Why the cigarette in the guitar?

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 15 Oct 11 - 12:52 PM

I suspect this is a habit that caused serious problems before filter tips became the norm.

I remember putting a Players Medium Navy Cut (famous UK non filter ciggie) between the bottom pair on my BM Classical......Double twang...!

Only did it the once!

Don T.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,Spailpin
Date: 15 Oct 11 - 06:13 PM

Brings back memories of bygone days , west Kerry and a benson stuck on the headstock ... I still smile at that burnt out paramount banjo !

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jan 18 - 08:14 PM

It's just stupid!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 29 Jan 18 - 08:29 PM

Alas, my little 60's combo amp still bears the burn scars from abandoned cigarettes back in those RnR days. It was a revelation when someone discovered you could stick your ciggie on the end of the top E string. As I recall, it was more of a convenience than trying to being cool. Thank goodness I gave up the filthy habit of smoking years ago.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 29 Jan 18 - 08:55 PM

John Constantine: You mind?

[reaches for cigarettes]

Satan: Oh, go - go right ahead; I've got stock.

John Constantine: [chuckles] Coffin nail.

Satan: Very fitting, John.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 30 Jan 18 - 06:31 AM

I found the practice put me off listening to the performance.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,William
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 12:34 AM

Wow, I can't believe I found something from 18 years ago with a random Google search. I was just recently watching Post Malone do a live stream tribute to Nirvana and saw he had a cigarette on his guitar and asked Google. I'm not disappointed. Thank you, OP TheShambles.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 01:35 AM

Definitely Eric Clapton when in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, whom I saw several times!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: The Sandman
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 04:06 AM

i walked in to a folk club in 1966, and lots of singers guitarists were doing it.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: JHW
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 05:41 AM

Common sight impaled on a string end. Thankfully no smokers in Folk Clubs, some may say thankfully no Folk Clubs.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Mooh
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 07:50 AM

As a life long anti-smoker, I didn't like it back in the day and don't like it now. Just another stupid smoker's affectation.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Vincent Jones
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 05:20 PM

I'd assure people that, no, they really didn't look like a twat when they did that, or when they sang with a fag in their mouth.

Clapton may have been able to get away with it, or the Swarb with one in his gob whilst playing one of his matchless solos (see what I did there?), but, in my humble opinion, most other people just looked like tossers.

And working, as I do, in oncology, I expect that at least half of those that did it in my youth will now be dead or of concern to colleagues of mine.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 05:29 PM

Clapton was wearing spats on the first occasion I saw him in the Bluesbreakers at Golders Green Refectory Ballroom, but not the next time at Klooks Kleek in West Hampstead!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 20 - 05:30 PM

And not forgetting the long sideburns!!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 03 Dec 21 - 08:04 PM

". . . Not a cough in a carload! Here, kid!"

A lifetime ago, as a small growing human,
I heard that at the end of Tom Smothers doing the spoken-dialogue part
of an intro to a funny song.

I had never witnessed the brand commercial for the cigarette which used that line to sell their product. No context for the quote in my mind.
I literally did not understand anything but "Here, kid!"
and the rest was a mystery for far too many decades.

When I did find out that it was "not a cough in a carload,"
cigarette commercials had for years been banned
in radio broadcasts and television broadcasts.
I was in fact looking up the Smothers Brothers act and the live performance recording in which Tom Smothers quoted the commercial.
And a comment from an older and more experienced audience member
supplied the quote, and I recognized it as the mystery phrase.

The skit, by the way, was the hugely politically incorrect "Hiawatha"
which was a lead in to the song about
Hiawatha's mittens, largely a lot of verbal foolishness in the song, like
"so to keep the cold there outside
he put the skin side inside outside ..."

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Hagman
Date: 04 Dec 21 - 05:27 PM

When I saw Pentangle play at the Melbourne Town Hall in the early 70ies, John Renbourn was so "relaxed" that he dropped his (lit) cigarette in the sound-hole of his guitar, and had to shake it out furiously. Sure woke him up!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Dec 21 - 05:37 PM

I didn't wade through the posts but I'll vote for the fact that it was Josh White who started that trend when Clapton was in diapers.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,Keberoxu
Date: 04 Dec 21 - 06:26 PM

Oh, that's hilarious about John Renbourn!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 04 Dec 21 - 11:18 PM

From: Hagman - PM
Date: 04 Dec 21 - 05:27 PM

"When I saw Pentangle play at the Melbourne Town Hall in the early 70ies, John Renbourn was so "relaxed" that he dropped his (lit) cigarette in the sound-hole of his guitar, and had to shake it out furiously. Sure woke him up!"

It's like they say: You get out of the guitar what you put into it!

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 05 Dec 21 - 01:48 AM

This actually happened to me once with my Les Paul.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,Orson Trap
Date: 07 Dec 21 - 12:22 PM

I once bought a Yamaha FG700 off a chap in Kearsley, nr Bolton. I was sure there was something inside the guitar when I shook it. I was right, there were lots of toenail clipping inside!!!! Anybody else found anything in a used instrument they had bought?

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Apr 23 - 05:31 AM

I once saw a guy called Don Breeze put his gig money in to his guitar.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: meself
Date: 11 Apr 23 - 03:09 PM

I recall seeing a few times someone stick a cigarette between the A and E strings on the headstock. Never struck me as cool or uncool, just kind of a curiosity ....

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 05:04 PM

Dave Burland used to do it with the remark 'Riddled with cancer this guitar'

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 05:48 PM

Did Ron Geesin stick one on the end of his thing me jig?.
He used to have thing me jig which was a bit like a workmans road lamp and he used to whack it whilst reciting McGonagle.

Subject: RE: Why the cigarette in the guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Apr 23 - 03:48 AM

Did anyone ever stick a cigarette in their ear?