The Sounds of the Underground Page #3

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incredible

like cross section of people

coming through at any given time

where you have the ability to

instantly

change and affect and impact

someone's life. I mean,

I have had people come up to me

and say, man, I was having

the shittiest day or man, I felt like I

was dying, and then I heard your music,

and it totally changed things.

(Guitar music)

These are some of them.

You know,

I've got a Fender strat, I've got

a Godin here, I've got an acoustic.

I've actually got two acoustics,

but this is my writing acoustic.

And, I've got Ibanez. I want to

say

Epiphone. You know, my amp.

I have different set ups when I

play with band, you know.

The amp, the electric, and another

acoustic when I play the

subway. I've got a smaller amp

battery operated, chargeable.

So, these things

just get replaced and

then I... Rechargeable batteries

is such a great way

to go because it's cheaper in

the long run.

It goes in here because without

that, won't have power for

too long. See, and you can test

it out.

That light means there's power,

which is a good thing.

I wipe down the strings to my

guitar with alcohol.

Uh, because it gives them a

little bit of a gloss.

And also, it treats the wood.

You know, this is all kind of crazy, but

it helps you play better. It keeps the

wood and the strings lasting longer.

Hopefully you don't break any

strings.

(Soft clunking noise)

Every time I play the subway,

it's a few times a week.

I've got to- this is the same route that

I take. I go to different places, but

always starting from my house.

(Squeaky wheel noises)

Always come up the same blocks.

Rain, snow,

sleet, shine, ice.

See, I only got three left

with time to spare. I made it.

OK, now we kind of need more

towards the middle. So,

I got to walk quick.

(Train noise)

And it's empty.

It means we can sit down.

We can actually sit down. It's

great.

What drives them to be there?

Is it

because they can't find any

other work?

Is it because this is the best

medium for the expression

of their talent? Is it because

they

actually are making a lot of money?

Is it because they're trying to

be found in order to do

something else? You know, to

participate in more traditional

types of art?

What is the source of their

fulfillment, you know, and is it just

the art itself that is enough?

-We're gonna take the Q

to Canal street, get off and

then cast a J and do our thing there.

-First, it's part of New York. I mean,

it's absolutely fabulous. New York

wouldn't be New York without it.

I've seen kids been doing the hip hop

and the flip flops and the

grab on the pole. I couldn't do it.

I'm 56 years old. I couldn't do it!

(Mellow music)

So, you know,

they don't understand we are

out there trying to make a living.

Take care of our kids.

You know what I mean.

Something we are doing for our kids

that our parents didn't do for us.

-Instead of robbing people.

Instead of robbing people out

there.

You know what I mean?

It keeps us out of two places like

they say. Your house and in jail.

(Train sounds) When I was a young kid,

we used to get stopped by the cops

probably more than...

-Twice a day. -In a week,

the whole week from one to

seven, probably five times.

Out of the whole week.

My aunt used to be mad.

Just come and

pick us up at the precinct

because cops want to mess with us

and f*** with us for no reason

because we are out here

trying to make a

living. -Doing positive,

not robbing people.

I had a cop asked me one time in Florida.

"Have you ever been arrested?"

I said, yeah.

He goes,

how many times? About 50, 60.

He goes, for what? Playing the guitar.

(Laughs)

(Guitar music)

(Background traffic and crowd noises)

Music has always added to our

lives and its ways

we interpret things and it's

part of history and you know.

Everything from the minstrels

all the way up to

what we do now, you know.

(Guitar music)

That's how they make their

living and stuff, but honestly,

they know it going into it.

It's kind of like part of the

thing, you know.

You are just taking that risk.

-Cops are rude motherfuckers.

Man, they're rude. Talking

about stepping on my wood, man?

That's my instrument

you touch it. They are just rude, man.

They think they run the place. It's

ridiculous.

-People that arrested me was

relocated. For one

precinct to another. Somebody

was negligent in the paperwork.

I had grit and atone fast.

(Coughs) Excuse me.

To find my instrument.

And it took them

about half of the nine months

to run it down.

Once in a blue moon, you'll get

a nice cop.

A cop will come over and be

like, hey guys

can you chill out. I can't hear my radio.

Just talk to you like

you're an adult and a real person.

And then there's no problem,

but if they come up to you and

approach you like a child then

we automatically have a problem

with it man because ultimately

we have every f***ing right to be here.

-That's right. (Tapping sounds)

(Train sounds)

You kind of have to create your own

outlet. I feel I do it because

that's where the roots is.

That's where the roots come from.

I feel like I'm keeping it real.

(Tapping sounds)

-Describe the sound though.

-I got it, man. That's a good example

because a tap dancer can hear

another tap

dancer and understand the rhythms

from anywhere.

(Tapping sounds)

If you're on the bottom floor

and you hear a tap dancer, you know it

because the rhythms are distinct

the way tap dancers think are distinct

as percussionists. We tend to train

our ears and our minds to where

we can hear fast, intricate

rhythms and as soloists.

(Tapping sounds)

I've hit all over.

I hit Times Square

and Columbus Circle and

Fifty-first and Lex in this

little subway station. I've hit

outside of Columbus Circle,

outside Union Square. Ah,

in Central Park, in Battery Park.

(Mellow music)

Here's where I start thinking

about songs that I'm

working on. That I'm writing.

It is really cool. I find a

train

and running. I also run. So the

times

when I'm running or I'm on the train,

I tend to either practice songs that

I'm working on or write pieces

of things.

(Mellow music)

I'm ready to rock and roll.

Well, at least halfway there anyway.

Three quarters of the way.

Got to get off Thirty-fourth street

and catch an elevator.

I used to do the elevator right there.

Perfect.

(Mellow music)

Twenty days, twenty nights

who can count them. Since

your

smoking lips crave mine

I'm rolling in this sweaty

seat

A thousand miles from your

smile. You have to be a fool

Darling, I don't know

You have be a fool

to think that

ain't trouble. Oh

no, you have to be a fool

darling

I don't know

(Mellow music)

(Train sounds)

Yes, I have supported them

and no, I haven't.

I think that getting back to the point

that you were making about it being

sort of ambient. Street

performers

and the folks that are in the subway,

whether or not they are

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