Welcome. Bienvenido. Bienvenue.
There is so much happening in our country and the world. In this time of upheaval and divisiveness, our readers are shouting from the rafters that their need for The Groove is greater than ever. Right here, right now, The Groove will disassemble, sort out, reassemble, process, and provide comprehensive analyses of the critical issues festering all around the globe and beyond (have you tried the Beyond Meat™ burger?). Our goal is nothing short of an exemplary relationship with our loyal readers—a bond of complete trust that can be summed up as: You need us; we need you to need us. As always, and most importantly; without rambling, self-indulgent introductions, or preambles; and without wasting even a second of your time; AND without predictable, boring, redundant clichés; we will dive immediately into the heart, the meat and potatoes, the crux, the bottom line of each of these often overwhelming, complex, polarizing topics.
Tommy and Rachie are hyperaware that many musicians post photos of their gear (guitars, horns, drums, keyboards, etc.) set up at the venue where their gig is, referring to it as their “office.” We thought this metaphor was funny the first time we saw it. The next eleven million times were, to put it mildly, not funny. Pardon our bluntness—after all, this is The Groove—but one innate characteristic of a joke is that it isn’t funny over and over again. (By the way, we’re not completely sure that’s true.) This will be hard for some people to accept, but T and R believe that if you are someone who makes a joke again and again (and we’re trying to be sensitive here), then you might consider not pursuing a career in comedy. However, regarding jokes themselves, there is one exception (and we’re well aware that this is controversial, although it shouldn’t be), and that exception IS: “That’s what she said.” THAT joke, if executed properly (which isn’t hard [that’s what she said]), is ALWAYS funny, WAS always funny, and will always BE funny. Not only that—it continues to get funnier. It is, much like air-conditioning, a gift from God, not to mention evidence that God has a great sense of humor. (That’s right, loyal readers. The Groove has just thoroughly and successfully tackled the eternally-debated subjects of God and religion.)
Also, speaking of people’s “offices,” many people—primarily people younger than Tommy Boy (i.e., most people)—are under the unfortunate misconception that “that’s what she said” began on the TV show The Office. You see (tip of the hat to Miriam), Tommy Boy remembers the first time he heard the joke, decades before The Office. It was uttered by a friend and fellow percussion colleague from his NYC days...fanfare here...John Leister. They were at a rehearsal, in their “office,” and John noticed the setup for the joke and, without pause, inserted it perfectly (that’s what she said). Eternal gratitude to JL for that! Also, for those wondering if T & R are aware that TWSS might be interpreted as misogynistic, they (we) are.
And now, The Groove is proud to present a brand-new segment:
Important/Unimportant
When swimming laps for exercise, you might wonder if it’s better to swim a particular distance, OR to swim for a particular length of time. Rachie and Tommy feel that your decision here is UNIMPORTANT.
On the other hand, when swimming, you might find yourself sharing a lane. In this situation you should make a supreme effort to remain in your half of the lane. Besides avoiding unsolicited bodily contact, or one of you getting smacked or kicked, you want your lane partner to feel that you are cognizant of their presence and their space. The Groove (T & R) maintains that this is IMPORTANT.
