The Harmonica Man

Quote of the Day: "It insisted upon itself."
Peter Griffin of Family Guy, on The Godfather

There is an old homeless man that stands at a local freeway off-ramp and plays harmonica. At least I think he's homeless because he stands at a freeway off-ramp playing harmonica.

What interests me about this man is that, for such a cliche image, I've never actually seen a homeless man playing the harmonica, bobbing his knee to the bluesy whine of his instrument.

I found it a little thrilling, suggestive of a sort of free way of life, an "on the road," romantic hobo existence. In the end, though, I'm not sure he was even a very good harmonica player, and the dreary lines on his face and the stains in his denim suggested something more sad.