American Pie

Ask anyone I know and they will tell you that my favorite song is American Pie by Don McLean. I love long, epic songs that tell a story (my second favorite song is Hurricane by Bob Dylan). I vividly remember a day that I spent with my family on our friend's boat when I was about 6 years old. This song came on and my sister and I jammed right along with it like the children of former hippies that we are. 

Imagine my surprise when I was sitting in the garden of Saint Paul’s Cathedral picnicking with some friends and I heard the sweet refrain of American Pie ringing through the air. Not only is it my favorite song ever, but we are in the UK and a stranger elected to sing this iconic American song. It was not a coincidence. 

I looked behind me and I spotted a man standing in a tiny, makeshift stage inside a canoe that was standing on its end. The man was strumming a guitar that was attached to the canoe and he was crooning the lyrics to American Pie. It was quite a good performance, especially since he made an ambitious song choice. I felt the music speak to me and before I knew it I was letting myself drift in the direction of the musician to get a close-up view of this private show that he put on for me, just me! At least that is how I felt. I was so excited by this beautiful and spontaneous moment.

I later learned that the canoe/guitar/stage getup is called "Rock the Boat Street Guitars" part of an initiative to promote arts in the community. It is similar to the "Play Me, I'm Yours" street pianos that visited Boston.

The installment is part of the City of London Festival, which started on June 22^nd and is ending tomorrow. The festival has taken place every summer since 1962; it was begun in order to support the cultural life of London. The festival takes place all around the city and supports special events and artistic endeavors in order to foster and strengthen community relations. The City of London Festival also hosted the Alternative Commonwealth Games, which I mentioned in this previous blog post: Welly Waning and Hampstead Heath. 

I can sum up this experience in the words of Jack Kerouac, "The only truth is music".