Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 
From: kinnyray@bellsouth.net
To: The Harmonet
Subject: Vo-Do-De-O Video

 Dear interested nut case barbershoppers,

...Some of you may recall a VHS video tape we released several years ago. Here's our story:

The Charlotte, NC Chapter had invited us to perform on their annual show several years in a row, but we were always busy.  It seems they had the bad taste to always hold their show on the first Saturday in May, which everybody knows is "Holy Week" in Louisville.  Nobody LEAVES town on Derby Day.

So one year, they had the famous OK 4 all lined up to do their show, when we get a call reporting that Gaylon (the ol' chicken rancher), had got ahold of a bad egg or somethin', so they had to cancel with four days to go.  We figured out we could see the race and still make it to the airport in time to make the show, so we filled in for 'em.

We had a fun time with the Charlotte bunch, and they had a great audience (OK 4 was pretty popular I guess), and after the show, this film dude comes bustin' in the dressing room all excited.  The local PBS station had done a 5-camera shoot of the show with a real director, union cameramen, lighting guys, sound guys, key grip (whatever that is) and assistant tooth brushers and the whole nine yards. He shoves this "release" paper in front of us and asks us to sign away rights or somethin', and I says (just like Quick Draw McGraw), "Hoooold on thar jist a minute, Baba Looey."

Next thing you know, we done negotiated ourselves a free master tape, and the right to offer copies to barbershoppers and chapter show audiences.

We haven't ordered any for awhile, but we are releasing a remastered version to coincide with our performance at the Music Hall in Kansas City for 2500 of our craziest nut case friends.  The new improved version has had the color separation computer enhanced because the original video machines had a tough time with our Music Man costume changes set against the maroon stage curtain backdrop.

- so, here goes:

Excuse me sir, but either you're closing your eyes to a situation 
you do not wish to acknowledge... 
....or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster 
indicated by the presence of Joe Connelly in yooore community!

Mothers of the Harmonet, 
do your barbershoppers buckle their knickerbockers BELOW THE KNEE? 
Have they been reading Todd's Tips? 
Weh-heh-heh-hell, ya got trouble my friends.
Right here, I say trouble right after Kansas City, 

Why sure, I'm a barbershopper, certainly mighty proud, 
I say I'm always mighty proud to say it.
I consider that the hours I spend 
singin' tenor to tags are golden.

Helps ya motivate baritones, 
or a loud lead or a shy bass. 
D' ja ever take and try to give an iron clad third 
to a three part seventh chord?

But just as it takes more than Munson, Ev and Dick 
to score with a woodshed tag, 
I say that even those guys 
can take and win a contest with Joe Connelly. 

And I call that sloth, 
the first big step on the road to the depths of planned arrange.., 
I say first it's a little, uh, written down chorus, 
then an original intro!
And the next thing ya know your boys are singin' 
for money in a big straw hat, 
and listenin' to some big out-of-town coaches, 
hearin' 'em tell about divorced bass ninths.

Not a purty seventh chord, no, 
but a chord where they stick that bari on a G! 
Like to see some educated smart guy rearrange Lida Rose?
Make your ears hurt?  Well I should say. 

Now friends, let me tell ya what I mean. 
Ya got 1, 2, 3, 4, notes in a chord, yeah, man, 
notes that mark the difference, 
between a "brown" medal and a Gold, 
...with a capital "G" 
and that rhymes  with "V", 
and that stands for Video! 

And all week long yore Barbershopper nuts'll be fritterin'
fritterin' away their quarter-finals,  semi-finals, top ten, too!
Get the left shoulder up, never mind gettin registered, 
or the hotel paid or the wife out to dinner. 

And never mind hearin' any other guys sing, 
even Munson and Joe on Saturday night, 
and that's trouble. Sure, ya got lots and lots of trouble, 
I'm thinkin' of the guys in the stairwells, 
bug-eyed barbershoppers, singin' in the Headquarters Hotel Bar, 

ya got trouble!  Folks! Right after Kansas City, 
Trouble with a capital "T" 
and that rhymes with "V" 
and that stands for Video.

Now I know all you nuts are the right kind of guys. 
I'm a gonna be perfectly frank. 
Wouldja like ta know what kind of conversation goes on 
when they're back home at chapter meetings? 

They'll be tryin' out "Sincere", 
tryin' out "It's You", 
Tryin' out "Wells Fargo Wagon",
and braggin' all about how they're gonna open up a can of whup...

 ....one fine night, they leave rehearsal, 
headed for the district convention, 
David Wright charts and Waesche and Volk and Latzko. 
Shameless music that'll have ol' Ev and Dick and Munson 
caught  in the arms of planned performance with Joe Connelly! 

Friends, the guy carries a gallon of water everywhere he goes, 
ya got trouble!  Right after Kansas City. 
Trouble with a capital "T" 
and that rhymes with "V" 
and that stands for video!

We surely got trouble, right after Kansas City. 
Remember to catch the Bluegrass' show in Kansas City-o.
Oh we got trouble, 
we're in terrible terrible trouble, 
that Joe could sing with Letterman,Philbin and Jay Lenny-o. 

Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble, 
yes we got trouble here, we got big big trouble 
with a "T", 
and that rhymes with "V", 
and that stands for video!