Ray Charles Live! on the K Ingleside

Public transit is an integral and multifarious part of any urban landscape. It moves great masses of people; it weaves stratified areas of the city together and links to areas beyond; it pushes us together in ephemeral communities that connect us in exactly the opposite way the automobile isolates us.

It can also be an ersatz homeless shelter. A fun-park ride for young children (for hours, I’m told). For me, it’s a continual fount of insight into the range and qualities of human behavior. Like a living portrayal of Walker Evans’ subway photos.

Undoubtedly, it is also one of the great venues for an improvised and surreal brand of entertainment, provided you are in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. iPods can be valuable tools when you don’t want to engage certain “entertainers”, but when the reincarnation of Ray Charles walks onto your train,
unplugged microphone in hand (no need for amplification when you’ve got spirit!), you know the night time, whoah is the right time, to take off your headphones and take in the gospel of city life and the community around you.