<html> <body> Hubert, At 09:04 AM 9/3/2004, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>AH.. Yes...Victor Borge!   One of the 4 greatest Musician Humorsts of the last century. The other 3 are..Anna Russell, Pete Barbudi, and Florence Foster Jenkins. We can change the numbers if one wants to add Steve Allen, Milton and Sid.. :-)  Send in the votes.  </blockquote> Long ago, in a galaxy (now very) far, far away, my parting gift to an employer was the outgoing message on my office phone: "You have reached the office of the piano technicians at the Florence Foster Jenkins School of Music at <name withheld>". Oddly enough, it was a raging success with literally everyone except the Dean, who was not amused...but, then, neither was I. I remember going to Anna Russell concerts in Pasadena (CA) as a kid...particularly her incredible Ring Cycle (in, what was it, 12 minutes?)...in one iteration, she appeared as Brunhilde...riding a tricycle onto the stage...while in full costume. Pete Barbudi is a name one truly seldom hears any more...sad to say. Interesting that you would mention Sid Caesar.  Truly brilliant...in recent years there was a tribute to him that aired mostly, I think, on PBS, in which they found all/most of the surviving writers from the Show of Shows.  In one memorable set of exchanges, the topic of what had happened to television came up; and, Mel Brooks offered something that is, I think worth thinking about in other arenas of entertainment and culture (generally) as well, when he said (words to the effect that): "What people forget is that, in the early days of television, the audience was very different.  TVs were expensive...not cheap like they are now; and the people who bought them were, demographically, much better educated - (the average being at least a basic BA/Bs, with many in the MA/MS category) - so, those of us who were writing and acting could do so from a position of assuming certain kinds of cultural and experiential knowledge. Now days, TVs have become so cheap that most houses have at least one, if not more.  More importantly, the average educational level of the average viewer is much, much lower...something on the order of 7th or 8th grade...so, you cannot assume the same level of education or experience...."  (Actually, according to fairly recent surveys the average educational level in the U.S. is now down to about 6th grade - hg.) The conversation went on; but those were/are the central remarks.  I think that these remarks are also reflective of what has happened at a much broader cultural level, as well.  Rather than evolving as tools to elevate, cultural reflections (such as TV, music, films, etc) have taken the lowest-common-denominator approach.  Thus, the number of folks who can appreciate things like Anna or Florence, or any number of other things goes down  both as to real numbers and as to percentage of population. hmmm....well...anyway, it's Friday...and, my name's not Crusoe...so, it must be time to leave. Best. Horace <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>    <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> <dl> <dd>The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress <dd>  <dd> -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher</blockquote> <dd>Who somehow managed to survive both the Revolution and Napoleon in spite of himself. <dd>Don't we all hope! <dd>  <dd>Cheers <dd>Hubert Liverman <dd>Opelika, AL <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><hr> <dd>----- Original Message ----- <dd>From: <a href="mailto:remoody@midstatesd.net">Richard Moody</a> <dd>To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech'</a> <dd>Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 1:49 AM <dd>Subject: RE: Joke -- OTOT <dd>Please folks,   tell me about the paste below between the dotted lines.  I would like to respond off list to JK but his email address is not included.   What does pianotech-bounces mean?    Can we get the email address of who gets bounces?  <dd>  <dd>    I would not want to bore the list with a get back for anyone who pun--ishes me with a horrible pun but since I can't respond off list, I must respond to Jim K's "key of sea" here.    <dd>    Do you tune three theater pianos twice a week in a dark theater?   And at such times, do you have  nothing to think of but to go one up on the worse puns that have ever been uttered? Please let it  be known I did not think of "Can you tuna a fish, Yes if it has scales" ---- I can't remember where I saw it.  On the internet I think.   If you dreamed up "only in the key of sea"  please say so and we will give you oceans of due credit.    <dd>  <dd>---rm <dd>  <dd>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <dd>-----Original Message----- <dd>From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Jim Kinnear <dd>Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 7:14 AM <dd>To: Pianotech <dd>Subject: Re: Joke -- OTOT <dd>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <dd>-----Original Message----- <dd>From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Jim Kinnear <dd>Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 7:14 AM <dd>To: Pianotech <dd>Subject: Re: Joke -- OTOT <dd>Sorry, no matter how many scales it has, you can only tua fish in the key of sea . . . . <dd>  <dd>  <dd>----- Original Message ----- <dd>From: <a href="mailto:remoody@midstatesd.net">Richard Moody</a> <dd>To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech'</a> <dd>Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 4:26 AM <dd>Subject: RE: Joke -- OTOT <dd>Q.  Can you tuna fish? <dd>  <dd>A.   Yes,    if it has scales. <dd>-----Original Message----- <dd>From: <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Sarah Fox <dd>Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 3:28 PM <dd>To: Pianotech <dd>Subject: Joke -- OTOT <dd>Q:   What do you get when you drop a piano down a mine shaft? <dd>  <dd>A:   A flat minor. <dd>  <dd>  <dd>Hopefully this joke strikes a chord with someone.... <dd>  <dd><Ahem>  I'd better quit while I'm ahead. <dd>  <dd>Peace, <dd>Sarah <dd> </blockquote> </dl></blockquote></body> </html>