The Soloist: Chapter 18-21

These I found to be the most interesting chapters so far, having the most dramatic changes in Nathaniel’s thirty year routine. Since the start of the book he’s been very cautious and ignorant to the idea of people helping him, and also living indoors. The starting of chapter eighteen Steve fly’s to Las Vegas to a retirement home to meet Nathaniel’s Father, Nathaniel Ayers Sr. He interviews him and realizes how his father really never paid attention to his son, and it showed in every question he answered. However when asked what he would like his son to know he said “That I miss him, and I’m proud of him”. Next Nathaniel started to trust people a bit more, and also take small risks instead of being over cautious. He showed this by allowing his cart to be left in his apartment while he went to print off music sheets, something he would have never done when Steve first met him. The thing that was most important in these chapters however was the fact that Nathaniel was finally sleeping in his apartment, and is no longer stuck up in the way that he will never agree to sleep in it. He even signed a lease with no hesitation saying he will sleep in his apartment at least three times a week, which he has.

The Soloist: Chapter 17

I chose to do this chapter individually because it starts and ends with Nathaniel’s first lesson with Snyder. However half way through the chapter a sort of flashback type thing happens. Steve explains it but he fused it as a flashback to one of Nathaniel’s teacher who had to deal with him when he was first started to have outbursts. The teacher’s name was Gary Karr, and he noticed that the outburst seemed to be because of a mental illness, not just because of what Nathaniel said was racially motivated attitude. Once the topic switches over the lesson again, it tells how impressed Snyder was with Nathaniel’s playing, and even thinks he might be a musical genius. At the end of the lesson Snyder tries to convince him to keep having lessons in the apartment and in a way gets through to him. Nathaniel brought up how he thinks that every criminal will walk through the door and steal everything he has, and how he prefers the tunnel to play under. But Snyder just tells him “Think of this as a clean, quite tunnel”.

The Soloist: Chapter 15-16

In these chapters the book went from Steve trying to convince Nathaniel to use an apartment building for music lessons, to a whole chapter about his childhood. The apartment that Steve is trying to get him to move into overlooks the Lamps garden, which is a beautiful quite garden that is rich with trees and the sound of birds singing. Although Nathaniel is still stubborn to the idea of living inside, he agrees to take lessons from offering cellist player for the Los Angeles Philharmonics Peter Snyder, whom he met in the Disney Hall. Next thing I knew the topic quickly changed to Nathaniel’s childhood, from being in a loving family who believed there children should be exposed to the arts, to having his father leave and moving in with his mother’s new husband with his siblings. The chapter showed how he changed from sad that everything changed to adulthood, realizing that he shouldn’t be sad. Eventually he found music again and devoted himself to it one hundred percent. 

The Soloist: Part 2 (Chapter 13)

So you know, this book is separated into three parts, and it seems to be part one is information so you have an understanding of the situation they are trying to embrace and also the introduction to story. I will touch more on this in my overall review of the book. During these chapters the book is totally steered towards the poverty and problems faced in Skid Row. I chose to cover just these two chapters because it’s when the mayor asks Steve if he can come with him to Skid Row to live it first hand. The mayor sees what horrific problems are faced only a block away from the Town Hall, such as the many crack heads, prostitution, and unsanitary living conditions. The mayor then tells Steve he had no idea it was this bad, and guarantees 50 million dollars to Skid Row to fix housing problems and to clean up the streets. However Steve is happy the mayor wishes to do this, but knows it won't help his friend Nathaniel.

The Soloist: Chapter 9-12

The book has sort of gone off the topic of Nathaniel's life and moved towards loading you with information about the "cause". In this case the cause being mentally ill people living in poverty on the streets of Los Angeles, Skid Row in particular. These chapters were very long and touched on may things as well as keeping a steady flow of information about what is going on with Nathaniel, it was confusing to having so much thrown at you when your reading. Steve finally got Nathaniel to stop sleeping on the streets as much, by getting people from Lamp (center for the mentally ill) so he can have a bed and even shower. However the main topic of these chapters which made them so long was Nathaniel’s first visit to the Disney Hall, to which he had made a small stage on the streets when Steve found him that was called “Little Disney Hall”. He had always wanted to go there and when he did Steve noticed that Nathaniel could socialize with anyone in the building about music, as if he has been one of them and never on the streets. 

The Soloist: Chapter 3-8

Getting past the introduction of the main two characters (Steve and Nathaniel) chapter 3 started to get into more of the background information of Nathaniel’s life. It touches on the schools he went to, along with people who knew him better than anyone else. Steve tells about his family life and about his mental illness, how the pressures of Julliard had effected him. These chapters were interesting because of learning about his early life and also about his illness, Steve talking about things Nathaniel did in Julliard when he first started having hallucinations. Besides looking into Nathaniel’s life more, during these chapters Steve ended up getting Nathaniel all new instruments, new violins and cellos. These new instruments made Nathaniel ecstatic, only having a very old violin with two strings on it to begin with. These chapters also show how bizarre Nathaniel can be at times, still very smart but at times so stubborn he gets upset and looses touch with reality. 

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.