# The next viral video you gotta love: Playing for Change

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 5, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396 "2009-05-05T06:06:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/1 "2009-05-05T06:06:16Z")

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[Offered up with no commentary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM). Should be work safe for anybody (so long as you can play music at work).

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**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/2 "2009-05-05T14:37:02Z")

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Ghods, I hate that song.

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**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/3 "2009-05-05T14:55:21Z")

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Well, I like the video. Saw it first on Bill Moyers’ Journal, actually. Good interview with filmaker.

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/4 "2009-05-05T17:47:15Z")

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While I’m guessing he’s African American, Grandpa Elliot looks like an Australian aborigine due to the beard and the leathery skin. (Or like Moms Mabley’s son with an aborigine.)

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/5 "2009-05-06T17:47:46Z")

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Does anybody know what the instrument being played at 3:08 (Roberto Luti, New Orleans) is?

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**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/6 "2009-05-06T17:55:45Z")

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There’s a pair of records released by the (now defunct?) record company Clay Dog called “Street Dreams”. The first singer in that video, Roger Ridley, had a couple songs on the second release and he’s just amazing. I highly recommend tracking them down if you can.

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**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/7 "2009-05-06T19:16:30Z")

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> [@Sampiro](#):
>
> Does anybody know what the instrument being played at 3:08 (Roberto Luti, New Orleans) is?

A steel guitar.

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**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/8 "2009-05-06T19:19:24Z")

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Dobro.

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-viral-video-you-gotta-love-playing-for-change/495396/9 "2009-05-06T22:04:25Z")

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> [@Ogre](#):
>
> Dobro.

Ah. I’ve never seen one held like that. (My father was friends with a man called “Bashful Brother Oswald” who played one for Roy Acuff, but that was 30 years ago.)