I am not sure if you have already heard about the Sound Taxi doing the rounds in London over the last week or so. Maybe you were even lucky enough to be able to see it pass you by and had the presence of mind to shout out something witty.
The vehicle in question basically records the sounds on the street and then – through some magical and mysterious process – turns them into music. This seems to me like a frankly rather groovy idea and it got me thinking about what we each hear when we go out driving.
I had to nip out and buy some rice this morning and this is what I heard on the way…
Some Cows
It’s the dry season here and the cattle have started invading the city looking for some green stuff to eat. One was trying to eat my Paraguayan Jasmine so I let the dog loose on it. The resulting cacophony would have made a very nice house track I would imagine.
The Traffic
I didn’t pass a lot of traffic as I live a bit away from the city centre. However, a couple of motorbikes went roaring past me. Actually, if I may digress for a second, they use motorbikes rather bizarrely here. The other day I saw a guy with a plaster cast on his leg riding one and not so long ago a biker passed me with a child’s stroller wrapped around his neck. Anyway, I could also imagine the roar of the bikes being turned into a Jimi Hendrix style track with a pounding bass line.
My Singing
Now is the time to confess that I sometimes sing as I drive. I only do this when I am alone and I don’t even usually notice until someone looks me at strangely. Sadly, I think that even the best Sound Taxi in the world would struggle to turn my tuneless warbling into music.