Bending Sounds

I was home a few weeks ago and after reflecting on my trip back, I realized that one of the things I miss most about living in South Dakota (other than the people and proximity to real soil, of course) is being able to get in a car and drive. I miss being able to walk from a front door to a driveway, get in and turn on music, and just go. No walking 6 blocks to a train station, no waiting for a delayed train or bus in the rain or the heat or the cold, no sitting or standing next to strangers while uncomfortably and accidentally invading each others' personal spaces. Inside the safe confines of a car, I can be in control of the music and the speed and the direction. It's so liberating, and I so miss my jeep liberty. I miss being able to look out a window, and even if the scenery is unchanging, there is sky and land and space. Instead, if I want to go somewhere in NYC, I have to go down into the raw smelling underbelly of the city and like cattle be herded into this 21st century kind of underground railroad. It's become so tiresome and irritating.

But then I just saw this video.. and as a true testament to the capability of art to make gross stuff look cool, I found myself looking at the subway in a different light. Maybe it's because I could look and listen to the environment without having to smell, taste, or touch it or maybe it's because underneath all of the mechanics and steel and rails, there is actually something kind of charming about this mode of transportation. It's no Jeep Liberty driving 80 MPH down Interstate 29, but that's not what the NYC subway ever intended to be. It's not always pretty or reliable, but it gets you to where you need to go. Just like the city itself.


BENDING SOUNDS - NYC SUBWAY from Tim Sessler on Vimeo.