A capella, urination, and other things you shouldn’t do in public
I would like to take a moment to look at a subject Melissa briefly mentioned in her previous post…acapella in public. Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. Now, because I was a part of a collegiate a capella group and enjoy a capella music, I feel that it is ok for me to delve into this subject. The issue arose when my sister mentioned having obnoxious teenage/college a capella groups singing on the NYC subway - on multiple occasions! She said, “Is that appropriate? Am I wrong for being annoyed?”
No, you are not.
I will agree that there are far worse things that people can do in public - excessive PDA, wear hair scrunchies, urinate, show their Britney (Thanks to Lauren Conrad for that euphemism. It was just as funny on the 10 reruns I watched). I guess when it comes to either having nudity beside me on the subway or having a capella, I will take the singing every time. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t feel a little irked.
I think what is so annoying is not the actually singing, but the fact that the singers assume everyone wants to hear a capella Alabama on their morning commutes. In fact, they don’t. Now, there are some instances where public a capella is perhaps acceptable. You are singing karaoke in a legitmate karaoke setting and the speaker breaks: acceptable. You are the mother of a screaming baby and the only things that will calm your child are show tunes: acceptable - by all means, shut the kid up! But, precocious teenage kids busting out in song: not always acceptable.
This also gets to the point of “second hand embarassment.” It’s a horrible feeling. As I said, I like a capella, but the embarassment I feel for the impromptu public singers could possibly overcome my respect of their talent. Especially if there is dancing and snapping. Dear Lord, PLEASE don’t let their be dancing and snapping. I don’t care if your names are Justin, JC, Chris, Joey, and Lance, there is a time and place (ok, I guess then I might care a little).
I plead with you a capella singers of the world, I am one of you. But, please, think about your surroundings, think about your material, and above all else, think about your talent level. If you are all together because you just left a competition where you lost miserably, chances are the people on the subway don’t want to hear your appeal. If you are by far the minority in the subway car, you probably won’t swing the vote your way. If it is 5:15pm on a Friday and people are tired and traveling home from work, please, don’t.
And above all, please, please, for the love of all that is good, don’t close your eyes and feel the music. You aren’t on stage. You are on the subway. If other people around you have their eyes closed, it probably doesn’t mean they are all feeling your sweet percussing too. They may be trying to fight the headache that has occurred as the result of their subway commute.
Posted on October 15th, 2007 by Lindsay
Filed under: Uncategorized
Where have you gone?
I’m still here, waiting for when–one day–popcultureyay rises again. The thing is, I know there is at least one show that the sisters in question are watching carefully. Perhaps Linds would take some time from her busy job-new apartment–roomie life and give us a little something.