He played real good for free

April 8, 2007 9:19 PM

Would you have stopped to listen to one of the greatest violinists in the world playing Bach's "Chaconne" on his Stradivarius as you got off the subway on your way to work? A fascinating Washington Post article (Bugmenot) on an experiment wherein Joshua Bell played for sleepy commuters on a Friday morning.
posted by mojohand (22 comments total)

triple
posted by puke & cry at 9:21 PM on April 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

there an echo in here? ? ?
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 9:21 PM on April 8, 2007

previously - Neil Young busking in Glasgow in '76
posted by pruner at 9:23 PM on April 8, 2007

Wait, wait. You're telling me that this guy played for free?
posted by interrobang at 9:23 PM on April 8, 2007

this is a quadruple.
posted by ofthestrait at 9:23 PM on April 8, 2007

I am an idiot. Thank you.
posted by mojohand at 9:23 PM on April 8, 2007

I will not just scan the listing. I will awalys search. I will not just scan the listings. I will always search....
posted by mojohand at 9:25 PM on April 8, 2007

Whether I would have stopped to listen (since you asked) would have depended upon how pressed I was to get where I was going — not simply on the quality of the musician for whom I was stopping.
posted by spock at 9:25 PM on April 8, 2007

last post (!), for the 5th time or so.
posted by moonbird at 9:26 PM on April 8, 2007

JEEBUS. This is -- IIRC - the SIXTH time that this has been posted; definitely five times, maybe six.

WTF is it about this story? It's not even very interesting, and not new-filtery at all. WTF, PEOPLE???
posted by davidmsc at 9:26 PM on April 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Someone in the last deleted thread I saw for this article said that one was the fifth time it was posted. I wonder what the record is.
posted by amarynth at 9:26 PM on April 8, 2007

I dont think thats its because it was a great article but that the first post gave little indication of what it was about. I didnt even notice the first post, despite scanning mefi daily, until it was linked to in one of the doubles.
posted by vacapinta at 9:30 PM on April 8, 2007

For every person that passed Mr Bell without stopping to listen, this article will be posted here.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 9:31 PM on April 8, 2007

THIS IS THE BEST STORY EVER!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE ADMINS MAKE IT STICKY SO IT STAYS ON TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!
posted by The Deej at 9:31 PM on April 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

This is a joke, right?
posted by dilettante at 9:32 PM on April 8, 2007

If it were the Washington Times, Sun Yung Moon would be marrying people as they passed and no one would notice. All of those people... committing adultery. That is so hot.

Sixth post!
posted by stavrogin at 9:33 PM on April 8, 2007

If the first post had been remotely clear I doubt it'd have been nth'd.
posted by Shutter at 9:36 PM on April 8, 2007

I woulda stopped. Then I woulda punched that motherfukcer in the face, stole his violin and raped his girlfriend.
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:38 PM on April 8, 2007

I stopped to listen the first coupla times, but I've gotten a little tired of this guy. Can someone link to Swiss alphorn player next, or maybe a nose flautist?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:38 PM on April 8, 2007

Get your war on.
posted by stopgap at 9:41 PM on April 8, 2007

I'm having a lot of déjà vu today.
posted by oaf at 9:43 PM on April 8, 2007

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

MetaFilter: Laughingstock. Laughingstock. Laughingstock. Laughingstock. Laughingstock. Laughingstock.
posted by phaedon at 9:46 PM on April 8, 2007