One of the many things I love about New York City is the range of amazing musicians and singers who eke out a living performing across the city’s subway network. Actually, ‘eke out’ may be the wrong expression. Judging by the amount of money some of these musicians are able to earn in tips (based on my observations), they may in fact be making quite a good living.
Of course, this only applies to the best of the performers, but then to survive as a performer on New York’s subway stations you have to be more than good, you have to be very good. So today, I thought I’d feature some short films that focus on a few of these subway singers.
The first film was uploaded to YouTube by a person using the pseudonym/profile name: mybs86. Regarding the video s/he writes:
"okay- what you are about to watch is a true new york experience. what originally started out as a typical nyc subway ride ... turned into an awesome performance by two people who have never met before. i captured the whole thing on video.
the singer continued with another great song after the entire subway car demanded an encore. her name is jessica latshaw- make sure to check out her music."
Whether the meeting of musicians was a set up or not is immaterial. It’s a great clip, and Jessica exudes confidence and charisma by the bucket full. Jessica Latshaw has her own Facebook profile [https://www.facebook.com/jesslatshaw], so if you feel so inclined – get in touch and become a Friend/Follower.
Thanks to Gothamist for bringing the Jessica Latshaw video to our attention.
Below New York
Below New York is the name of a documentary for CamLin Productions, whose first feature
“…is a unique and stylized look at some of New York City's finest subway performers, musicians and artists.
The film draws the audience into the amazing lives these local performers lead, and how their quest for a venue and sustenance adds a truly wonderful aesthetic to one of the greatest cities in the world.”
Below New York – Select Blendz
One of the groups featured in the Below New York documentary is Select Blendz, an (almost) a’ Capella group that clearly has the doo-wop thing down pat. I say ‘almost’ because they do include an upright bass player in their lineup. This second clip showcases the group on an unnamed New York subway station.
In my first post for the year (Welcome to 2012), I
mentioned that many people have found ways to indulge their love of travel,
often for extended periods of time, and that if you are prepared to make the
commitment and sacrifice, you too can travel sooner rather than later. What I
didn't include in that post, however, were links to some of the many blogs and
websites from these travellers. So today, I have decided to address that
omission.
All the travellers highlighted have embarked on amazing
personal journey's that often defy logic, logistics, money, and maybe even
common sense. But as I also wrote in that entry:
“You will … encounter naysayers,
sceptics, and critics who will argue that the world is filled with dangers
lurking around every corner – as if watching an hour of the evening news
doesn’t reinforce that time and time again.
Then there are others who argue
that you need to knuckle down and focus on finding a life partner, or family,
or career, or homebuilding, or making a fortune, or [add your own inner
nagging voice].”
The intrepid travellers noted below, have all chosen to ignore
the critics and live their dreams.
Bearing the tag line: An ongoing adventure of travel and
living while using a wheelchair, Tim and Darryl Musik’s website is a
detailed record of the father and son’s travels across America and further
afield. Tim has been disabled from birth. Darryl is his father and caregiver.
Together they have embarked on journeys to Austria, Belgium, Dominican
Republic, England, France/Monaco, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and throughout the
United States.
Filled with numerous images and short, high quality videos,
The World on Wheels is always positive, uplifting, and insightful. And it shows
that confinement to a wheelchair is no excuse for staying home, when there is a
world of wonders waiting to be discovered and experienced.
Someone else who is exploring ‘the world on wheels’ is
Keiichi Iwasaki. In April 2001, the Japanese national, then aged 28 decided to
ride his bicycle across Japan. He had just 160 yen (around $2) in his pocket.
His plan was to perform magic tricks wherever the opportunity presented itself,
and to pay for his bike ride as he went. Keiichi not only completed his ride
across Japan, but he enjoyed it so much he caught a ferry to South Korea and
kept going. Ten years, thousands of miles and dozens of countries later,
according to this September 2011 report on the National Geographic
website,
Keiichi is still riding – and still paying his way by performing magic
tricks.
Along the way he has been robbed by pirates; arrested in
India; nearly died after being attacked by a rabid dog in Tibet, and narrowly
escaped marriage in Nepal! But he has also climbed both Mont Blanc and Mount
Everest; used a rowboat to travel from the source of the Ganges River in India
to the sea (a distance of over 800 miles), and also rowed across the Caspian
Sea just because he wanted to see “…how big Caspian sea is?” It took him 25
days.
Irish author Dervla Murphy has written over twenty travel
books, many documenting the details of her journeys by bicycle across an
incredible range of countries. In 1963, at the age of 32, Dervla embarked on
her first major bike ride – from Dunkirk, France to India, and wrote her first
book Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, about that ride. Still
travelling at 80, she recently published her latest book, The Island That
Dared: Journeys in Cuba.
