Almost 15 years later, Nathaniel lives in a locked mental rehab facility, and the rest of us live at the center of an epic collapse of care and a failure of leadership. Up and down the state, and more so in L. County, outdoor asylums are the norm, a raging drug epidemic is on graphic display, and homeless numbers are on the rise despite all the good intentions, the marginal successes and the hundreds of millions invested in a turnaround.
But they did change. For the worse, thanks in part to a shortage of affordable housing and myriad other catastrophes. And I still seek advice. But I no longer expect quick fixes. Nathaniel became one of the faces of homelessness through my columns, my book and a movie. We drove to conferences together. Orchestra musicians escorted us to our seats at concerts. We went to the White House together when the Obamas invited Nathaniel to perform.
But the idea all along was to tell a story that looked beyond the illness and into the heart of who he is. He let me into his life; I tried to use that access to make a difference for him and others. Along the way, Nathaniel became a part of my family, and he delivered on his part of the bargain. Music remains the only medicine he willingly takes. Graham For Dailymail. Nathaniel Anthony Ayers is a musical prodigy who was on the verge of becoming one of the best in the US when his world was turned upside down in the early s after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia pictured above in Long Beach in Nathaniel Anthony Ayers was on the verge of becoming one of the best musicians in the US when his world was turned upside down.
A music prodigy, he first started playing the double bass aged 13 before he was awarded a full-ride scholarship to the distinguished Juilliard School where he turned his hand to several instruments. But it was while living out his dream in New York City , he suffered a mental breakdown during his junior year and was institutionalized in the early s. Ayers was forced to return to his family home in Cleveland, where he underwent a number of treatments over the years, including controversial electric shock therapy.
After his mother died in , he moved to Los Angeles in search of his father, but Ayers ended up living on the streets of Skid Row where he could often be found playing the violin or double bass because he loved the music. It was that passion for music led to one of the biggest changes in his life since Julliard.
The classical violinist was befriended by a columnist whose writings about Ayers was turned into a book. Suddenly Ayers was a household name and was even invited to the White House where he met then-President Barack Obama during the year celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Everything seemed to be on the up for Ayers, who had spent more years of his life struggling than not.
Ayers moved to Los Angeles following the death of his mother in He was homeless on the streets of Skid Row pictured in where he played instruments. In , he was befriended by a columnist whose writings about Ayers was turned into a book. The classical violinist was a household name and was even invited to the White House where he met then-President Barack Obama during the year celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act right in But now, nearly 10 years later, his sister, Jennifer Ayers-Moore together above in , told DailyMail.
He continues to struggle with mental health but is off the streets, is safe and cared for and continues to see his friend the columnist once a week.
Moon, introduced him to classical music, she says. Instead, he took an immediate liking to the double bass and fell in love with string instruments. That is where his passion for classical music started and others saw the first signs that he was on the verge of something extraordinary. He progressed so fast that his teacher referred him to the Cleveland Music Settlement, where he received the best music instruction in the city. In recognizing his potential, Ayers was awarded a full scholarship for music to Ohio University.
During his freshman year, he decided he really wanted to attend the best college to hone in on his craft - Juilliard. After an audition, he was not only accepted, but also offered a full scholarship for his extraordinary musical talent. Ayers first came to public attention in Los Angeles in after Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez overheard Ayers playing violin on a busy downtown LA street and made him the subject of a series of newspaper columns.
The book itself was the focus of a feature article in the New Yorker magazine. The movie, directed by British filmmaker Joe Wright Atonement, Pride and Prejudice , promises to be a feel-good story of a talented musician struck by mental illness in the same vein as Shine , the Oscar-winning film about pianist David Helfgott. As a clinical psychologist I have had numerous patients and interactions with people with schizophrenia and can say that there is a great deal of variation from person to person.
In this paper, we will discuss the character of Nathaniel Ayers in great detail, as I believe he exhibits. In the film, Nathaniel is considered a cello genius who is discovered on the streets by Steve Lopez, a journalist from the Los Angeles Times. Steve was searching for a story and he decided to write a newspaper article about Nathaniel.
Nathaniel always had a passion for music. He was a child prodigy and attended Juilliard School of Music. Steve was searching for a city story and he decided to write a newspaper article about Nathaniel. He was a child prodigy and attended Juilliard School of. Nathaniel Ayers displayed signs of an abundance of excessive thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
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