Hyman Bloom (left), who has been driving a taxi for over 30 years, tells fellow New York City cab driver Andrew Vollo (right) why it’s the only job for him.
Originally aired September 19, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Transcript
Hyman Bloom (HB) and Andrew Vollo (AV)
HB: My first shift I must have made $40 and after 10 hours, I said ”what am I doing in this business. But you talk to people. You get out. You’re not stuck behind an office desk. It’s an easy job. One street goes uptown, one goes downtown. Even streets go east, odd streets go west. You don’t have to be brilliant and my wife says I’m simpleton, so it works for me. And you get people in the cab, they want to talk. I have routines that I pull on them, they laugh. And when I have mixed couples, I don’t know why it is, the women want to hear all the filthy jokes. But otherwise they’ll tell me problems. ”he has a son, what do I do?”, I say, if I could answer those problems, I wouldn’t be driving a cab.
AV: If you could do something differently in your life, what would you do?
HB: I think I would do the same thing. I’ve got a wife I love, a wife that loves me, kid. You think you’re going to make more money? Money’s not everything. My father told me that me something a long time ago. He said that if you always have one dollar in your pocket, and you don’t owe anyone any money, then you’re a rich man. And I don’t take things seriously, that’s what keeps me healthy I think. MY father died at 60, every little thing bothered him. He could speak six languages, he could play a banjo, he could add in his head. I’m lucky I can speak English. But my mother was very simple, nothing bothered her. She used to say ”Hymie, be a dummy, you’ll never get an ulcer. Dummies don’t worry about anything.” That’s what I am, a dummy.
AV: Well thank you for doing this interview with me
HB: My pleasure. I expect to have a free meal out of this you know. Nothing for nothing.
AV: You got it.