German born, Christoph Rehage set out on November 9th, 2007
– his 26th birthday – to walk from the Chinese capital Beijing to Bad Nenndorf
in Germany. One year and 4600+ kilometres later he ended his walk – still in
China – at Urümqi, a couple hundred kilometres shy of the border with
Kyrgyzstan. Although he didn’t complete his walk, Cristoph (who now studies in
Berlin), writes that “…getting as far as I got was an experience for which I am
very grateful.”
His website, The Longest Way, documents his walk in great
detail, with this time lapse film of the journey receiving over a million hits.
Someone who did complete his walk across America was Matt
Green, who walked from Rockaway Beach, Long Island, to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, crossing New York state, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and finally
Oregon. After roughly five months, 3,000 miles, and 1500 blog entries, Matt said:
“A couple years ago I started a walking group called
Hey, I’m Walkin’ Here! in New York City, and my love for walking really
blossomed over the course of our adventures. Moving through the world at three
miles an hour, you can fully take in your surroundings. There’s nothing
separating you from your environment. You notice things that go completely
undetected by people zooming by in cars. It’s such a rich experience: you can
see, hear, and smell everything around you, and even touch and taste things if
you feel like it.”
Having completed his walk across America, Matt began 2012
with the goal of walking every street across the five boroughs of New York
City. As you would expect, he is documenting this challenge on his website I’m Just Walkin’ (NYC)…
Want more? Check out this list of people
who have also walked across the United States.
Tara Alan & Tyler Kellen set up Going Slowly in February
2008, to document their bicycle tour around the world. That epic ride may be
over – but the website acts as a permanent scrapbook of their many adventures together.
Also going slowly are Anna Rice and Alex Hayton. Anna and
Alex are currently undertaking a year long round the world journey by rail,
road, ship and whatever other forms of transport they can arrange – short of
flying. They have decided to embrace the concept of slow travel with all its
joys and challenges, aiming to eat and sleep locally, and travel with as small
a carbon footprint as possible.
Ok, I know I have chosen some pretty extreme examples, and I
don’t expect you to walk or ride in the footsteps of the people mentioned. But
the point of this entry is to push home the message that anything is possible
if you are prepared to make the commitment and sacrifice to see your travel
dreams come to fruition.
Folks, if it was easy – everyone would be doing it!
It isn’t easy, but as the examples above show, it is
doable. So remember…
“Whatever
you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness
has genius, power and magic in it!” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
On both my trips to New York City in 2008 and 2010, I have
at various times found myself wandering through Zuccotti Park. Strictly
speaking, it is more of a plaza than a traditional park, and in fact it used to
be known as Liberty Plaza Park. Created in 1968, the park was one of the few
open spaces with tables and seats in the Financial District. It is located just
one block from the World Trade Center. Following the events of September 11,
2001 it was left covered with debris, and subsequently used as a staging area
during the ensuing recovery efforts.
As part of the Lower Manhattan rebuilding efforts, the park
(renamed Zuccotti Park in honor of John E. Zuccotti, a former City Planning
Commission chairman), reopened on June
1, 2006, after an $8 million renovation which involved regrading the area, the
planting of numerous trees, and the reintroduction of tables and public seating.
The park is home to two sculptures: Joie de Vivre by
Mark di Suvero, and Double Check, a bronze businessman sitting on a
bench, by John Seward Johnson II.
Double Check, John Seward Johnson
When I first saw Johnson’s life sized statue of a
businessman sitting on a bench, I was some distance away. Initially, I thought
the figure was one of those ‘human statues’ that can be seen in many major
cities around the world. You know the sort I mean: they cover their clothing in
paint, strike a fancy pose, and only move if you put a coin or two in their tip
jar.
On closer inspection, I realised that this incredibly
life-like figure was forged in bronze. Apparently, the artist John Seward
Johnson II, uses casts of real people as the basis of his work, which accounts
for the realism of his sculptures.
Double Check, John Seward Johnson
Joie de Vivre, seen below and in the top image, is a
70-foot-tall sculpture by Mark di Suvero. The work, consisting of bright-red
beams, was installed in Zuccotti Park in 2006, having been moved from its original
location in the Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY.
Mark di Suvero's, Joie de Vivre
Of course, since I was last in New York City, and by
extension Zuccotti Park, the area has become known around the world as the
location of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest which began on September
17, 2011. It will be interesting to see if the OWS protests are still taking
place when I visit New York again over the summer of 2012.
Here is a short video I shot during my April, 2008 visit to
the park.
