The Beekeeper

As a former Top 40 disc jockey I have worked with many record artists over the years in a somewhat peripheral way and have always been impressed at the sheer hard work, dedication, and talent required to make a living in the music business. In order to promote new recording artists and new label releases the record companies and distributors used to send record promo men to the prominent radio stations in their markets to introduce new artists and persuade us to play new releases. Many of these guys had reputations similar to the traveling salesmen you hear so many jokes about.

One night after work I went out for breakfast with a record promo man who was passing through and during the meal he reached in a pocket and took out an ordinary-looking matchbox and showed it to me, telling us that he was a beekeeper hobbyist and that he had just purchased this really expensive queen bee and had to get her to his house by tomorrow. Of course there was no way he could open the matchbox to show me or the little darling would fly away. I just sat there, totally impressed.

It took me years to realize that I had been had.

Try it on your friends.

-- Dalton Hammond