[Phono-L] Ragtime Fabrizio, was: More crooks on Ebay

[Peter Fraser]

i own a Ragtime Fabrizio, aka The Tiny Tim.

it's obviously a one-off, because none of my phono friends nor i have  
never seen another one, but it's one of my favorite pieces of phono  
ephemera.

it's a small semi-human figure made of cardboard and semi-hard rubber,  
mounted to a strange mechanism, which sits on the motorboard of a disc  
phonograph and connects to the spinning turntable via an idler wheel.

the figure itself is quite comical, pear-shaped, male and chrome-domed  
with a zany fringe of hair - and wearing granny glasses.

once set into motion, it bobs irregularly...but in no way related to  
the rhythm of the music that may be playing, just like an actual  
caucasian.  but the most noteworthy and unique aspect of the piece is  
that if one listens very closely, one can hear it emit snatches of pop  
songs from the 1960s.  this is especially remarkable given that there  
is no visible physical means by which it could do so.  some theorize  
that the surface may be treated with a mild hallucinogen, causing the  
user to chemically impose the perceived musical snatches.  personally,  
i enjoy this aspect especially, because i can never get enough snatch.

this item is not shown in any of the books on phono accessories  
published by our phono-L colleague George Paul and his co-author,  
whose name escapes me at the moment.

-- Peter
pjfraser at alamedanet.net

On Nov 8, 2008, at 1:15 PM, Phonophan at aol.com wrote:

> Steve was referring to this joke on my Web site--- where I describe a
> ficitious turntable toy called "Ragtime Fabrizio." As far as I know  
> Charlotte Mager
> from Waves is the only person who ever tried to buy one!
>
> Tim Fabrizio
> phonophan
> PO Box 747
> Henrietta, NY 14467
>
> TEL 585 582 1586
> FAX 585 582 2624
> Web site: www.phonophan.com
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