Medicine Show Music

A lady came up to me the other day and asked why I never included any tuba music in my show. I want to, but my banjo player doesn’t know how to play one. He keeps asking “What’s a tuba for?” and when I tell him “Oh, about one-and-a-half inches by three-and-a-half inches,” he walks away.

I’ve considered using the bagpipe to attract a crowd. Nothing sounds quite like a bagpipe, except maybe a cat caught in a wheat thresher.

I think I’ve found the perfect instrument to accompany a medicine show, though: a cannon. It doesn’t sound like any other musical instrument. It can be played at large events, and is heard quite clearly over a crowd. It tends to discourage hecklers. Also, the fines are no worse than for an unlicensed accordian.

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[*Doc thanks whoever thought of the tuba and bagpipe jokes, and Mrs. Doc for the cannon fodder.]

copyright ©2009 Laurie J. Anderson, all rights reserved.