Meet Local Guitarist JOE NUCCI in Venice Beach, California
The journey begins...
One of the perks of working at night is that I have a couple daylight hours to write, run errands, or to literally run. While “joglking” on the beach (a combination of jogging and walking), I saw Joe in the distance playing a guitar. People like Joe are our neighborhood celebrities and makes this place really magical-- not just a remarkable location, but a special community.
Voyage to the music...
I could see Joe a quarter mile away as I ran down the beach. As someone who loathes running long distances (holla at fast-twitch muscles), Joe was my marker on the beach and my inspiration point to run towards. Even when he was just a spec in the distance, his movements across the sand while jamming on his guitar were visible and heartening. I reached my running limit and slowed to a trot so I could head back home and get ready for work, but instead I continued toward Joe.
You can find Joe playing on the beach or at restaurants. Make sure to say hi!
Just keep walking...
Venice Beach is wide, like the length of a football field, so it took a couple minutes to walk from the water’s edge to Joe. When he noticed me approaching, I waved, calling out hello. Joe said hello back. Not in a cautionary or “leave me alone” way, but in the most friendly way that would make a person think their arrival had been wanted or even expected.
We talked, we laughed, we sang...
We talked about what he was playing, his favorite songs, and how he learned the guitar. Joe sang me one of his favorite original songs that he once crooned a baby to sleep with while playing on the Venice Boardwalk. Joe has been out in Los Angeles for over 20 years and worked many of those years as a limo driver. Oh man did he have the stories. Throughout his career, he drove around hundreds of celebrities -- the nice ones and the mum ones, the polite ones and the fun ones. At this point, Joe played me a song and asked me to put it up on YouTube. I asked if he wanted me to give his email address so people could contact him about guitar lessons. He thought about it for a second and responded “nah that’s okay”. He didn’t want to seem pushy. Joe’s friendliness wowed me, and I hope this video got even a sliver of that across.
Want to hear a little something? Click this image to check out the YouTube video of the song Joe is playing.
Continue to explore the unknown...
As a parting note, the city of Los Angeles isn’t all glitz and glam and it’s easy to close yourself off after a hard day or after sitting in an hour (or more) of traffic. However, Joe made me think about my own approach to living each day with a positive attitude and being open to people who might start off as strangers but, if we’re receptive to it, can leave as friends. Cheers to Joe.
Have you ever met a new friend in an unexpected place? I’d love to hear your own stories about meeting new people in surprising ways.
You're the best, Joe!