According to recent statistics, there are approximately 154 registered buskers in New York City alone. Other sources, however, say that the actual number is closer to 350, with many performing in locations dotted throughout the transit system. Recently, one NYC busker was busy playing a didgeridoo-like instrument on a bustling metro ride, when a fellow passenger became a little irritated by his music, and smacked him on the head, which sparked a physical altercation. A witness was recording while the incident unfolded, and the footage is making the rounds online.
On Reddit, the 35-second video clip is accompanied by the amusing pun, “Didgeridon’t” and takes place inside the seating area in a subway passenger cabin. In it, we see the NYC busker, sporting an orange t-shirt, a white trilby hat, purple-spotted pants, and a pair of gray crocs sat cross-legged as he plays his blue, hand-made didgeridoo. A woman on the phone is sat next to him, though she’s paying him no mind. Moments into the footage, however, a man’s hand from out of the frame leans in and smacks the busker on the head.
The cameraman bursts into laughter at the sheer absurdity of what’s happening in front of him, though tensions continue to escalate. As the busker sits in shock for a few moments, you can see that he is understandably visibly annoyed by the man’s physical assault.
Suddenly, though, the musician springs into action and kicks the man who is seated opposite him, and retaliates with his instrument flailing. As the busker attempts to smack the man with his didgeridoo, the other man wrestles with him, as onlookers look on in surprise and amusement at the bizarre altercation. In the background, you can hear the cameraman laughing hysterically.
A woman, who appears to be a friend or acquaintance of the man who instigated the fight also joins in the fray in a bid to split them both up, although the video cuts midway through the scuffle.
With the video circulating online, social media users took to the comments to share their thoughts on the unusual physical altercation. One Redditor loved the amusing description of the video, writing, “Great video title” while another chipped in with, “Subway rat found a piece of scrap hose and thought he was the keeper of the flame,but all he got was smoke.” Elsewhere, other commenters lambasted both of the men at the heart of the drama, with one penning, “I see two d*ckheads. Dude laughing is ace though, perfect response to that nonsense.”
It remains unclear what the repercussions were following the fight, but I’m hoping that no-one was seriously hurt, outside of a couple of bruised egos.
