If you’re lucky enough to have a newspaper that reprints articles from the Washington Post, you may have read some of the dazzling pieces in The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America’s Foremost Feature Writer. The “fiddler” in question is Joshua Bell, the virtuoso violinist who played in the Washington, D.C. subway and was mostly ignored. Only a few of the commuters recognized him. Mystery fans will enjoy Weingarten’s article on Leslie McFarlane who wrote many of the Hardy Boy novels under “Franklin W. Dixon.” I’ve been a fan of Gene Weingarten for years. If you haven’t read his work, you’re missing out on a masterful writer. Fiddler in the Subway is a terrific collection of Weigarten’s work. GRADE: A
Because there are so many mentally disturbed buskers on the subways everywhere, the only thing mot people want to do is avoid eye contact, so I am sure most people avoided looking at him. I am not sure what it proves that he wasn’t recognized. You pass by these musicians too quickly to absorb quality, I think. On a street corner, people feel less threatened and might have noticed who it was.
You might be right, Patti. But you’d think that hearing world-class violin music echoing through the subway station might have drawn some interest.
Of course, Gene was the guy who first hired Dave Barry as a columnist. Good choice.
I enjoyed all of the articles in FIDDLER IN THE SUBWAY, Jeff. Weingarten can write! I didn’t know he hired Dave Barry.
Yes, and they remain close friends.
Weingarten served as the editor of the Miami Herald’s Sunday magazine, Tropic, from 1985 to 1990, during which time he hired Dave Barry, giving one of America’s best known humor columnists his big break. Tropic won two Pulitzer Prizes, including Barry’s, during Weingarten’s tenure.
Weingarten doesn’t have Dave Barry’s flare for humor, Jeff, but he has a wonderful writing style and a keen choice of subjects. I found all of his articles fascinating in FIDDLER IN THE SUBWAY.
Woof. Portland weather here, rainy and cool, pretty much same as San Francisco yesterday.
I saw the video of Bell playing in the subway, he did it as a music-for-the-public thing, as I recall, not to see if he’d be recognized (so few people would recognize any particular classical instrument artist!). Some looked, a very few paused to listen, no one stopped to say anything. I have to disagree with Patti, I think people would be more likely to listen in that place, a well-lit, 2 story lobby-ish space, as opposed to a street corner. Also, he was well dressed, not raggedy and weather-beaten as are most homeless people including those who try to play guitar or something, and he was playing classical pieces, not pop, I think.
This looks like an interesting collection.
You will love this collection, Rick. I especially liked the article on Leslie McFarlane who wrote the Hardy Boys series as “Franklin W. Dixon.”
We’ve seen a number of musicians playing in the subway (where it’s allowed). The ones who get the good spots on 42 Street (Times Square) or 34 Street (by Macy’s) can draw a nice crowd, especially if they’re talented, so I guess Rick is right.
I think talent has a lot to do with it, Jeff, but “location, location, location” probably applies, too.
Buskers in the DC subway system didn’t tend to be poorly dressed, as I recall.
Joshua Bell wore the clothing he would wear to a concert performance when he did his subway gig, Todd.
Yup, I’d heard (I used to live in the DC area, from ’84 to ’96). Most of the buskers, while they don’t wear tuxes, used to be dressed from typical casual to moderately sharp suits…looking put together for the crowd. The jazz folks particularly seemed often to be woodshedding, so to speak, in public.