You never know when you’ll find treasure lying right under your nose, or in some cases right down the street, on the street. This was the storyline to the book (and later film) The Soloist, where newspaper columnist Steve Lopez stumbled upon a brilliant violin performer living on the street named Nathaniel Ayers.
Lopez is so moved by the talent of the street performer that he tries to develop a relationship with the man in an effort to get him back to musical prominence. This effort isn’t as easy as it seems. Nor is it necessarily what any one of us should try when we “discover” incredible talent wherever we find it. However, a conversation or cup of coffee (you treat of course) with a street performer could end up benefitting both parties in more ways than you know.
Where are these magnificent street performers anyhow? They must be in large metropolitan areas, right? Not necessarily. Balboa Park in San Diego is where Mark Goffeney plays guitar in the park. With no hands. This video showcases his prowess of the instrument using only his feet.
Across the ocean in Poland, a street musician showcases an incredible ability on the same instrument. Resembling a talent like Ayers, it’s obvious that this performer is either a prodigy or a classically trained musician. Whatever it was that put him on the street instead of a concert hall for his performance venue would have to be discovered over a cup of coffee.