And your bird can sing?
Mickey Z.
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I've told you about Strawberry Fields. I've told you about The Meetles. I'm now gonna tell you about one of The Meetles who has another very cool urban community-building hobby: the wild parrots of Brooklyn.
How did parrots get to the BK? "There are a lot of wild theories," says Baldwin, "bet the theory that has the greatest credence among ornithologists is that a shipment of parrots destined for sale at New York area pet shops was accidentally released at Kennedy Airport in the late 1960's."
So, when he's not rocking the subway and/or Central Park with New York's most fun Beatles tribute band, yeah...Steve is protecting the parrots.
Our conversation is below...
WATCH VIDEO: Extraordinary Animals: Bird Brainiac
Twist and Shout
My Conversation With Steve Baldwin
Planet Green: Wild parrots in Brooklyn? Who knew?
Steve Baldwin: These intrepid green parrots have been living in the borough of Brooklyn for 40 years or so. But this fact still strikes many people as an "urban legend" like the "aligators in the sewers" legend. I suppose it's just not the sort of thing that one expects to be happening in Brooklyn. Of course, part of this is probably due to "outer borough syndrome," a form of media myopia that obscures a lot of interesting stuff that's happening outside of the media-rich island of Manhattan. I grew up in Manhattan and believed for a long time that dinosaurs still roamed in Staten Island.
PG: What is it about the parrots that drew you in and has kept you so interested?
SB: I think part of this is the sheer unlikelihood of the parrots' saga, and the fact that the story behind their arrival and survival is rich with so many metaphors. Like many of our ancestors, these parrots didn't come to North America because they particularly wanted to live here; they were rounded up and deported from their home country of Argentina after being branded as "pests," arriving here as prisoners destined to be sold in pet shops. But through a series of odd events, they wound up busting out of their confines and attempting to make a go of it here.
I am definitely impressed by their boldness and adaptability: they're wily birds, and they're fast to develop "street smarts," which they need to fend off a wide variety of predators, both of the human and non-human variety. They're also very amusing to watch: they're always "up to something," and they're very loud and loquacious (like many Brooklynites). But honestly, seeing these creatures in action always cheers me up: for some odd reason, it gives me hope that things will be all right with the world.
PG: The parrots endure and so does the music of the Beatles. How did you get mixed up with The Meetles and how has your role in the band evolved?
SB: I first stumbled across The Meetles in early 2009, just a few months after they began performing in the subway. Seeing and hearing them for the first time was just about as odd as seeing wild green parrots flying about in an urban wasteland! The music was so happy and harmonious, in the midst of all the frowns, fear, and filth traditionally associated with the NYC subway system. I was spellbound, and for many months just hung out with the band when they performed, taking photos of them (which they wound up using as the cover of their first CD), providing security sometimes (it does sometimes get rough and nasty down there), and occasionally singing along when they needed some added vocals.
But things took a huge turn for me about a year ago when one of the musicians in the band, a very talented, wonderful guy named Thom Manno, died unexpectedly. This was a huge loss for the band and it seemed the whole project might founder. But at this point Eric (the Meetles' drummer and band leader) asked me to help out and fill in on a regular basis with vocals and guitar, and I've been doing this ever since.
PG: What does it feel like to be part of a musical project that creates so much spontaneous community and good cheer?
SB: Well, it's been the thrill of my life. I grew up with the music of the Beatles and the British Invasion and it's such an honor to play it and sing it. And each time the band plays in the subway is an adventure, and one never knows what's going to happen. Sometimes we play and play, and everybody just hurries right by, without even making eye contact, as if we don't exist. You get used to this quickly and it toughens you up; you don't take it personally, because, after all, we are playing in the subway in NYC and most people are rushing because they're late and just can't stop, even if they wanted to.
Sometimes things do get a bit hairy; sometimes people insult us, behave threateningly, or even attack us physically (this has fortunately only happened a couple of times). But sometimes and you never know exactly when or whether this will happen, some simpatico person begins to dance, and then a few more join in, and then a train empties out, and five minutes later we have hundreds of people with us, all grooving to the sound, smiling, pounding their feet, shouting, and going nuts. And we start to feed off the energy of the audience, and then feed this energy back to them, and it's just magic—the stuff you usually just read about but never actually experience.
In the band we joke about this and call it "Meetlemania." There's no better feeling that I've ever experienced in my life—this sounds like hyperbole but I mean it.
PG: How can readers learn more about your two hobbies?
SB: Well, of course there's my website and the Meetles website too. But experiencing the wild parrots and the wild world of the Meetles is best done in person. The good news here is that I do my free wild parrot "safaris" once a month (usually the first Saturday of the month) and anyone can come along. You can also catch up with the Meetles whenever we play in the subway, which usually happens each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Bring your voice, your passion, and your love for all things green to Strawberry Fields on December 8 (the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death). Let New York City know that Beatles music should be welcome eight days a week in this iconic garden of peace.
Links of a Feather
All You Need is Love (and a Metrocard): The Meetles Help NYC Subway Commuters Come Together
Conservationists Working to Make the Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot Less Endangered
