other passengers. Lately I noticed a guy who gets on the train a few stops after me – he carries 2 folding tables and a big bag on a cart with him. He often sits on the opposite seat from mine. I guess he noticed the fact that he sees me often too, on his commute, so we both smiled and nodded ‘hello’ to one another. When he got off at 57th street he said goodbye to me. I’ve made a new friend 🙂 I wonder where he goes every day with his tables and what he does…
Salieu, the kora player from Gambia, was playing at the Music Under New York spot at the Times Square subway station. I put on my Halloween witch costume as I waited for him to finish his set. He told me they have a holiday in Gambia where people dress up in costumes too. It has to do with harvest celebrations. Salieu said he wanted to wear a costume today, but he didn’t have time to prepare one.
The guy who videotapes buskers for his website ‘Subway theater’ filmed me again. He told me that a station worker at Grand Central Station had just shut off a non-permitted musician there.
Two guys from Germany videotaped me and told me that they now have Halloween in Germany, too. They copied it from the USA…
Mingjun, the cellist, was looking for a spot.
A guy I often see at Times Square told me he stole some things – took somebody’s guitar – and now he is suspended… This guy is nice and talkative, but I think he’s somehow mentally not all together there…
‘Saw’ joke of the day:
A guy in a hat said to me: “I saw a ‘Saw Lady’…
Frankie, the guitarist/singer/whistler was on his way home. Seeing me he said he should have worn a Halloween costume…
The congas player of the ‘Hypnotics’ brass band sat not far from me, waiting for the rest of the band. He succeeded in getting a passport, and now he needs to purchase a plane ticket so that he could join the rest of the band on their tour of Japan. He joined the band after their Japan tour had already been booked, so his air-fare is not covered.
Another band member came to tell him they are playing above ground today.
Hi Natalia, you left a note on my blog where I mentioned my saw-playing grandfather. To answer your questions, he plays a cheap old saw that belonged to his grandfather. He says the old saw has a good tone because it’s thinner than a modern saw and made of a softer metal. There’s a photo of him playing here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaykayess/460677024/in/set-72157602566362262/ Thanks for writing!
Thank you for your informative comment on my blog. That’s exactly the kind of educational information I am hoping my blog will generate for our students. Here’s a little piece of trivia. My dear friend AJ Carothers wrote the book for the short run Tony nominated Broadway show Busker Alley.
I really enjoyed reading your blog today…and your music is beautiful. It has generated an idea for an exercise for our students this summer. I am going to ask their instructors to think about do a busker tour so they can appreciate the talent tucked away in all the corners of the city.
I came to your blog because you posted on my company President’s blog, (US Performing Arts). Your blog is very interesting. When I lived in London England I would stand and listen to the buskers there. They are truly amazing. If I get to New York I hope to see you playing.