Driving for Dollars

During the filming of Freeway Philharmonic, I spent a good amount of time in the car with the musicians. I noticed, especially with musicians who carpooled, that the camaraderie and banter in the car often seemed like an Episode of ‘Friends’ on wheels. Even during a 2.5 hour drive to a rehearsal, a carpool of five I traveled with talked non-stop about subjects ranging from the best travel routes to how a soloist’s attire looked rather trampy. On the way home at 11pm that night, there was even some harmonizing of overtones in the front seat. (This went on for an hour and was quite amusing.) Bruce and Kale (both on this panel) also seemed to fall into a non-stop friendly banter reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I often felt like I’d been given a backstage pass to the local comedy club.

While I sympathize with all the stresses and sacrifices of being on the road, I think it’s important to point out the flipside. I noticed a strong, almost familial bond that existed with many longtime carpools. These musicians have time while driving to develop strong friendships that in many ways are the bonds for the greater driving for dollars community. People in other professions would love to have their work be so much fun.