Alway look on the bright side of life

[venta]

At the weekend, while out on a pub crawl with my rapper team, I wandered into the ladies.

"Hello, Lizzie", said the cubicle next door. I was mildly boggled how its occupant had identified me.

"Easy," continued the disembodied voice. "You were whistling Thrales' Beadnell tune."

Which I was. It's a nice tune. Thrales is a men's rapper team, based in Southwark. They dance a traditional dance called the Beadnell to a rather nice, unusual tune. I'm not sure if their musician, the amazing MJ, wrote it or whether it's also traditional. Either way it's very much "their" tune; no other team uses it (as far as I know).

Well, fine. Surely, though, the tune only really identified that the whistler was someone in, or associated with, the rapper team?

Apparently not, no. Because I'm the only one who walks round whistling.

On closer investigation, this isn't actually true. Disembodied Voice was wrong; at least one other Mabel habitually walks about whistling. However, I got the distinct impression that DV had reached her conclusion on the grounds that (a) I whistle and (b) it's a really weird and unusual thing to do, so I'm probably the only one.

I have been wondering, therefore, whether I have a completely skewed perception of the social acceptability of whistling. Despite being told when I was small that, along with barnyard fowl, whistling women were of no use to God or to man, I cheerfully whistle all over the show.

I also sing to myself, but I would never, for example, sing while walking through a crowd. I wouldn't talk to myself. I would, however, whistle. I can't justify why I think singing in the street makes you look like a nutter, but whistling doesn't.

I don't whistle - say - while at my office desk or while on a train. That is, however, more of a general prohibition on making unnecessary noise near people who can't get away than anything to do with the specifics of whistling.

Throughout this poll, I'm talking about whistling tunes using just your mouth. If you can whistle by putting your fingers in your mouth, that's not what I'm asking about. If I whistle in the street, it's a tune, not a wolf-whistle. I whistle to myself, not at others.

Although I don't have great pitch, so may offend musicians, I'm reliably informed the noise I produce is usually a recognisable thing, not tuneless warbling.

[Poll #1630269]

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

I do constantly struggle with the idea that people who sing/talk to themselves in the street are nutters, because I do it myself (quiet at the back there). I just shut up when others are present. Mostly.

Basically, it means I regard anyone less hypocritical than myself as a nutter :(

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

I do constantly struggle with the idea that people who sing/talk to themselves in the street are nutters

Since the wide availability of mobile phones, I think it's a lot harder to distinguish people talking to themselves in the street. And if necessary, one can always wear a bluetooth earpiece to fool people...