9 – Harmonica Lady
San Francisco Subway , October 30, 1992
You know the Harmonica Lady in the subway with the Jack-o-lantern smile who scowls and grumbles to herself sometimes in between sets? Well today she wore a pumpkin outfit with green tights in honor of Halloween. I nearly fell over in hysterics.
BART commuters just passed her by, the way they do every day, ignoring her amateur tunes. I was reaching into my pockets to scrape up something for her efforts when some stiff holiday competition lured me away.
Three violinists and a cellist were playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Except for the two notes near the end, these guys sounded like a professional recording. Wow, a live freaking performance and I’m 1 of 3 audience members. Front row standing. Felt like a symphony. My George Washington bill piled high on top of the others.
Reminded me of the good old NYC days and the aspiring musician in the train tunnels. Let's see what was his name?
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December 21, 1986|VIRGINIA BYRNE | Associated Press
NEW YORK — Classical violinist James Everett Graseck cradled his 100-year-old Bellini under his chin and began playing Bach’s "Fugue in G Minor" to harried commuters waiting for a subway in the heart of Manhattan.
He played with an intensity that bordered on ecstasy…"I haven’t counted how many trains I’ve missed. I’ve been here for 50 minutes," said one listener, Alan Horowitz. "It’s a humanizing factor in the subway system."
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Me too, I let many trains pass in the summers of '86 and '87 enraptured by this subway musician. His passion was contagious. I'd shuffle in late to work. So fire me, was my attitude. I bet your commute was dull. Mine was just genius and I'd do it again.