Violin god goes busking in DC, and there is video:
In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run — for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.
No, Mr. Slatkin, there was never a crowd, not even for a second.
It was all videotaped by a hidden camera. You can play the recording once or 15 times, and it never gets any easier to watch.
Back in the eighties, I used to make around $25 an hour busking in Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. And I did gather crowds, though that was always because of the children who would stop to dance. Hell, once I was busking with a bodhrán player near Water Tower Place, and a woman set down her briefcase and started stepdancing on the sidewalk. But yeah, it’s mostly about being ignored. No matter who you are, apparently.
Strangers are not only protected by Zeus but also may be a God or Goddess in disguise.
eh, second time this came up! first.
Thanks for this.