So many wonderful things I could say about Steve Lopez’s book, The Soloist, but I am still processing it for a variety of reasons. Read it in a day, just couldn’t stop turning the pages.
Here’s a favorite passage, but it requires some set-up. Lopez is a Los Angeles Times columnist who has written about and befriended Nathanial, a homeless man who is a gifted musician. He writes:
Among my many new pen pals is Stella March, the mother of a son with schizophrenia, who is roughly Nathaniel’s age … March writes me encouraging notes about Nathaniel and my efforts on his behalf, but seldom offers specific advice, although she is the one who has taught me Nathaniel is not a mentally ill musician, as I’ve been referring to him, but a musician with mental illness. It’s a subtle but significant difference, recognizing the person before the condition.
In reading your piece on The soloist I couldn’t help but make a comment. Nathanial Ayers stayed true to his love of Beethoven despite the fact he was homeless and mentally ill. Nathanial should not be defined by his illness but as someone who is an artist with a special skill and talent in spite of his mental illness. The love of classical music is a “sort” of lost art these days and Nathanial’s love for it is obvious. As a singer and someone who has also been homeless I can say that Beethoven is not someone we talk about nowadays in pop culture. Nathanaiel chooses to be near a statue of Beethoven on Skid Row because he has a genuine affection for that type of music. I certainly have my favorite musicians and artists but as I said before Beethoven is not someone we hear much about in our mainstream pop culture these days.