He Has The World On Two Strings

Steve Lopez, L.A. Times

March, 25^th, 2009.

To the naked eye they're just a lost soul on the streets, but have you ever gotten to know about them and their story? Nathaniel Anthony Ayers is a homeless musician on the streets of Los Angeles, to some he may look like just another bum on the street, but to me he's an extraordinary and poetic musician.

The first time meeting Nathaniel was because of his astonishing musical talents, playing in places ravaged by the noise of street cars and sirens yet having unearthly concentration. Just that was impressive, but being able to play such beautiful music on a broken old violin with two strings is something else.

Talking to Nathaniel at first you could tell he seemed suspicious of me, still very kind but almost cautious as if I might be his imagination fooling him. After listening to him you could tell he wasn’t mentally fit, having a difficult time keeping his thoughts from reality. Over a few weeks and contacting relatives I found out some interesting things, one thing in particular came as a large surprise.

Nathaniel was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  Went to high school at the Cleveland Settlement School, afterwards he won a scholarship to the music school at Ohio University. Later flew to New York for an audition to get into Julliard, which he became a student for a few years.

In the fall of 1972, on his third year at Julliard Nathaniel started suffering from confusion, anxiety, and hallucinations. Having made many public scenes Ayers was soon taken to Belleview Psychiatric Hospital, and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia which forever changed his life.

Nathaniel told me when we were talking one day that “If you want to talk to somebody that knows me best, you should call Harry Barnoff”.

Harry Barnoff was Nathaniel’s music teacher who told young Ayers that “you will have to stop slacking and practice more to make it to such high class schools as Julliard”.

“Next thing I knew… he got a scholarship” said Barn off about after Nathaniel’s audition.

“He had the talent, that’s for sure” said Homer Mensch a bass teacher who still teaches at Julliard.