London Tube, Guitar Man and the Rolling Stones
The long commute from the workplace begins. I think of Bombay - the commute family. The people who save you seats, ask you about your dinner last night, and at the end of the day - the ones fortunate enough to find a seat to sit in, offer to keep your heavy bag on their lap. Not to say that all is warm and wonderful. I can think of a million fishfights on the Harbour line, and cold-shouldering commuters. Whether they were fighting or chatting, the din in the train was high. You could hate it, love it or be indifferent to it. (For the record I am not romanticizing the local in Bombay - just stating facts!)
The tube in London is so different from the local in Bombay. Very often, I see the same people everyday. But there isn't even that nod of recognition, or even acknowledgment of a shared journey. Heads buried in free newspapers, the white headphones of thumping ipods, the overwhelming black of overcoats and shoes. The incomprehensible slang of 14 year olds, who feel about 3 feet taller than me.
To an extent - I miss the cacaphony of Bombay. But I think I love the non-nosiness of this city as well.
Yesterday, as I prepared myself for the 45 minute long commute, a man with a guitar walks into the tube. With a booming voice, he says 'Ladies and Gentlemen - Tonight on the District Line, I will provide you some entertainment. To start with, I'll play a song by the Rolling Stones'. So, the long-haired lanky guitar man started strumming an all time favourite - "Sympathy for the Devil".
Not a word from his wonderful audience. I poured some change into his cup. And so did a couple of others. Then he says 'Looks like they want me to sing you another song - or why would the tube stop between the stations', and strums "I feel Fine" by The Beatles. Slower, slightly gentler version. And then tops that with an original and tells us that we should buy the single. He takes a grand bow - the way Paul McCartney would bow to an audience with his guitar sticking closer to his belly. The urban guitarman then eases himself out of the tube.
The wonderful audience was all quiet and except for a three year old, no one said bye. (Yeah, I was the audience too - I just smiled a lot. But I acknowledged.)
The tube in London is so different from the local in Bombay. Very often, I see the same people everyday. But there isn't even that nod of recognition, or even acknowledgment of a shared journey. Heads buried in free newspapers, the white headphones of thumping ipods, the overwhelming black of overcoats and shoes. The incomprehensible slang of 14 year olds, who feel about 3 feet taller than me.
To an extent - I miss the cacaphony of Bombay. But I think I love the non-nosiness of this city as well.
Yesterday, as I prepared myself for the 45 minute long commute, a man with a guitar walks into the tube. With a booming voice, he says 'Ladies and Gentlemen - Tonight on the District Line, I will provide you some entertainment. To start with, I'll play a song by the Rolling Stones'. So, the long-haired lanky guitar man started strumming an all time favourite - "Sympathy for the Devil".
See how Bombay keeps coming back to you? In the middle of a song by The Rolling Stones. He didn't render it perfect, but the way he did it was just right for a tube song. The song was done, and no one applauded. He looked around and said 'Well Ladies and Gentlemen, you've been a wonderful audience. And tonight I've been sponsored by Costa Coffee - who make horrible coffee, but the cup is right for collections.'Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Not a word from his wonderful audience. I poured some change into his cup. And so did a couple of others. Then he says 'Looks like they want me to sing you another song - or why would the tube stop between the stations', and strums "I feel Fine" by The Beatles. Slower, slightly gentler version. And then tops that with an original and tells us that we should buy the single. He takes a grand bow - the way Paul McCartney would bow to an audience with his guitar sticking closer to his belly. The urban guitarman then eases himself out of the tube.
The wonderful audience was all quiet and except for a three year old, no one said bye. (Yeah, I was the audience too - I just smiled a lot. But I acknowledged.)
posted by neha vish at 19:59
19 Comments:
Those buskers in the Tube are so much fun. And they know it's always Beatles that gets the wallets opened.
And congratulations on the job! Try not to scare your new boss :)
km
try classical
:) nice...
hehehehe... i looove de beatles! on de bbay locals, u have beggar women singing 'Pardesi, parsedi, jaanaa nahiin...!" hehehe.
