Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Stop and Smell the Roses (And Leave a Tip for Joshua Bell)

I got one of these chain letter emails. But this one I found rather interesting. I did a bit of research, something I hate I do. I had to, though. I wanted to make sure the story was legit. And it turns out it is. The Washington Post ran it, and Snopes says it's true.

Here it is:

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 approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

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?

NOW...HERE IS MY PROBLEM WITH ALL THIS. It does make you think, but...

First, if you would've thrown Jimi Hendrix in a subway station in 1965, with his crazy hair and headband, and a small amplifier, I'm guessing people would walk by him, too. Mostly because society isn't filled with musicians, so we don't appreciate some elaborate arrangement Hendrix or Bell is playing.

Second, in the subway, people are in a hurry to get where they're going. Sometimes people stop and appreciate things. It's why I loved that scene in The Visitor where the bored professor first hears the immigrant playing bongos in a park with others. Or the scene in The Prince of Tides, when Streisands son plays, against his will, for football coach Nick Nolte. And it's a thing of beauty. Yet it's in a train station, and people walk by, in a hurry to get where they're going.

Also...this proves another thing I've always said. With music, so many people just want to go to the "event". I remember thinking it was cool that the Eagles got back together and reunited. When I saw the ticket prices, I didn't bother to go. My friend that did, was peppered with questions from me about what songs they did. And he wasn't even sure. He said he was just there to hang out and for the thrill of it all.

I had another friend buy his wife tickets to the Rolling Stones for their anniversary. I said, "That's a gift you want, not a gift for her." He claimed she loved the Stones. And as we sat there playing Scrabble and his wife pulled up, I said that she probably couldn't name five Stones songs by their actual titles. She named two.

And with classical musicians, or someone like Yo Yo Ma, Josh Bell, that blind dude that sings opera...they start to get this buzz and people pay $100 a ticket.

It's almost the same thing I've been saying about abstract art for years. If your 5-year-old does a piece with swirling colors everywhere, you put it on the fridge with a magnet. It stays there for a few weeks. You may ask your kid what it is, and he says "Lucky in the Sky with Diamonds" (the inspiration of this song died recently, in her mid-40s). Yet, if your dad isn't John Lennon and writing a song about that picture...or it doesn't say Jackson Pollock in the corner, the painting gets thrown away.

And you'd pay $20 to go into the Guggenheim to see a Pollock.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest

I got one of these chain letter emails. But this one I found rather interesting. I did a bit of research, something I hate I do. I had to, though. I wanted to make sure the story was legit. And it turns out it is. The Washington Post ran it, and Snopes says it's true.

Here it is:

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 approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

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?

NOW...HERE IS MY PROBLEM WITH ALL THIS. It does make you think, but...

First, if you would've thrown Jimi Hendrix in a subway station in 1965, with his crazy hair and headband, and a small amplifier, I'm guessing people would walk by him, too. Mostly because society isn't filled with musicians, so we don't appreciate some elaborate arrangement Hendrix or Bell is playing.

Second, in the subway, people are in a hurry to get where they're going. Sometimes people stop and appreciate things. It's why I loved that scene in The Visitor where the bored professor first hears the immigrant playing bongos in a park with others. Or the scene in The Prince of Tides, when Streisands son plays, against his will, for football coach Nick Nolte. And it's a thing of beauty. Yet it's in a train station, and people walk by, in a hurry to get where they're going.

Also...this proves another thing I've always said. With music, so many people just want to go to the "event". I remember thinking it was cool that the Eagles got back together and reunited. When I saw the ticket prices, I didn't bother to go. My friend that did, was peppered with questions from me about what songs they did. And he wasn't even sure. He said he was just there to hang out and for the thrill of it all.

I had another friend buy his wife tickets to the Rolling Stones for their anniversary. I said, "That's a gift you want, not a gift for her." He claimed she loved the Stones. And as we sat there playing Scrabble and his wife pulled up, I said that she probably couldn't name five Stones songs by their actual titles. She named two.

And with classical musicians, or someone like Yo Yo Ma, Josh Bell, that blind dude that sings opera...they start to get this buzz and people pay $100 a ticket.

It's almost the same thing I've been saying about abstract art for years. If your 5-year-old does a piece with swirling colors everywhere, you put it on the fridge with a magnet. It stays there for a few weeks. You may ask your kid what it is, and he says "Lucky in the Sky with Diamonds" (the inspiration of this song died recently, in her mid-40s). Yet, if your dad isn't John Lennon and writing a song about that picture...or it doesn't say Jackson Pollock in the corner, the painting gets thrown away.

And you'd pay $20 to go into the Guggenheim to see a Pollock.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.