Around what I believe was 2008, the lost soul sitting under the night lights of London’s Southbank was getting ready for something.
He didn’t know what that something may be, but he was getting ready. anyway.
He had a tiny kit made up of a pair of cheap bongos, a cowbell and a small djembe. There were only 2 rhythms he knew and he would have played them for hours on end, probably in ways they weren’t ‘supposed’ to be played.
I don’t believe he actually knew how they were ‘supposed’ to be played, so he just made it up as he went along.
Over the years he stayed a lost soul but there was something inside saying “Keep going, don’t give up, as long as you have music, you have something. Don’t give up.”
14 years later and the kit is so big that it takes an amazing team of people to transport it ,set it up and take it down again. Last week they traveled by trains, planes and automobiles to take it to Scotland for it’s first ever performance in front of a live audience.
I think maybe that performance was the ‘something’ he’d spent all those years getting ready for. At times he’s still a bit of a lost soul, he still feels like giving up sometimes and he still plays those 2 rhythms in ways they’re not ‘supposed’ to be played, but last week, even if it was for just one day, it began to make a little bit of sense. .
If you'd love to know more about my TEDx journey please keep a look out for future emails. You may have a dream to give your own TEDx talk, so there may be some ideas that could help you get on the stage and share your unique idea.