Would you recognize talent if you heard it?

mico saudad · Post by **mico saudad** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:58 pm

An <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=artslot"> experiment </a>

bz£ · Post by **bz£** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:28 pm

This is a very interesting read!

Post by **Lunkhead** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:08 pm

I concur.

Post by jb » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:06 pm

Maybe they should have put him someplace where people had more time on their hands. How about on a boardwalk, or that touristy market in Seattle or San Francisco. It's not fair to rag on people for not stopping in a place where the whole point is that you're trying to get somewhere. Especially when if you miss your train you have to wait.

Hmph.

I would have noticed the player, but I'd have been one of those people in the article who plays strings. I would have given him a dollar or two. I probably wouldn't have stopped.

blue · Post by **blue** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:16 pm

that is heart-wrenchingly sad. as sad as people shooting hippos.

deshead · Post by **deshead** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:08 pm

I agree with blue.

At the same time, I agree with this woman.

How would the experiment (such as it was) have differed if the musician they used was also a busker?

Mostess · Post by **Mostess** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:06 pm

It's so weird that the author conflates good concert skills with good street performer skills. Like music is music regardless of audience or context. Kind of insulting, really. I love me some 20th century art music, but I cannot listen to it in the car. I've never thought that it was my car's fault, or that I was crazy.

Bell is a kick-ass sport for playing along, and his quotes show him to be the thoughtful master he's supposed to be. That's the best part.

drë · Post by **drë** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:13 pm

deshead wrote:I agree with blue.

At the same time, I agree with this woman.

How would the experiment (such as it was) have differed if the musician they used was also a busker?

Thanks for the link desh.
they usually say theirs always 2 sides to every story...
i keep thinking its more like 360 sides actually.

mico saudad · Post by **mico saudad** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:57 pm

It's a thought provoking little stunt. I wanted to get you're reactions first, but I'll also share a couple of topics it had me thinking about:

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proof"> Social Proof </a>
<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/artic ... >Treasures hidden in plain sight</a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience">Wasted opportunities to learn something valuable- to seem rather than to be</a>

I'll stop there...

WesDavis · Post by **WesDavis** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:56 am

jb wrote:Maybe they should have put him someplace where people had more time on their hands. How about on a boardwalk, or that touristy market in Seattle or San Francisco. It's not fair to rag on people for not stopping in a place where the whole point is that you're trying to get somewhere. Especially when if you miss your train you have to wait.

Hmph.

I would have noticed the player, but I'd have been one of those people in the article who plays strings. I would have given him a dollar or two. I probably wouldn't have stopped.

I was thinking this exact thing.