Have you ever said something to someone that you wish you could take back—especially if you know that it was something you should have never said in the first place?
I'm sure we're all guilty of doing this! I certainly am.
There is a term for this action: Putting your foot in your mouth. The slogan doesn't really make sense but we all know what it means…which leads me to this months' article.
I have two stories to share on this topic. Oh, I could print more, but space doesn't allow it. Come to think of it, I don't know if the
Singing News computer system has enough gigabytes to hold my own personal foot-in-mouth stories!
The following stories aren't about me. I had to search high and low for these stories, but once the word got out, I could have written a book!
Claude Hopper is a name synonymous with Southern Gospel music. He is, of course, a founding member of the celebrated family group, the
Hoppers. For those of you who have seen them in concert, you know Claude loves jokes! He loves people and making people laugh! I had the great opportunity to play for them a couple of months ago, and it was truly an honor. They are sweet, classy, great people…
…which goes to show you that putting your foot in your mouth has no barriers! It happens to everyone! Rich, poor, black, white, young, old, smart or dumb, Foot-in-Mouth syndrome is NO respecter of persons.
Claude was being his usual self. He was cracking jokes on stage, and had the audience just eating out of the palm of his hand. Claude often jokes about his age, and all of the things that go with that (false teeth jokes, wrinkled skin jokes, and more). He will even joke about his thinning hair. On occasion, he will talk about how he would love to have a thick head of hair again.
On this particular night, there was a gentleman in the front row with a full head of hair. Claude recognized this—and so did his family (and this part is very important to remember)—as he starting talking about his age and hair, he pointed to the man in the front row and said, "Sir, I'd like to have a thick head of hair just like you! Why don't you just leave your hair at our record table for me?"
The crowd didn't laugh that much, so Claude kept talking. When the concert was over and the Hoppers were on their bus to the next concert, the rest of his family told Claude what he had said to the man with all of the "hair."
You see, Claude didn't really look close enough at the man's hair. Because if he had, he would have noticed that the man could have actually left it on the table for him.
IT WAS A WIG! A HAIRPIECE! A RUG! Claude couldn't have been more embarrassed. Open mouth…insert foot.
This Foot-in-Mouth syndrome works both ways! Sometimes fans say things to artists that are just as bad.
There is a female artist (who shall remain nameless, but you know her very well) that had a Foot-in-Mouth situation happen to her. She was at her table selling her product, when a woman walked up to her and asked her, "So when are you due to deliver that baby?" To which the artist replied, "I delivered my last baby three years ago! I'm not pregnant!"
WOW! Talk about an awkward situation! WHEW! It's funny now, but I bet no one was laughing at the one too hard that night!
In closing, take comfort in knowing that Foot-in-Mouth syndrome is something that just pops up unexpectedly. We all have it, and there is no cure! The only solution is to think before you speak--but even then, that doesn't work.
If you do say something you shouldn't have, just open mouth and insert foot. Just make sure you take your sock off first!
Until Next Month,
See ya at the table!
