Along with everything else, there are musicians who perform on the subway. New York has some kind of program that actually lets them do it legally. They are an odd lot. Among the regulars at my station are a couple of groups that sing 50's doo-op and have the sound nailed. There is one African guy who plays a strange instrument made out of a huge gourd and seems to know only one tune and a woman who gets the most god-awful sounds out a “musical saw." My fillings hurt when I pass her.
And then there is this guy. I only saw him once. I counted at least 9 different instruments that he played. He controlled each seperatelly. And sang while he played. Kinda gives ya hope.
Wo ist der Blitz, Sie mit seiner Zunge zu lecken?
Wo ist der Wahnsinn, mit dem Sie gereinigt werden sollte?
Siehe, ich zeige dir die Superman.
Er ist dieser Blitz, er ist diesen Wahnsinn
3 comments:
(Google Translator)
Where is the lightning to lick you with its tongue?
Where is the madness with which you should be cleansed?
Behold, I show you the Superman.
He is this lightning, he is this madness
Superman Band
Guitar and washboard and drum.
tootlers, clangers, and such –
is music truly the ultimate sum
or is this really too much?
The superman’s playing these things
with a sound beyond all belief.
Oh how the subway stop rings
with such a wild comic relief!
This is the madness we need
in a world of such serious funk.
This will our spirits feed
before in the shadows we’re sunk.
Superman, play and play some more,
give us a rest from our foolish rush;
with those tunes from hour wild store,
bring all our worries at last to a hush.
-----ed pacht
I've never seen this guy... looks cool. And I actually love the Saw Lady! She's great to watch as well as listen to (I find her sound soothing). Maybe you should change dentists :) The African instrument you mentioned is called a Kora.
The 'musical' saw was invented for a comedy bit that aired on the Ed Sullivan Show sometime in December of 1954. The same piece featured a whoopee cushion. It was blacked out in Boston, but a surprising number people actually thought it was a serious musical instrument. Most were institutionalized at the time, but never the less, well there you are. A future posting may delve into the origin of the egg cream.
Post a Comment