Union Square Subway Station

Today I found out that my 14 year old cousin had a nervous break-down. She is hospitalized in the children’s psychiatric ward. She was a totally normal kid – I didn’t know stuff like this could happen to a kid. She is crying and yelling non-stop, saying she wants to die. Her body is...
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A strange sighting happened today at the Union Square subway station: As I was playing, an older guy with a white beard, wearing a white shirt, big glasses and a ball cap hat sat on the bench. Then he came to take my card and joined my playing in singing (I was playing a...
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Above the Music Under New York spot at the Union Square subway station there is an artists market. Painters, photographers, sculptors, etc. set up in the park showcasing their art work. While playing I often see them on their way to their spot upstairs. I’ve gotten to know some of them over the years....
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I was supposed to play at Union Square today, but it’s 32 degrees and snowing/freezing raining…so it’s too cold (not for me but for the saw – the blade doesn’t vibrate properly when it’s cold. That’s why my cut-off temperature for playing in the subway is 34 degrees). I’m sad to miss the opportunity...
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On my way to the subway I was joined by the Canadian sax player of ‘Sax in the City’ – a quartet of saxophones that played in the subway. He told me the quartet is no longer together – the guy who ran it is moving to Florida to be a bar-tender, and my...
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When I got to the spot Scout – the man with the gorgous voice, was singing there. It was raining this morning and the wall behind our spot was completely wet. Me: Good thing it stopped raining Scout: No – rain is a good thing – when it’s raining there are more people inside...
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When I got to the spot the South American flutes player was there with his friend who sells CDs for him – really nice guys. The flutes player told me it was slow for him today. I asked him if he thinks it’s because of the 2 guys wearing suits standing behind a table...
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I haven’t busked for so long now that it almost felt like I might have forgotten how… For 10 days I was out of the country, doing a TV show in Israel and starting to organize the first ever gathering of musical saw players there. Then when I got back to New York the...
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A gentleman told me how when he was a kid, between 1940 and 1950, he witnessed many clergymen playing the musical saw in Puerto-Rico. His father was a priest for the Baptist Church in Puerto-Rico. The church sent over priests from the USA to a seminary in Puerto-Rico. These men all played the saw...
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