Destroying Old Pianos

[Avery Todd]

Ron,

   Reminds me of the upright bonfire I heard about them having somewhere
in New York, I think, many years ago. Back when you had to pay someone
to come and haul one away.

Avery

>Local "Old Timers" used to talk about having staged an event like this with
>a Regional Seminar, or PTG promotional, I'm not sure which, since it was
>before my time. They found two of the nastiest, deadest, least serviceable
>old uprights they had ever seen, and scheduled the event. They apparently
>advertised it, to get as much public exposure as possible. Everyone had a
>GREAT time, and it was a publicity disaster. People were INCENSED that these
>alleged PROFESSIONALS would so callously destroy  and waste these perfectly
>good and potentially valuable antiques, thereby depriving at least two kids
>of the chance of learning to play on them. Later, when unsuspecting new
>members would suggest doing this they got about fifteen minutes of gory
>details as to why it wasn't such a good idea. At that time, the public in
>this area wasn't apparently ready to be informed that *any* piano should die
>- ever -, and it doesn't seem to be much different here now. I suppose I can
>sympathize to some degree. Back in the 60's I watched a televised demolition
>derby where someone had entered one of the prettiest model A's I'd ever seen
>and reduced it to scrap in a couple of minutes. He could have easily sold it
>for far more than the prize money (which he didn't win) and someone,
>somewhere, would have preserved it. I'm not by any stretch of the
>imagination a car freak, but that was awfully hard to watch. Then again... I
>wonder how far you could fling a model A with a trebuchet.
>
> Ron