I saw Michael Smith last night, the uncommon singer-songwriter with the most common name. It was a magical evening for me. I could not resist passing on this joke he told from the stage.
Sam has written a song and he wants to record it. He thinks it's a potential hit. He doesn't have much money so he goes to Cheapo Records to make the CD. He finds the studio in a questionable part of town and up two flights of rickety stairs.
He talks to the "Producer" who seems to be an especially greasy character. Sam is assured that Cheapo Records can make him an excellent CD.
Producer: "First we'll get Previn to conduct the session."
Sam: "Andre Previn?"
Prod: "No, Stanislav Previn. He's a cousin of mine. But he can conduct. His timing is off occasionally, but he's pretty good. Besides that, he's a nice guy, I think you'll like working with him. And he works real cheap."
"We'll get Mc Cartney for bass."
Sam: "Paul Mc Cartney?"
Prod: "No, Sam Mc Cartney. He's played for me before. His intonation is a little off and he sometimes misses a beat. But he's a great guy and I'm sure you'll be happy working with him. And he works for peanuts."
"We'll get Clapton for guitar."
Sam: "Eric Clapton?"
Prod: "No, Sam Clapton. He only plays part-time. He's a plumber by day and a guitar player by night. Sometimes he's a little out of tune and he tends to break strings, but he's a nice guy. You're going to like working with him and he doesn't charge much."
"We'll get Manilow to do back up vocals."
Sam: "Barry Manilow?"
Prod: "Yeah, Barry Manilow."
This is one of those jokes that separates your audience by taste.
Enjoy!!!!
Roger in Baltimore (on yet another phantom computer)
sj