Most of us have been raised to respect our elders.
We were taught that anyone who was born before us has more knowledge and life experience than we do, therefore, they tend to know best. But sometimes?
They’re just plain wrong.
And besides, you don’t just get in someone’s face all because you disagree with their style of playing.
In this amazing video below, a man dressed in a hoodie and sunglasses is seen in a bit of a ‘heated conversation’ with an elderly woman in front of a public piano.
They appear to be talking about learning how to play the piano and, apparently, she had told him that he was ‘bashing’ on it rather than playing it.
The lady even goes so far to say that she won’t spend any of her time with him. Woah.
She must be fun at parties.
We can hear her tell him to get online and watch videos to learn, or maybe even take a class.
Little does she know, he’s Brendan Kavanagh.
Brendan Kavanagh, also known as Dr. K, is a British pianist and piano teacher. According to Wikipedia,
“He specializes in playing and promoting the boogie-woogie genre, almost exclusively improvised, often combined with classical, jazz, blues, rock & roll, and traditional Irish music themes. He regularly performs in open venues on public pianos, sometimes in duet formats with musically inclined passersby or friends. He also plays the piano accordion, with emphasis on traditional Irish tunes.”
Brendan has a YouTube channel in which he shares his surprise performances and he’s racked up over 1.29 million followers.
This particular video has amassed over 9.2 million views since it was uploaded in 2012 and as the footage continues…you can see why.
As the elderly woman and her husband begin to walk away from Brendan, he takes a seat at the piano and starts playing.
At first, he does appear to be ‘bashing’ the piano, playing quickly and heavily in his classic boogie-woogie style.
The loud and energetic tune starts to attract onlookers and passersby in the shopping center.
After a continuing to ‘bash’ the piano keys, Brendan slows it down a bit, showing off his piano skills even further. People walking by can’t help but stop and stare. Who was this man in a hoodie and glasses?
The older woman is no longer seen in the video, but we’re certain that she was probably eating her words when she heard what he could do.
Commenters on YouTube weighed in on his impromptu and mysterious performance.
“He certainly got everyone’s attention real quick,” said one viewer.
“That’s a shame that she bashed you for banging on the piano. While classical music is beautiful in its own way, boogie-woogie type stuff is what draws crowds of non-musical people that may spark interest,” said another.
A little exercise in humility is in order for the elderly lady.
Other comments echoed the same sentiments.
“Brilliant piano playing. The elderly lady, well she needs to chill and accept that every pianist is different. He clearly has great talent,” commented another person.
“He should’ve started off with Mozart so she could hear how well he plays, and that it’s not just rock n roll that he’s gifted at,” suggested someone else.
Dr. K could probably play anything. It’s just that he has a go-to style that he prefers.
And he’s incredibly good at that genre!
Brendan is no stranger to taking people off-guard with his public piano performances — many of his videos racking up millions and millions of views.
He usually dons his signature hoodie and sunglasses, keeping his identity always a bit of a mystery.
It adds to that mystique of his.
Sometimes, though, he’ll dress up in a workman’s uniform — throwing people off when he sits down and shreds the ivories. His “costumes” do help attract attention before he stuns them with his piano playing.
