I am in the Parisian subway. At the Louvre Rivoli station a guy who’s about 45 gets in and he begins singing, with the help of a small amplifier he holds on his waist. He sings something French. A bit too loud, with a bit too much of an accent and a bit too bored…
Two stations later he finishes his song and he goes to the people to collect the money. Nobody gives him anything.
After getting of the train, he says in a very authentic Romanian: “You wouldn’t spare one dime, you bloody tourists!”… I feel like saying something in Romanian, not very nice word, but fortunately, the doors close at the right moment.
PARIS METRO
I remember reading recently that the people from the Metro Administration in France organizes auditions for the selection of the official singers in the metro stations. They choose 300. These people get a badge of “metro musician” that is valid for six months. It is certain that the guy who has just cursed us does not have any badge…
I compare this to what I saw four months ago in New York subway, where almost all the passengers paid some money (banknotes, not coins!) to the man who sang for more than ten minutes. Here he is:
