When will the brain-saving liquid show up? It has been an eternal minute since the process was engaged. It seems to me there might be a glitch in the brewing mechanism. No wait. There it is, the first few drops of Elixer slowly making their way to my cup. Finally complete, the first sip is a reminder to grab that clock. I set it for April 26th, 1924, with the location in London. The duration is two hours. When the plunger is pulled, we are immediately transported to Aeolian Hall in London.

Lucky us because we get to witness the first performance of Tzigane, a rhapsody for violin and orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. Tzigane, the title of which is derived from the generic European term for “gypsy,” was composed in a short time in 1924. The violinist performing is Jelly d’Arányi, who is of Hungarian descent. He is joined by Henri Gil-Marchex at the piano.

The premiere piece’s performance lasts eleven minutes, and the audience applause is deafening. Maurice is most famous for his Bolèro, which was written in 1928, so he clearly has a great career ahead of him.

Just as the champagne is served, the alarm goes off, and my usual high dive into the couch is accomplished with plenty of welcome barks from the resident pouches.

My text notification goes off, and it is Linda Hill, our prompt for this week. Here is the message: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “show.” Use it as a noun or a verb. Have fun!

To see what other bloggers have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2024/04/26/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-27-2024/

Show by John W. Howell © 2024

“Well, that was some show.”

“It was terrific.”

“How did you know to go there?”

“I Googled it.”

“I would say that worked ten.”

“Would you like to hear the music?”

“Um, you know I’m not big on classical.”

“Okay, then we will skip it.”

“Well, I don’t want to stand in your readers’ way. Maybe they would like to listen.”

“For those who would, here it is.”

“While they are busy, what say we hit the pub.?”

“Uber?”

“Over there.”

“What on Earth?”

“Don’t be hasty.”

“It is a moving van.”

“With lots of room.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that.”

“Think of pulling up to the front of the pub in this.”

“Yeah. Quite a scene.”

“Maybe we could convince the pub mates to join us on a roadie.”

“Hold it right there.”

“What.”

“No roadies.”

“How about a parkie.”

“What’s that?”

“Where we just stay at the pub but invite everyone to sit inside the truck.”

“Redneck fun, I suppose.”

“Don’t you know it?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Reaching for the freshly brewed coffee, the cup catches on the small grate that supports it. The cup turns sideways, and all the beautiful, brain-soothing liquid pours onto the floor.

“Great” is the only expletive that comes to mind. Now, the process must begin again. Sopping up the coffee as the machine goes about business, my brain turns to the clock. The cup is finished, and the spilled coffee is cleaned up. One sip and the clock is set. April 19th, 1924. The time is 9:00 o’clock in the evening, and the duration is two hours. The plunger is pulled, and my destination is the studios of WLS AM radio in Chicago, Illinois.

We arrive in time to witness the first broadcast of the National Barn Dance, a show thought up by Edgar L. Bill, the station’s director. As we listen, the tunes are definitely country-oriented. I pull Bill aside and ask, “Why country here in the city.” Bill explains that the station is able to broadcast over the entire Midwest and, at night, pretty much over the whole country. “We had so much highbrow music the first week that we thought it would be a good idea to get on some of the old-time music. After we had been going for about an hour, we received about 25 telegrams of enthusiastic approval. It was this response that pushed the Barn Dance!”

The alarm goes off, and as usual, a soft landing is on my couch. My text tone tells me I have a text from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ends with “grate/great.” Use one or bonus points if you use them both. Enjoy!

To see what other bloggers do with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2024/04/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-20-2024/

Grate/Great by John W.Howell © 2024

“That was fun.”

“I never knew the National Barn Dance had been going since 1924.”

“Yup. It kept broadcasting until 1968.”

“Wow, that’s great. A lot of stars appear?”

“Everyone appeared on the show. It was very popular.”

“I’ll bet a few copycats, huh?”

“The biggest was the Grand Ole Opry.”

“No kidding.”

“Started off as the  WSM Barn Dance in Nashville and later changed the name.”

“In its heyday, the National Barn Dance was broadcast across the US.”

“I can’t figure out how to fit the word grate into the conversation.”

“Yeah, it has been a hard day. Let’s hit the pub.”

“I ordered an Uber. It’s over there.”

“Oh, super. A 1924 truck.”

“I had to order that special.”

“It should be fun. I see one of us needs to ride in the back.”

“Yeah, but it’s not so bad; there is a grate to sit on.”

“A grate?”

“It’s a bench but has holes in it. More like a grate.”

“What about my bottom?”

“Might get sore.”

“You take the grate.”