The fall semester is underway, college is in full swing and State Street is alive with action. According to university students, State Street gets its one-of-a-kind atmosphere from a number of things. One of the rare attributes State Street possesses is a large number of street musicians. These musicians have a variety of backgrounds and experiences, according to Tom Ryan, one of State Street’s musicians.

Ryan has lived in the Madison area for quite sometime–since Oct. 1994. A piccolo player, Ryan said he takes his talent very seriously and he loves what he does.

“I love to play the piccolo–I love music,” said Ryan as he sat next to The University Bookstore, his usual site for playing music.

But Tom Ryan hasn’t always been a street musician. In fact, Ryan isn’t even originally from Madison.

Born in 1951, Ryan attended public school in Sterling, Ill.

At age 10, Ryan discovered his love for playing music. He now plays not just the piccolo, but the clarinet, flute and saxophone as well.

When he graduated from high school, Ryan went on to attend Western Illinois University and later Sauk Valley Community College, also located in Illinois. After withdrawing from both institutions, Ryan left the college scene to pursue other interests.

Following his academic hiatus, Ryan returned to college, this time at Northern Illinois University. In May 1993, at the age of 41, he graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

In 1994, he moved to Madison to pursue his career in computer science. According to Ryan, a job in computer sciences is not the ideal life.

“[My job] just didn’t work out for me,” he said while relaxing in his blaze-orange snowmobile suit. “It sucks, because that job was really hard to get, too.”

Ryan said he had his reasons for quitting his job, the primary motive being he likes playing the piccolo better than working at a typical job.

“I do what I like,” Ryan commented.

Ryan has been playing piccolo in the downtown Madison area ever since then. He lives in his car and is saving the money he earns performing in order to pay off an outstanding credit-card bill.

“Yeah, I am trying to pay off my Visa card and I have some storage lockers that I need to pay rent on,” he said.

Ryan admits that although sleeping in his car during the wintertime can be extremely cold, and that the occasional police confrontations are bothersome, he enjoys staying in the Madison area.

After a hard day of playing the piccolo at Library Mall, Ryan heads to Crystal Corner Bar to spend his time watching Jeopardy in the afternoon.

Ryan said he is very happy with living the life he leads. He agrees living out of your car isn’t the highlight of one’s life; however, he maintains that happiness is the most important aspect of life.

“Live your life as you see fit,” he commented.