"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" is an old proverb. "You can't make a Hamlet without breaking a few eggs/egos/legs" is a theater joke. "You…
"How About You" is often titled from the lyrics that occur before this, "I like New York in June." It's from the movie musical Babes on Broadway (1941) and has music by…
"(I Love to Play Piano) Let Me Bang Your Box" is a 1954 novelty song by The Toppers. Robin Byrd (www.robinbyrd.com) plays the song at the end of her Manhattan cable tv sex show, "The…
New York-born Ira Siff created La Gran Scena Opera Co. in 1981, often featuring Siff's diva character, Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh. In the recording "Forgeef Me My Enklish": the Wit…
"42nd Street" (1933) was written for the movie musical of the same name. The movie was made into a Broadway musical in 1980; it's often revived these days on the "New 42nd…
"53rd and 3rd" is from the album Ramones (1976) by The Ramones (of course). Times certainly have changed from when that song was written. At 53rd Street and Third Avenue you'll now…
The playwright and drama critic George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) has been said to have reviewed the comedic play Skylark (1939), by Samson Raphelson, that starred the English actress Gertrude Lawrence…
The music industry has an adage that a recording artist has a whole lifetime (or 3, 5 or 10 years) to make a first album, but only a short time (months or weeks) to write the second album. Once the…
"A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny" is an entertainment adage. "A good comedian can say things funny and other guys just say funny things" was credited in…
American journalist Murray Kempton (1917-1997) is credited for writing that "a critic (or an editorial writer) is one who walks down the hill, after the battle is over, and shoots the…
"A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car" is an often-reprinted line from English theatre critic Kenneth Tynan (1927 -1980). The New York (NY) Times Magazine of…
A popular joke meme involves Santa Claus and/or the Easter Bunny, a smart or honest (blonde, drummer, lawyer, politician, et al.) and a dumb or dishonest (blonde, drummer, lawyer, politician et…
"A gentleman is a man who can play the saxophone/bagpipes/accordion but doesn't" is an old joke of unknown authorship. a gentleman is a man who can play a cornet but won't"…
"A gig is worth 5/10/12/100/1,000 rehearsals" is a music adage. It's valuable to play one's music before a live audience. It's not known who said it first. "One…
The rimshot became famous as a drummer's support of a comedian after a (usually bad or unusually corny) joke. The drum sounds are written as "boom boom" and "ba dum tss."…
Farting is sometimes calling "tooting." Is this tooting louder than a trombone? "A human fart can be louder than a trombone. I discovered that at my daughter's school concert.…
A popular joke is told about jazz musicians: "A jazz musician is someone that puts a $5,000 horn in a $500 car and drives 50 miles for $5 gig." The joke was first cited on Twitter on…
The rimshot became famous as a drummer's support of a comedian after a (usually bad or unusually corny) joke. The drum sounds are written as "boom boom" and "ba dum tss."…
The term "low key" doesn't mean a key that is placed low, but there are jokes. "A Limbo dancer married a Locksmith yesterday... ...the wedding was low key" was posted on…
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." "A guy walks into a bar with an octopus..." is a popular off-color bar joke that…