EconTalk The Perfect Tuba: How Band, Grit, and Community Build a Better Life (with Sam Quinones)
Dec 1, 2025
Sam Quinones, a journalist renowned for his reporting on the opioid crisis, shares insights from his book, exploring the world of tuba players and band culture. He discusses how his curiosity about stolen tubas led to a decade-long project, revealing the deep devotion of tuba musicians. Quinones highlights how band participation fosters discipline and community, counteracting modern addictions while building self-worth and resilience. He emphasizes that hard work and inclusion can lead to a fulfilling life, going beyond mere happiness.
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Small Instrument, Big Human Stories
- The tuba unexpectedly revealed deep human stories that hooked Sam Quinones despite his lack of prior interest in the instrument.
- He found tubas connect to identity, community, and personal liberation rather than fame or wealth.
Tuba Woodstock Awakens A Community
- The 1973 Indiana University conclave gathered hundreds of tuba players who'd rarely seen peers like them.
- That meeting seeded a 'tuba consciousness' and a movement to claim musical importance.
Tuba As Mirror Opposite Of Addiction
- Quinones contrasts addiction's obedience to substances with the tuba's nurturing of breath and craft.
- The tuba embodies fulfillment earned through work, collaboration, and persistence, not consumer purchase.
