I was on the F train a few days ago and there are always different guys (usually it's guys) who come on and either beg, or sing songs, or sell dvds, or preach that we're all going to hell etc. Sometimes i give those guys money, sometimes I don't. I don't really have a policy on the issue, although I don't give money to the guys who tell me I am going to hell. It's easy to get inured.

Sometimes the performances are good. There are these four hispanic guys I've seen a couple of times (many of these people have their own schedules and routes) who have this percussion group and they're really good. Some of the other performers are downright terrible.

Anyway, a few weeks ago when I was on the F train, this guy got on and he had a guitar. He was dressed all in black. Kind of a cool Johnny Cash look. He had a long black trenchcoat, black cowboy hat, and he was carrying a guitar. It wasn't electric, I don't think, though he had some kid of a device with him. He was kind of short, maybe 5'5 or so? He looked really slick to be honest.

He stood in the middle of the car facing the doors and when the doors closed and the train started moving he launched into this absolutely killer version of "The First Cut is the Deepest." He had this beautiful voice, gravelly and passionate, and he hit all the right notes. It sent a chill down my spine. Everybody was sort of quiet and they were all just staring at him.

When the train reached the next station, he wasn't done with the song yet. When the doors opened, he kept strumming his guitar, a little more quietly, with his head down, and then when it started up again, he paused and launched right back into it where he left off.

It was a performance.

Anyway, I just heard Sherly Crowe's version on the radion and it reminded me of this.





The "F" edit
[Edited 1/8/05 17:22pm]

Great song and an even greater way to hear it.

Nice one, cant believe you started a decent thread

What's got into you?

Lleena said:

I was inspired by the tragedy of Brad and Jen. We all need a little love in our lives during these dark times...

2the9s said:

Is that the F train? Nice use of visuals 9sey. I am capturing the mood right now.

2the9s said:

I'm sure Brad and Jen will appreciate your thoughts at this time

Lleena said:

I can only hope.



They're such great kids.

Nice.

In Paris there was this sport of people just belting out songs in the weekends. They just stroll onto the metro with their aplifiers on wheels and go electrical on you.

If you bump into a gypsie orchestra on speed you might end up deaf, but sometimes you hit the jackpot.

Line 3, on my way to Rue De Buci, a Japanese girl of undefinable age got on, dressed like a gung-ho manga character, bandana included.
She turned on her amplifier that had a microphne plugged in and then started singing the most sweet-sounding Japanse songs, that might have lyrical themes like sweet kitties or the killing of sweet kitties, who knows?

She acted like a spuerstar and in my eyes she was. She had all the moves, made eye contact with no one, on occasion singing with eyes closed, giving it her all.

The only time I ever gave a fiver.

2the9s said:

The sight of that picture of a dirty train will be a comfort for them

HamsterHuey said:

Nice! Same thing with this guy. He never made eye contact or anything.

Just sang the shit out of that song.
[Edited 1/8/05 15:58pm]

2the9s said:

what happened?!?!

irresistibleb1tch said:

Don't make me repeat it...

2the9s said:

what?! did they break up?!

NOOOOO!

did somebody think to start a thread about it?!

irresistibleb1tch said:

Jen farted in front of Brad and 9s thinks this means they have to break up


...
[Edited 1/8/05 16:01pm]

Lleena said:

well, i'm sure Jen's breaking wind has made the news by now! and deservedly so - i mean, who wants to hear about war and natural disasters when there is celebrity flatulence to report on?

Nothing like that ever happens on the trains I go on. The last thing I saw of any note was an old drunk guy shitting his pants.

Although, maybe he was a performance artist.

Why do they call it the "F" Train?

Did you take him home for a fuck?


Random Edit:
[Edited 1/8/05 16:06pm]

irresistibleb1tch said:

It was headline news here. The announcer said " Jennifer Aniston farts...details at 11." Then at 11 they showed a picture of Brad Pitt with his suitcase looking disgusted and getting in his car. All he kept saying was "no comment."

9s has gone away to cry quietly for a few moments, he said to carry on without him.

Lleena said:

let's organize an org tissue drive for 9sey!


some kleenex...




and a lovely dispenser, too! dry your eyes, little 9sey... tomorrow, the world will look a lot brighter!


[Edited 1/8/05 16:40pm]

there are some truly gifted train/street performers out there. the opposite is also true

Lleena said:

2the9s said:

Really nice story! Sounds like something from Randy Kennedy's "Subwayland: Adventures in the World Beneath New York."

Hey! Since you ride the subway, have you ever noticed that the newest No. 2 trains seem to play a song when they pull out of the station? I'd hear it at the 14th St. station. I thought it sounded like the song "Somewhere." I also thought I was crazy until I read in "Subwayland" that other people were hearing it too!



[Edited 1/8/05 17:06pm]

I have another story about the F train, this one funny (I think).

Usually the people who make the announcements about the stops on the trains are pretty incomprhensible. Sometimes they're good, but mostly they're incomprehensible. It's a combination of technical issues and just plain poor articulation. I often wonder what it must be like for people who don't speak the language, or outoftwoners who are not at all familiar with the subway system. I would imagine that having someone mumble over an intercom would only aggravate an already difficult situation.

Apparently there are guidleines about what they are allowed to say etc. For example, if someone is holding up the train by standing in the door, they are not supposed to yell at them. But I have heard them yell. I'm glad when they yell frankly. You shouldn't be holding up the train. One time an announcer yelled "Stop holding the doors or I will turn this thing around!!"

Well, this one time I was taking the train to midtown and I noticed that the announcer was not only very clear, but also unusually detailed in the information he provided. Usually they give the stop and then then when the doors close they say "Next stop etc" This guy was saying things like "West 4th Street. Change here for the A the E. For the E go down the stairs and cross over to the far side." Then he would give the web address of the MTA where you could find more detailed information. Nothing hysterical, just a little bit unusual.

But he was doing this at every stop.

When we got to Broadway-Lafayette, he said "Broadway-Lafayette: change here for the B the D the V and the 4 train. Change here also for the downtown number 6. For the number 6 go down the stairs and cross over to the other side. The number 6 goes Downtown only at this station. Repeat the number 6 is Downtown only. Reason? Unknown."

LMAO!

When he said "Reason: unknown" everyone on the train suddenly burst out laughing! I guess it was a you had to be there kind of thing, but it was funy as hell! I was stifling a laugh all the way to Herald Square!

UptownDeb said:

I haven't read SubwayLand! It sunds like fun!

I'm not on the 2 all that much, but I'll keep an ear out for it!

Years ago I used to ride the "D" train. There was this conductor who, when announcing which train we were riding (and so as not to confuse it with the "B") would say: "This is the 'D' as in David train. David. The mighty King...of ancient Is-ra-el."

UptownDeb said:

LMAO!

The same guy I was talking about, when people were getting on, he would say: "Please use all the doors folks. There's 600 feet of train. Use all the doors."

2the9s said:

You've got to love a sense of humour! We mostly have completely incomprehensible types on our trains but sometimes you get a joker. If I was a train driver and had that microphone I would see it as my duty to entertain the comuters, or at the very least entertain myself.

2the9s said:

i love it! maybe i should start announcing exits to myself as i'm driving to work in the morning... ya know, break things up a little!

"next exit - exit 30. this is where you get off the interstate to work your ass off for peanuts and a warm handshake at the end of the year. don't forget to smile!"