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Smoking

His baton was a Malboro Red.......He'd hold an unlit cigarette an exceedingly long time, until it became fixed in the minds of his audience like a handgun. Then he'd make a grand production of striking a match and bring the flame to the cigarette tip. The next rounded phrase that fell from his mouth would be encased within a dollop of smoke. Then, when he flicked his ash---tap, tap--- everyone leaned forward and watched closely, as if Willie Mays were tapping his bat on the home plate. Something interesting was about to happen. At last, he dropped the burned match into the glass ashtray with a light plink, he delivered the punchline or came to the crucial point, and I was tempted to yell, "Bravo!"

J.R.Moehringer
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Leg-iron said…
In these enlightened times, of course, all you need do is place your lighter on the table and wave the cigarette around as you speak.

You don't need to light it to get an effect, although nowadays the effect is not comedy, but terror.

It's still fun.
19 July 2010 at 17:44
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piano miniature no 3

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