The Unknown Musician

I had stopped in my track upon hearing the strains of Hotel California
"Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say..."
As I rushed ahead I was greeted by the image of a man playing the guitar using his legs for the improvised drum and singing - all at the same time. O and did I forget the Digital Processor for the Guitar and an Amp for the Mic and the guitar. He was a single man band! I just stopped to listen. Next Up was Sweet Child O Mine. A near perfect rendition once again, ends with the Drum rollover in the end. This was followed by Nothing Else matters. What amazed me was the seamless way in which the voice balanced the three distinct octaves to change from Don Henly's middle octave to Axl's High and then to Hettfield's Low rich baritone. All in all I was spell-bound.

At the end of his 3 songs he stopped to take a breather and there was a big round of applause from the adjoining holiday crowd and only then did I notice the box labelled "Donations, Thank you" and a smaller one for loose change.

Unheralded, Undecorated and barely making ends meet. But what am I missing here? Wait, was he supposed to be like that. It’s a facet of our life that we have to accept. maybe it intrigues me more than the rest, but still I cant but fathom that such a huge bundle of talent can live a life of penury; eking out his meager existence by plying his trade in the dark alleys of New York Subway. Where he has been waiting for his big break since... only he knows that.