3. Alanis Morisette
This woman is usually situated between the E/M and G transfer at Court Square in the afternoon and evening. Every time I’ve passed her, she’s singing a Jagged Little Pill-era (as if any other era mattered) Alanis song. It’s just her, her guitar, and an amp, but it’s just the thing I want to hear when coming home from work. Her favorite song is “Head Over Heels,” which isn’t my favorite Jagged track, but it’ll do. The day she sings “You Oughta Know” when I’m having a particularly gloomy day will be the day I give her a crisp twenty.
2. Twelve Girls Band
I guess it’s telling that I can turn a blind eye to all kinds of horror and soul-crushing tragedy, but the moment an old person is involved, I’ll turn into a big old softie. I’ve only seen this group of old Asian women two or three times, but every time, it’s broken my heart. They travel in a pack of four and sing in Chinese, with one woman accompanying on a small harp. The first time I saw them, I was compelled for the first and only time to tip a busker. It was on one of those insufferably crowded 1 or 2 trains, but like I said, I’m a sucker for old people, especially old ladies who coordinated their outfits and all got perms.
1. Daniel Johnston
I’ve only heard him late at night, usually at an hour when I want to be anywhere but waiting for the G at Metropolitan/Grand. I’ve never taken the time to research if he’s singing original songs or covers, but I’m always struck by how eerily similar his voice is to Daniel Johnston’s. His songs are usually short and about love, and at the end of each rendition, he’s only met with —at best— tepid applause. He keeps singing even when a train passes, and the sound obscures most of his chorus. Not many people choose to busk at G stations, so I appreciate his endurance.
