Back in the mid-90s when I was a mere intern at CNN, it was a cold, snowy January afternoon as I was walked the three blocks from their broadcast studios to Union Station. A man was playing the trumpet under the bridge on 1st NE, not with anything near the expert skill of Joshua Bell on the violin, but with great emotion. He played "America the Beautiful" and for those four minutes, with the notes bouncing off the steel, concrete and snowflakes, it truly was.
But, being a slightly-grizzled Metro veteran, I will say that the iPod/mp3 players are somewhat of a Godsend. I can't tell you how many times I heard hacking coughs, whiny kids, bums and the people who love them begging for cash, complaining tourists, scorn-heaping Euro backpackers, and far-too-loud chit-chatters interrupt my valuable nap/decompression time. So, those folks who iPodded past Mr. Bell were just in their self-contained happy zone. I can understand that. Though, I must admit, I always removed an ear bud to hear any musician, just in case of quality. The morning commute is a rough time, given that so many folks are on a hard deadline to be in the office or meetings; it would be hard for most to be able to devote only anything more than a few seconds of listening to Bell. Perhaps the more interesting corollary would be drawn during lunch time or the evening commute. People on a deadline aren't as able to recognize art; would they be able to do it at other times? - Ray Bradley --- In [email protected], "mizpattay" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > There is humour, but it's subtle. I started reading online and didn't > really look at the author's name - I saw "Joshua Bell" and that drew > my attention. Then I realized it was Gene's writing after just a few > sentences. The word, "hott" is a dead giveaway. > > This is probably his best article. I couldn't stop crying at the end > though. Are we dead? I posted a comment and realized that there were > already thousands. > > Wow. > > >
