Underground Courage

My dear friend fulfilled a life goal on Friday. A fleeting ‘what if’ manifested into a new truth: Andrew hauled a piano underground, 3 stories deep into the NY subway. For 10 hours in the middle of a busy station, he brought joy to countless passerbys.

The highlight of the night was watching folks discover Andrew playing. Each emotion arrived on their face if only for an instant: shock when seeing a full piano in the subway → disgust when thinking of the labor involved → a shrug when they realized they didn’t have to do the labor → and finally, appreciation for what they got to experience. Lots of smiles snuck out of those hardened New Yorkers facade.

The length of the performance would eventually tear Andrew’s voice apart so in between crooning classics he improvised the blues with crowds looking on. My opinion is very biased but trust me when I say: that white boy can boogie.

Andrew is no stranger to playing in the subway; he plays guitar nightly at the Metropolitan G station. Recently his name hit the news with a viral video of a wrongful arrest while busking. (The officer even read the law outloud that allowed him to be there before the arrest.)

There are many things I admire about Andrew. His quest to remove anything comfortable and seek truth. His commitment to art and health. His imagination. But on Friday night (and the night of his arrest) what makes me stand in awe is his courage. How courageous to take on a life goal. How courageous to lug a piano across New-Fucking-York-City into the subway. How courageous to stand up to a cop and not let fear dictate your life. And most of all, how courageous doing what you love every day.

Congratulations to you brother, you’re doing it… and it sounds so great.