07 May 2008

"Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

I’ve started to memorize Travis Bickle’s (Deniro’s) lines from Taxi Driver. The point is, of course, to convincingly recite them to my fares. Either they will recognize the lines and be entertained, or they won’t – in which case I will be entertained. The latter is much more likely. People only see what they want to see. When most people step into a taxi, you – as the driver – are re-imagined as their preconceived notions of what a taxi driver is.

If the fares are paying attention to me and realize I don’t add up to what they think a taxi driver is or should be I get any number of responses: “Wow. You’re an American,” is quite common; “You’re the youngest cab driver I’ve ever seen,” is less common with the burly bear beard I’ve been growing; and “You’re too cute to be a cab driver,” followed by giggling – a typical comment from both genders, mostly on the weekends.

Most of the time, people automatically assume you’re trying to get one over on them. Other drivers rarely show you any courtesy. People don’t tip very well. And, as the great game of shuttling the people of San Francisco from point to point unfolds, you usually get a bad taste in your mouth. Pigeonholed into a stereotype, with people acting poorly around you, your distaste of people grows.

It isn’t always a bad thing. I think the job is hardening me up, in a way. The other night there was a whiny, wealthy, young, British couple that hopped into my car for a five block ride from the Pac Heights bar they were drinking (heavily) at to their hotel. On the way, they started asking me about places they could get food at one in the morning on a Monday night. I mentioned that there was a Denny’s restaurant across the street from their hotel. Turns out that the Denny’s in Japan Town is now a restaurant called Danny’s.

The Man: Why are we stopped.

Me: Uh. Red light. Incidentally, the Denny’s I was talking about is to our left… Oh…
wait… it’s now a Danny’s restaurant. Weird.

The Woman: That’s not a Denny’s.

Me: I just said that.

The Woman: It’s a Danny’s restaurant.

Me: Yeah. I just said that.

The Man: But where are we going to get food?

Me: There’re a few diners –

The Woman: That’s a Danny’s restaurant.

Me: There’re a few –

The Man: Why are we stopped?

Me: Red light, dude.

The Woman: It’s a red light. And that’s a Danny’s restaurant.

Me: Get the fuck out of my car.

The Man: What?

Me: Out!