Posted by Jay Bertolet on January 16, 2002 at 10:43:16:
In Reply to: 'Ware the hot jam doughnut... posted by Tim K. on January 16, 2002 at 04:46:09:
It wasn't a tuba player but this true story had me rolling:
Years ago, the FPO was doing Pictures on an upcoming concert. Our young principal trumpet player was doing extra practicing at night getting ready for the run of concerts. About 1 week before the first rehearsal, he came home from a late-night practice session and when he went to the front door of his house, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. He panicked, assuming there was a burglar in his house, and ran to the next door neighbor's house to call the police. While running at full speed, he ran directly into the next door neighbor's clothesline. The line caught him directly across his upper lip, much in the same place as a mustache would be, and the force of the impact knocked him flat to ground.
He couldn't play for two weeks after that, missing the Pictures concerts entirely. A couple of years later, he quit the orchestra and went to business school. He said the pressure of playing first trumpet in an orchestra was a bit too much for him. ;-)