June 11, 2007
Red Line Backflipper
On Thursday, Bostonist joined a bunch of tired people in a red line car, and a guy hopped on and started shouting. We rolled our eyes at each other and looked uncomfortable because we figured he was either there to make trouble or sell candy bars for a dubious charity.
But he had a surprise. He whipped a boom box out of a voluminous green backpack and pressed play. The sounds of Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" filled our car, and the man started doing a series of backflips - on a moving train.
The guy was incredible. He even had a few commuters smiling, and people never smile on the T.
Of course, he collected donations, but if he did backflips and breakdancing poses in a moving T car, he deserves 'em. We imagine the T brass would be none too thrilled, but he made people enjoy riding the T for once. Has anyone else seen this guy in action?
Photo by Caroline Roberts.
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DJ Nitetrain? Although, if so, looks like he's lost some weight.
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Wow - DJ Nitetrain is fantastic. But I don't think it's the same guy judging from the description. DJ Nitetrain seems to focus on the music he's feeling, whereas Red Line Backflipper is all about the moves. I think that, if given the opportunity, DJ Nitetrain would choreograph more closely to "Part-Time Lover."
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Yeah, it's all fun and games until someone gets kicked in the head. Call me a curmudgeon, but I'd prefer a minimum of sudden, violent movements when I'm on public transportation.
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I saw him a couple of weeks ago, during my evening commute. He definitely disarmed the wary crowd with his moves, but a burly T employee made him stop.
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I saw this guy a few months ago on the Red Line. I had just finished a bad day at the office and when I saw him flipping around, my head exploded, and I gave him a buck for livening up the otherwise zombified T car.