First time on your blog. Came here from Tony's.
Nice blog u have.
I didn't know that in London also there were beggars. I had a perception that it was a pretty Indianish phenomenon.
i wonder whether you've noticed the distinct class struggle in Mumbai trains. Those who are not regulars on the train, see it as a social climbdown to travel in them.
In London, on the otherhand, you will find the senior most corporate execs travelling by the Tube. A friend of my dad's who headed a govt organisation, travelled all his working life from Hunslow to King's Cross.
Lovely post.
This is to livinghigh: There is a reason for 'pardesi' being the song of choose for every respectable bbay beggar (I was gonna write 'blogger' by mistake :P) - you can shout it at the top of voice, you can sing it out-of-tune, and you don't even need to know all the lyrics, and still nobody complains. They even give you money.
Nice post.
And thx to you yours truely have put up a disclaimer ;-)
and will soon write a post on stereotypes
Yea this is one phenomenon I too noticed in the western world: cute, innovative ways of making money instead of mere begging!
On the Boston subway, "the T", there is a special "performance area" where aspiring musicians can strut their stuff - they even sell their CDs!
This is not begging, its public appreciation of talent. I have only seen singers there though I suspect there is money there to be made by an Indian demonstrating yogasanas - Yoga is big here!
Gary: I do listen to lots of classical music as well. But am partial to the violin.
Others: I don't really think the man was begging! It was quite an innovative way to earn a living actually! And it takes guts to walk into a tubeful of angry commuters and sing songs.
Aekta and Dents: Yup. It's more of a mobile 'performance'. Almost all the big stations here seem to have an area cut out for artists and musicians. Some of them are just brilliant. And I do come across quite a few ppl who buy CDs off these musicians.
Perhaps it's got something to do with the popular perception in India of the connection between bards, musicians and the streets. :)
nice post... another thing I remember about peak time tube travel is the sea of black you see around - black shirts, black pants, black shoes, black coats.... you get the picture - can be very depressing on a winter morning.
Hi,
one info: these street singers have to get a license(!!) to sing in public places. Some of them sing really very well. Also, yesterday I "browsed" a street artist's paintings. wow. he is very talented. his paintings are very pricy too.
I agree with Charu. that black sea could be very depressing, if you are not in black!! Once I boarded a bus, a double decker bus (not in London). All seats had one black sitting at the window seat. All seats had one black sitting at the window seat. ALL seats had one black sitting at the window seat. It was two rows of blacks. One at the left of the bus, at the window seat and the other one at the right of the bus at the window seat. When I entered the bus, all blacks looked up and looked at me. It was hard time for me chosing where to sit.
(if you read "notes from small island" by bill bryson, he writes on how people come to the train stations (outside london), and how they wait.. Very funny, but very true).
Lovely post! Almost a year ago my I was walking along South Ken exit for the V&A - a musician was playing fabulous swing music and this elderly couple were dancing! it was a lovely sight
and those flat surfaces in the rube really carry the sound in an eerie way, don't you think?
Nice post. First time here. SFTD is one of my all time fave Stones song. And Bombay makes it even more special.
Left Delhi for Bombay about a year ago. I guess I dont regret it. But Delhi has a special place.
Bombay locals-a world in itself.
premalatha, I meant people IN black. not black people. Are we talking about the same thing here?
Hi Charu,
I did mean people IN black. it did not even occur to me that it could mean black people and shame on me i did not even relate black people in this context at all..
The demeanour of the folks who travel on the tube makes up for the frosty silence.It can indeed be dull with no one caring so much for a smile as for a word. The loud and clear voice on the speakers urging us to mind the gap and reminding us of the final destination of the train serves to delightfully disturb the silence.
The local trains in bombay carry more than they should.. if it carried fewer people surely the best in people would come pouring out if not emulate the typical western reticence.
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