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Friday, November 9, 2012

Bang on a Can, Below West 4th Street

Larry the Busker
Photo by myself at the West 4th subway platform.

The other night I was standing on the platform at West 4th Street, when my ears pricked up at this incredible sound. What I heard was something between a thunder and a rumble.

Two bucket drummers were riffing, without a care in the world. Different plastic drums, the kind used to store soy sauce and building supplies, made a whole range of tones.

When I got home, I showed my fiance Mark my photos. He said immediately, 'That's Larry the Busker!'

A quick look online made me a bit speechless - Larry was the first to use five-gallon plastic buckets as drums on the street. He's been drumming since the age of five. He even has his own Wiki page.

Nothing is off limits as part of the 'drum set'. Larry moved seamlessly between banging on the buckets, the ground, and the subway structure next to him. He uses his feet to manipulate another bucket, while twirling the batons in the air, no less.

Larry and his wife Sonia were in a world of their own, and didn't seem to even communicate while performing. I was lucky enough to find a video of them performing in the exact same spot (!).




A short movie made about Larry when he was 15.

Related posts: Early Snowfall in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Even More Snow, in Central Park, and Fresh Snow, at the New York Public Library.

6 comments:

Nori Katayama said...

Fun! Can I share this on my Facebook?

Kitty said...

Of course, Nori! I'm glad you liked it!

dianasfaria.com said...

I believe you have found a bit of synchronicity at its finest!
Love this Kitty, thanks for sharing the video too.

: )
& I think I will do what Nori did!

Terry at Blue Kitchen said...

Kitty, I have to admit that here in Chicago, we mainly find the can bangers an annoyance. But Larry is quite impressive. And how funny that Mark knew who he was!

Kitty said...

Thanks Lily!
I realized after Nori's comment that my share buttons weren't working. Whew!!

Hi Terry
I can relate. When stressed and thinking about work, the loud noise is not a welcome thing.

I do give credit to Larry, his wife and other bang-ers for their ingenuity. Coming up with 'music' seemingly from nothing is inspiring.

Cesc Sales said...

The bigger show in NYC. Awesome! Thank you for share!