Joshua Bell

 Recently I went to see Joshua Bell perform. No, not Josh Bell the first baseman for the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates; we're talking the star violinist (and conductor!) who tours around the world (but mostly the U.S.) playing at sold-out concerts and playing in front of thousands of people. A life that MJ would love to have had. 

First, Joshua Bell looks young. I saw him pretty close-u and would have guessed he was in his forties, and not even in his late-40's, just a regular old 40-something, and his profile pictures kind of confirm that. His real age according to Wikipedia? 55 years old. That goes to the importance of skincare and anti-aging lotion, I guess, something I should probably (definitely) work on. 

Joshua Bell grew up in Indiana, specifically Bloomington, Indiana, near the campus of Indiana University, a place MJ and I recently visited. I like college towns because you never know what you'll find, including a fabulous Mies Van der Rohe building in the center of campus. Most people just walk on by, but MJ and I knew it was special, just like the entire Midwest: most coastal elites who live on the East and West Coasts just walk (or fly) right by the Midwest, but you're missing some gems in Illinois, Indiana, etc. Indiana University in particularly is not prohibitively far from Indianapolis, which is itself not too far from Chicago. Don't underestimate the Midwest! 

Joshua Bell seemed to gravitate towards violin at a VERY young age, like age 4. That's how geniuses are made. It's sad but unfortunately true and probably why so many helicopter parents drag their kids to soccer practice, violin practice, chess practice, etc., because the reality is that if a kid is not outstanding at one thing by the age of like 7, their chances of being one of the best in the world, world-renowned, world-classed, becomes so low (unless they're a genetic freak or something). It's like a garden with many flowers, but only one of millions of flowers can grow into the one flower that shines on, as the other flowers just fall away. At my local club I see this too: parents being more excited about bringing their kids to play chess than the kids themselves are. It shows commendable dedication by the parents to give their children a good life, and playing chess, violin, and others give a good foundation for other pursuits and keeps kids off the street, but if their goal is to be world-class at something, it's probably futile unfortunately. Out of a whole orchestra of musicians who have tried to make it in music, there's only ONE Joshua Bell or Ray Chen. You have to be the elite of the elite, and at some point even excellent musicians/ talents find there's someone better. 

Joshua Bell one time played in the subway in DC and pretended to be a busker (someone who plays music on the street). At one time, I had an opportunity to play with the LA Lawyers' orchestra in a subway concert performance, and it sounded like a cool idea at the time, except then I thought some more and concluded: 1.) It's dirty in the subway. Where would I set my violin? 2.) It smells in the subway, especially in most L.A. subway stations, it smells like marijauna, 3.) People who ride the subway probably wouldn't appreciate it, people like me who are usually in a hurry to get to work or get home that I would just walk right by and not think about the musicians exhibiting their artistic expression for free, 4.) I'm not that good and I don't want other people to hear me as a fraud, and 5.) It's dirty in the subway stops, as well as the people. So yea, I commend Joshua Bell for doing it even as a world-class musician, but I feel like it was a publicity stunt, not the best acoustics or anything. Oh and I wouldn't want to take away opportunities for real buskers who need the money. 

Speaking of geniuses starting at a young age, the FIDE World Championship of Chess is this week, and it's a Best of 14 chess match. Wow. Each match takes like 5 hours too, and it's actually mentally and physically draining; the two competitors Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi of Russia and Ding Liren of China both seem physically exhausted by the end of each match, even though they're barely past 30 (younger than me! That hurts). They of course both were world-class by age 12 or so, winning international tournaments. I have enough comprehension of chess strategies to understand why they play certain moves, but that's about it; I can never hope to play chess at their level or their understanding of chess; it's exactly like violin: I know enough to know what is required to play such beautiful music and be one of the best in the world, but I would never be able to do it myself. Thus is life.