Unexpected Music

http://polaroid41.com/unexpected-music/

Sunday November 15th, 5:17pm.

Last February I was in a waiting room, bored, chatting on messenger on my phone. My friend sent me a video clip, ‘Here, while you’re waiting.’ I rarely watch video clips and this one was three minutes long, but my friend has good taste and I was stuck in a waiting room for the foreseeable future, so I put my headphones in and clicked play.

The video opens with a hand stuffing a microphone in the face of an unsuspecting pedestrian and an off-camera voice commanding, “Finish the lyrics ! “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?...” An invisible host goes from person to person, throwing out different songs and meeting varying degrees of success.

He sings Queen to a goth guy wearing satanic horns who just squeals back at him like a pig.

He approaches two girls sitting at a sidewalk table at a café and bombards them with “Finish the lyrics! I say boom boom boom, lemme hear ya say wayo!” One girl looks half panicked and the other timidly replies, ‘Wayo?’ He laughs and says, “You can do better than that!” He sings it again and the girls shout back together: “WAYO!” Their entire interaction lasts less than 10 seconds and in that time the girls go from confused to skeptical to shyly complying to wholeheartedly singing and laughing.

Next there’s a guy in a dubious state of sobriety who’s eager to please: the host is set to launch into Bohemian Rhapsody, “Finish the lyrics! Mamaaa-” and the guy on the street jumps in with ‘MIA! MAMA MIA!’ while the host continues ‘just killed a man…!’ Total confusion.

The host tries again with different young man who takes Bohemian Rhapsody and absolutely runs with it. The next guy isn’t having it though: the host barely has time to say, ‘Finish the lyrics!’ when the guy on camera interrupts with, ‘What the fuck are you doing man? I’ll finish you in second. Fuck off.’

Yikes. But regardless of the response, the host simply cackles and giggles delightedly.

Next up he’s got a great Yakety Yak Don’t Talk Back exchange with a man in an expensive looking coat inside a deli. Then a middle eastern guy gives his all trying to remember the lyrics to ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time.’

As I said, the video is three minutes long and I almost hit stop at this point. I’ve had a laugh but don’t feel like I really need to see more. I’ve got it down. But, I’m in a waiting room, so I let the video play...and I’m so glad I did.

The last woman to come on screen is wearing a black turtleneck and a three-quarter length camel colored coat. She’s thin, small, serious looking. Her hair is highlighted blonde and blow-dried, her makeup is careful and stylish. She’s carrying a coffee and walking in the London Underground. He prompts her with the first few words of ‘Shallow,’ the critically acclaimed song from the movie ‘A Star is Born.’ The woman hardly stops walking but quietly and beautifully sings back the rest of the line, smiles and goes to continue on her way. For the first time the host drops his delighted cackling and says, “Wow. You’re really good. Keep going.” She smiles at him and lets loose, her gorgeous voice reverberating off the white subway tiles. Suddenly a beautiful sound where there was none.

...

Polaroid photo and full text available at: http://polaroid41.com/unexpected-music/