Waiting for this Moment

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.

- Leonard Cohen

A friend sent me this video, an acapella interpretation of In the Air Tonight performed by Naturally7 on a subway car. It’s a entertaining twist on a guilty pleasure of mine, but what struck me was the lone person on the car who refuses to be moved by it. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it now – it’s only five minutes long and I’ll wait right here until you return.

Did you notice Mr. Detached – the guy in the black trench coat with his back to the singers? It’s hard to miss him because he’s practically in the middle of the scene but also because, of all the people on the car, he won’t give himself to the moment. Why?

Musically, it’s a great performance and that’s no small feat on a packed subway car. By the end, most everyone is into it and people are clapping, taking videos with their phones, and one or two are even singing along. Not Mr. Detached. He’s standing firm, above the fray, rooted in his separateness.

I have no idea what the real reason for his self-imposed isolation is, of course. I wasn’t there; I’ve never met him. He could be on his way home from a crosstown lover’s apartment instead of working late at the office like he told his wife. But his response represents something very worth exploring.

Tomorrow: I Remember