Uncle Sal and the Brainstorming Bluesman (Episode 193)

Inside the Turn Your Head and Coffee Shop, Giacomo brought two large coffees to the table. Uncle Sal topped his off with a miniature bottle of rye and Giacomo tipped a little Kahlua into his. Uncle Sal took off his Sturgis 2004 trucker hat and looked at the CD Giacomo had just removed from his jacket pocket.

"Who's that?" Uncle Sal asked.

"That's my friend Tu Nguyen. They had his CD up at the counter because he plays here pretty frequently."

"Yeah, what's he play?"

"Blues. Usually he plays a six-string, but sometimes he'll play a 12-string. He plays harmonica on some of the songs too."

Uncle Sal dunked his biscotti into the coffee and took a bite.

"And just look at the song titles." Giacomo handed the jewel case to Uncle Sal.

"Broken Shoelace Blues, Soggy Corn Flake Blues, My Steering Wheel's Too Hot."

"Isn't it great? That's what he does. He writes songs about every day things like that. In fact, when he does a show now he doesn't even make up a set list. He just asks an audience member to come up with a subject and he composes a song right there on the spot. And he records every show so he can add all these songs to his CDs."

"Pretty impressive. And you say he can do this about any topic?"

"Any topic."

"Maybe I oughta go to one of his shows. I gotta idea for a song for 'im. The other day, I went out to my car and saw that I had a flat. Had it towed to Manny's garage. Manny tells me there ain't just one but two nails in the tire."

"That would be perfect. I have no doubt he could write a song about that."

"I think I'll do that. I mean, I can sit here and talk about it, but from what you're tellin' me, only Tu can lament porous tires."

This episode featured:
Smokey Jackets as Giacomo
Mississippi Jacek Antoniewiecz as Uncle Sal
and
Jellybean Merengue as the jewel case.

Tune in next week when Uncle Sal says, "I mean that Mendocino beano."

Uncle Sal and the Buxom Barmaid (Episode 131)

Giacomo climbed into Uncle Sal's Dodge Dart with a black travel cup that bore the word THROTTLE in a 36-point stencil font. He adjusted the black and white checkered floormat, then settled back in the seat.

"All set for the extreme curling event, Giacomo?"

"Yup." Giacomo took a sip and handed the cup to Uncle Sal, who took a whiff and said, "Giacomo, I can't drink that right now. I'm drivin'. You splash any orange juice in that rum?"

"A splash is about right."

Uncle Sal adjusted his garden gnome cuff links and said, "That's a fine cup. Where'dja get it? And what's Throttle?"

"Throttle is this band that fuses hard rock and country blues. I got the cup from a co-worker Antony at the 10 of Clubs. It's his favorite band. He wanted to change shifts with me his Wednesday shift for my Saturday. If I'm gonna give up a Saturday shift, I need something more than just a Wednesday, particularly since he works on Wednesdays with Mei Cho. She's this incredibly beautiful bartender. The kind that every guy looks at when she walks into a room. Partly because she has big breasts and wears very tight, low-cut tops"

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that she spends more time flirting with the customers than working. So it's kind of like working the bar by yourself."

"Yeah, but Wednesdays are probably pretty slow, and if the customers look at this barmaid like you say, I gotta think they'll tip pretty decently."

"Yeah, the few we get."

"Well, it sounds to me like ya got what ya wanted. Ya said he'd have to give up more than just a Wednesday shift and ya got the Throttle cup and Cho."

This episode featured:
Oscar "Blue" McGrew as Giacomo
John Lee Tucher as Uncle Sal
and
Jellybean Merengue as the floormat.

Tune in next week when Uncle Sal says, "Looks like you won't be attending that hat convention in July."

(Thanks to John Lee Hooker for providing the inspiration for the final line of this episode.)