Die! Buskers! Die!

[fabrisse]

In the civilized places in which I have lived, buskers have played in places where I could stop and listen to them or walk past them as I chose.

In Boston, however, they stand on the T-platforms playing out-of-tune guitars with microphones so loud that I can't even have the comparatively pleasant white noise of the Ts entering and leaving the stations.

There's nothing sweeter than walking across a square in the Louvre to a Vivaldi violin duet -- I gave them 50F because the music and surroundings meshed so well. But I can choose to go in another entrance or just walk by them without giving them money if their music isn't to my taste.

On a T platform, I'm a captive audience being held hostage through multiple Ashmont trains until my blessed Braintree line comes in to whisk me away from it. I've gotten to the point that I'd rather stand next to one of the idiots who has his iPod/Walkman/Foo turned up so loudly that the music is blaring out his nose than listen to one more person say, "You can buy my CD for just $5.00 and now here's a tune by Jewel."

Also, a tip, if you are playing in public make certain that your instrument is in tune -- or at least in tune with your voice if you're going to insist on singing.

I've had musicians say that I was insulting them by offering them $20 not to play until they saw me get on the T. I say that I'm recognizing that this person is trying to earn spending money and that by asking them not to play I would be taking away their earning power. They won't shut up if I just ask them to either. I've tried it.

Since I can't throw them on the T tracks without risking a stint in a women's prison, I guess the next time one of these whiners assaults my ears, I'll have to throw myself on the tracks.

Comments

[moria923.livejournal.com]

Multiple Ashmont trains? How did that happen? I thought it was always we Ashmont passengers who are stuck as multiple Braintree trains go by!

Before thorbol and I were a couple, we happened to see each other one day in the Park Street T station. In an effort to make small talk, I said, "Don't you think it's terrible that they want to have advertisements in the T stations?" (They had been talking about that story a lot on WBUR at the time.) He hadn't heard about it, and wanted to know why people thought it was a bad idea. I pointed out that people were worried the ads would get in the way of the T musicians. He said, (I think we'd be better off without some of those guys."

I don't remember now how exactly the ads were going to interfere with the buskers. I liked the buskers, so at the time I just thought thorbol was an unenlightened Philistine. I can certainly understand, though, how their playing could drive you nuts if it's bad and you're forced to listen for a long time.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

It depends upon time of day and how many disabled trains there have been. During rush hour, it's rare that it's not strictly A, B on the lines. However, when I used to get out of Commedia at 9:30 there were usually two Ashmont trains in a row at 9:40 and 9:48 before my Braintree train at 9:55.

Even if the playing/singing is very good, they shouldn't be playing where we don't have any choice but to listen to them. I kind of like the banjo player who does the early 20th century music, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for "Hello my baby, Hello my honey, Hello my ragtime gal." And I know there are people who grit their teeth anytime they see him. It has nothing to do with his talent; he's just not to their taste.

Since he often played on the Green line platform at Government Center, he had even more of a captive audience than those who play Red line platforms. The pattern their was usually B,C,B,D,B,C,B,D,E -- because the B line ends at Government Center they always had more of them than the other lines. Pity the poor E line metalhead being forced to listen to music that his grandmother considered "old-time".

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I thought it was always we Ashmont passengers who are stuck as multiple Braintree trains go by!

I thought this for a long time myself, but I don't really think it's true. Given that the trans aren't in strict alternation, whichever branch you take will naturally SEEM to come less often. That's because, although there are sometimes two "good" trains in a row, you never SEE that happen, because you always get on the first one. Conversely, it's quite common to see two "bad" trains in a row, as you never get on any of them.

It still puzzles me *why* the trains aren't in strict altenation all the time.