I was looking over the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau website and saw this photograph. It struck me as odd, to say the least. First of all, I have lived in this town for forty years and I have never, I repeat, NEVER seen a saxaphone player playing along Capitol Street. On occasion I've seen a harmonica player and that guy who plays the squeeze box near the library, but never a scene like this. This looks like it is either 1) Photoshopped, or 2) Staged.
Either way it doesn't seem to be a photo that captures Charleston's essence. With so many authentic treasures in our little city it seems that the CVB could come up with a better image .
5 comments:
The photo is circa 2000. He played on Capitol and Fife Streets. They could at least use an up to date photo.
There is also a staged photo of computer consultant/sax player Doug Payne playing on Fife Stree that was used in ads for years.
I will f#$%@*& move if some guy stands around downtown and plays saxaphone. The only thing worse than saxaphones are the people who play them. And maybe the people who like to listen to people play saxaphones.
I put up with alot from Charleston. I pay a "user fee", I'm unindated with beggars hanging around the mall and library, but I'll be damned if I listen to some guy blow his saxaphone all over me.
Geez...I hate this kind of phony stuff you find in local promo materials. Huntington has the same issue. Sometimes I look at pics and think, "where in HELL was that taken?".
I took that picture. The guy's name was Jason I think... he used to do that quite regularly for a year or two. I'm not sure of the year, it seems like it was later than 2000, but Oncee would know better than me. I don't see it as all that phony, because the fact is, it's not at all unusual to see street musicians in the neighborhood of Taylor Books, and that's what the photo illustrates.
Well I am glad to know it's an authentic photo of an authentic scene. I guess I just never crossed paths with the guy.
Post a Comment