I once posted in here,... or more likely in the Tickling Discussion forum,... about making a home recording of a "laugh track" style tape,... by recording multiple tracks of myself tickling the feet of a ladyfriend,.. and overlaying the tracks, so as to create the impression of a whole roomful of laughing ladies. In that particular instance, we made the tape into an elaborate "movie trailer" parody, with me adding a chilling pipe organ (Brandenburg Concerto) and a narrative,.... we called it "Mystery Tickle Theater." I still have the master tape laying around here someplace. But the idea had originated a few years earlier,.. with Peggy, my secret Mrs. Robinson.
Peggy had dropped by my place as I was recording something,... probably blues. My "studio" consisted only of a 4-track recorder with a nice amp and reverb-echo unit,.... but you can do a lot with 4 tracks. Peggy was fascinated by the studio process,... the fact that I could be playing both the guitar and the keyboard, etc,... in time,.. to produce the layered recording. That's when I first got the idea of the "roomful of laughing ladies." I made her a scotch-on-the-rocks and mapped out the idea for her. She was all for it.
Peggy settled back on the sofa with her feet up on the armrest,.. and I placed a microphone stand close by the other end of the sofa. (As close as I deemed safe for an expensive mike, ok?) No major restraint was employed, but I DID anchor Peggy's ankles to the armrest of the sofa,.... I'd seen what those long Louisiana legs could do, eh? She was already giggling.
Track 1 was basic,.. I tickled Peggy's feet with my fingers mainly,... she laughed easily and rustled around on the sofa. We went about 3 minutes. Track 2 was Peggy's "worst case" tickle,.. namely having her toes licked and sucked,... may have used a food additive, I don't know,.. she went insane. Track 3 was "toys," ... hairbrushes and toothbrushes, strings between her toes,... and Track 4 was,....... oh hell, I don't remember all this stuff,...... but there WAS a Track 4. We had four 3-minute tracks of Peggy being tickled,... all combined. A little reverb here,... a little echo there.
I was amazed at the results, myself. Peggy-times-four sounded like Oprah's audience laughing at a good joke about Tom Cruise,.... except perhaps minus the high energy of Peggy's wild Louisiana cackle. Seriously,.. you would have thought it was a dozen women,.... really incredible. But I get ahead of myself......
I released Peggy's ankles from the sofa armrest,.... she sat up instantly and said, "Fix me another drink." A little breathless from the final track,... but still absorbed in the "project." I made us both a drink,... adjusted some sound levels,.. started the playback,... and joined Peggy on the sofa. And that's when I was "amazed at the results." I was even more amazed at Peggy's reaction.
When Peggy heard herself laughing through all that tickling,... multiplied by four,..... well,... she started laughing again. Track 5 live. Peggy listened to the cacaphony of laughter she had produced, and then laughed again until tears streamed down her cheeks. I think it was disbelief. Maybe some self-consciousness. Maybe the insanity of the moment. But she laughed harder than on any of the tracks (except maybe Track 2) ... and she thought the whole thing was a scream. She was laughing at herself. I made cassettes for each of us,...
She slid back into her heels and announced that she had to get back to the office (this was lunchtime for her),.... she kissed me, and I cheerfully predicted that I would have a tough time getting back to the blues. I may have speculated on getting a 16-track machine,.... she pushed me away and was out the door.
Peggy had dropped by my place as I was recording something,... probably blues. My "studio" consisted only of a 4-track recorder with a nice amp and reverb-echo unit,.... but you can do a lot with 4 tracks. Peggy was fascinated by the studio process,... the fact that I could be playing both the guitar and the keyboard, etc,... in time,.. to produce the layered recording. That's when I first got the idea of the "roomful of laughing ladies." I made her a scotch-on-the-rocks and mapped out the idea for her. She was all for it.
Peggy settled back on the sofa with her feet up on the armrest,.. and I placed a microphone stand close by the other end of the sofa. (As close as I deemed safe for an expensive mike, ok?) No major restraint was employed, but I DID anchor Peggy's ankles to the armrest of the sofa,.... I'd seen what those long Louisiana legs could do, eh? She was already giggling.
Track 1 was basic,.. I tickled Peggy's feet with my fingers mainly,... she laughed easily and rustled around on the sofa. We went about 3 minutes. Track 2 was Peggy's "worst case" tickle,.. namely having her toes licked and sucked,... may have used a food additive, I don't know,.. she went insane. Track 3 was "toys," ... hairbrushes and toothbrushes, strings between her toes,... and Track 4 was,....... oh hell, I don't remember all this stuff,...... but there WAS a Track 4. We had four 3-minute tracks of Peggy being tickled,... all combined. A little reverb here,... a little echo there.
I was amazed at the results, myself. Peggy-times-four sounded like Oprah's audience laughing at a good joke about Tom Cruise,.... except perhaps minus the high energy of Peggy's wild Louisiana cackle. Seriously,.. you would have thought it was a dozen women,.... really incredible. But I get ahead of myself......
I released Peggy's ankles from the sofa armrest,.... she sat up instantly and said, "Fix me another drink." A little breathless from the final track,... but still absorbed in the "project." I made us both a drink,... adjusted some sound levels,.. started the playback,... and joined Peggy on the sofa. And that's when I was "amazed at the results." I was even more amazed at Peggy's reaction.
When Peggy heard herself laughing through all that tickling,... multiplied by four,..... well,... she started laughing again. Track 5 live. Peggy listened to the cacaphony of laughter she had produced, and then laughed again until tears streamed down her cheeks. I think it was disbelief. Maybe some self-consciousness. Maybe the insanity of the moment. But she laughed harder than on any of the tracks (except maybe Track 2) ... and she thought the whole thing was a scream. She was laughing at herself. I made cassettes for each of us,...
She slid back into her heels and announced that she had to get back to the office (this was lunchtime for her),.... she kissed me, and I cheerfully predicted that I would have a tough time getting back to the blues. I may have speculated on getting a 16-track machine,.... she pushed me away and was out the door.
