Masked man approaches public piano and amazes bystanders with lively cover of “Dance Monkey”
You’ve probably seen a public piano before, even if no one has been playing it.
They’re a great initiative to bring more music into our lives as well as spur our curiosity about playing an instrument. And yet we’re always surprised that someone would leave such a valuable item out for anyone to come bang on.
Wackiest piano in London! @Crossrail Canary Wharf. @PianoGuys @TwitterPiano @LondonPianoFest @streetpianos pic.twitter.com/7dorZN6peW
— Step Outside Guides (@StepOutsideLDN) October 19, 2016
The St. Pancras Piano
London has a good number of public pianos and one sits inside their famous St. Pancras International Train Station.
There’s a certain charm to the St. Pancras piano. When you’re hustling through your baggage, wanting to ensure you’ve done everything right, amidst all the speed, it provides a calming, halcyon moment. Kind of like a “welcome home” tune!!! pic.twitter.com/ibWiSiJUtA
— Nandha (@ionhandshaker) March 5, 2020
If you haven’t been to this station (well, then you probably haven’t been to London) you know it’s quite busy (at least where there’s not a raging worldwide pandemic) and there’s also a mall inside for travelers to distract themselves with shopping.
Looking on YouTube will net you dozens of videos of folks playing at this very piano. Terry Miles, the boogie-woogie piano king likes to stop by, for example, and always draws a crowd.
The Case of the Masked Man
In January of 2020 (before public pianos became hotspots for germ transmission and were covered up or hauled off), one man decided to hop on the St. Pancras piano and play the song “Dance Monkey.”
If you’re not familiar with the song (we weren’t), it’s by the artist Tones And I, and the video features some elderly folks and the singer in age-advanced prosthetics and makeup getting together for an adventure and, of course, dancing together. In fact, the official video for the tune hit 1 BILLION (with a B!) views on YouTube. So we can’t argue that it was at least popular throughout 2019.
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So maybe it’s no surprise that someone would play the song wear a “grandpa” mask. But it’s still not something you see every day, and it turned more than a few heads as people gathered around to see what was about to happen.
The performance
His skills are undeniable, so we know that it’s more than the costume bringing people in and keeping them there. And the masked man sure has some charisma as well – he doesn’t just sit and play but adds some serious flair.
The performance wasn’t just popular live, but online as well.
And in case you didn’t recognize those boogie-woogie fast fingers, they belong to the incomparable Terry Miles himself! And in a little over a year, this one video has managed to amass over 18 million views!
Of course, the best part is around the 3 minute mark when he actually starts swinging himself back and forth and then plays the piano WHILE jumping up and down like a monkey!
Commenters went wild for the performance.
“I laughed till i cried Terry. Maybe your best show,” said a fan.
We agree – although his channel is full of great performances.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the video and then explore some more of his work from there.
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