Musicians in the MBTA: Singing and Playing For Love and Money

The mission of subway musicians might seem simple: attract attention, entertain, and make sure to leave a receptacle for donations.

But despite what seems a large emphasis on money, most subterranean virtuosos say the meager cash rewards are not enough to keep them keepin on.

Rick Quincy, 27, a guitarist who frequents the State Street station, says his audiences have shown their appreciation with everything from popcorn to peanuts to cigarette butts.

Another guitarist, who would only identify himself as Bob, says the work is not lucrative. What draws him underground, he says, is the simple pleasure of making a difference to his listeners.

"I used to love playing love songs if a couple was having a fight....They'd walk out kissing and holding hands," he says.

Bob says some of his listeners have even been moved to make to make romantic moves on him.

"In the 70s, women used to ask me out a lot," he says. "That doesn't happen anymore in the day of AIDS."

"The negative thing about it is when I sing a beautiful song and people turn their back to it....The opposite of a standing ovation is a backside," says Bob, who is 42 and lives in a "low-income Boston neighborhood."

Many musicians echoed Bob's remarks that they are performers first, and businesspeople second. They say that tips are often few and far between, especially during the months of January and February when the "giving spirit" freezes.

As Bob says, "In January and February, it's horrible down here. It's a nightmare."

Still, the musicians, many of whom are otherwise unemployed, take advantage of their talent as best they can. This involves laying our their cases for tips, and also organizing to ensure fair treatment from subway officials.

"I started out with all sorts of wonderful ideals. Now I do it because it's enough money to put me over the edge," says Nathan Phillips, who plays at Park Street with banjoist Cliff Wagner.

According to Stephen H. Baird, founder of the Subway Artists Guild, the MBTA used to arbitrarily eject musicians from stations. Baird says he began the Guild to stop this sort of harassment.

"It's always been our contention that the T is a public forum," says Baird, who organized the Guild under the umbrella of the Folk Arts Network. "It got to where almost no one could play."

Baird says the MBTA would distribute permits, but would often fail to honor them. "There was no official T policy; there were conflicting ways that they dealt with it," he says.

Baird says a group of musicians collaborated with T officials to draft guidelines years ago, but the MBTA has yet to adopt them.

"If we have that signed and delivered, we won't be vulnerable," Baird says. "We're trying to set up a consistent public policy."

But MBTA Director of Communications Peter Diamond says that his office treats the musicians fairly.

Diamond says the MBTA won't agree formally to the guidelines until a verdict is reached in a currently pending lawsuit.

He says the T was sued by "Jews for Jesus" when the organization was forbidden to distribute flyers inside the subway turnstiles. Jews for Jesus, however, sued the MBTA, arguing that the subway is overstepping its bounds.

Diamond says the case has been "a major impediment to moving ahead" with a subway musician contract. "In the meantime," he says, "We issue a letter of permission for musicians to play in an unrestricted way anywhere they choose."

"We look at musicians as an amenity for passengers," Diamond says. "On the other hand, if it's too loud or there is a safety problem, then they can have a detrimental effect."

He says the MBTA currently grants three-month permits to any musician who completes the proper paper work.

Although Diamond dismisses many musicians' complaints as "absurd," new conflicts continue to arise.

According to Elliot Gibbons, who often performs at the Harvard Square station, the MBTA has tried to stop musicians from selling cassettes in the subway, although currently they are permitted to do so.

And in some cases there is competition for the attention of subway riders.

In 1990, the MBTA began playing "musak" at around the winter holidays--a time especially crucial for musicians trying to make bucks. According to Baird, the MBTA relented only after the Guild appealed to then Governor Michael S. Dukakis and State Sen. Michael J. Barrett '70.

Diamond acknowledges that the T should have warned the musicians about the musak. "We promised not to play holiday music until we had rethought the issue and given [musicians] proper notice," he says.

But Diamond defends the original decision to broadcast the musak.

"We started playing music at Christmastime to improve the holiday spirit," he says. "It was done with an eye to making the T friendlier."

The question, however, is who determines what makes the T "friendlier." Musicians have their opinions, and the MBTA often disagrees with them.

This is the case with "T-TV," a plan to install televisions in subway stations this spring.

Diamond say he thinks the TVs, which will carry news, subway information and paid advertising, are a "terrific boost in customer service." He says although there will be some sound, mostly the system will be silent.

"It provides passengers with a ready source of information," he says. "We will be able to let people know instantly if there's a delay."

But many musicians are enraged at the prospect of new competition.

"That's going to completely wipe us out," says Gibbons, adding that the MBTA did not consult the Guild before approving T-TV.

In response to the plan, the Guild has sent letters of protest to the MBTA hierarchy and plans to seek help from Barrett.

According to Baird, the T has not responded to the letters, which were sent six weeks ago. But Diamond says that since many subway musicians are not members of the Guild, he doesn't assume that its complaints are representative of the whole community of musicians.

Despite the numerous conflicts between musicians and the MBTA, Baird says the Guild has accomplished some of its goals.

"People are not being arrested anymore and generally people can play in the subways. Considering where we were in '86 and '87, the situation is 100 percent better," he says.

Some musicians point out that another problem--lack of camaraderie among musicians--is as troublesome as the conflict between the Guild and the MBTA.

Wagner and Phillips say that, despite the Guild, musicians still don't cooperate well enough to improve their community.

"People couldn't stop looking beyond their own needs. They couldn't see the needs of the community," Phillips says.

Some musicians also say that competition for choice locations in the station is competitive, and sometimes becomes mean-spirited.

Traditionally, musicians meet early in the morning to flip a coin for the preferred positions and times. But Bob says some players don't honor this system and don't keep proper distance from other musicians.

"There used to be strong ethics," said Bob. "This year it's the worst it's ever been." He says the heightened competition is a result of an increase in the number of musicians and tough economic times.

In the end, subway musicians say fun--offering many a weary T-traveller relaxation and entertainment in the crowded, cold underground--is what they're all about.

"I just love music," Bob says. It's in my blood."