the buzz log

It's art imitating life imitating art.

In the movie "The Soloist," Robert Downey Jr. plays a Los Angeles columnist who comes upon a mentally ill street musician who seems to be classically trained. Turns out the homeless man had been a student at the Juilliard School in New York, but had dropped out years before as he succumbed to schizophrenia.

In the film version, Jamie Foxx plays the soloist. But the real hero behind the story is one Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who became the subject of real-life Los Angeles reporter Steve Lopez. The writer authored several columns and eventually a book that inspired the movie, which document the incredible story.

Curiosity over the real-life drama is causing searches on "nathaniel anthony ayers," which surged with the movie opening.

After first writing about the hard-luck musician on Skid Row playing a violin with only two strings, Lopez began receiving all kinds of help for the down-and-out artist: Readers donated instruments to Ayers, the L.A. Philharmonic invited him to rehearsals, and a cellist offered lessons. An unlikely friendship between writer and musician formed, which eventually got Ayers off the streets. Reporter Lopez says that for Nathanial Ayers, music is his medicine.