Maybe it's because I'm disheartened from reading a lot of disappointing news both at home and abroad. In any case I find that this feel good story provided some comfort and a welcomed break.

From Reuters / Bangkok Post

British musician Paul Barton plays the piano for monkeys that occupy abandoned historical areas in Lop Buri province on Saturday. (Reuters photo)

LOP BURI: While on tour in central Thailand, British musician Paul Barton has been mobbed by unruly audiences that tug his hair, steal his music and climb over his piano.

Barton is a rock star to hundreds of hungry wild monkeys that he hopes his music can calm, at a time when Thailand's coronavirus-induced tourism hiatus means fewer visitors to feed them, and less funds for their welfare.

"We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly. And when they eat properly, they will be calmer and will not be aggressive," said Barton, 59, a long-time Thailand resident.

Barton has played at four venues in Lop Buri, a province famous for its marauding monkeys, including at an ancient Hindu temple, a hardware store and a derelict cinema.

The macaques are instantly drawn as he plays Greensleeves, Beethoven's Fur Elise and Michael Nyman's Diary of Love, some sharing his stool, others climbing onto his shoulders and touching his head.

Continues with video

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2024207/pianists-velvety-tones-soothe-hungry-monkeys

 

Great!