Can I Get a Little Applause in the Monitors, Please?

Back when we were the vanguard of the nascent Lipscomb grunge scene, I got the idea for a joke.  After the first song of a performance, a band is greeted by a tepid response.  Instead of asking for louder vocals or whatever, the band asks the sound man: "Can I get a little applause in the monitors?"  Actually, I think my rocking days were over by the time I got that inspiration, but maybe Matt put that line to use when I gave it to him.

Anyway, today's article titled "On Stump, Low-Key Thompson Stirs Few Sparks" by Adam Nagourney in the NY Times jogged my memory about that joke:

Twenty-four minutes after he began speaking in a small restaurant the other day, Fred D. Thompson brought his remarks to a close with a nod of his head and an expression of thanks to Iowans for allowing him to “give my thoughts about some things.”

Then he stood face to face with a silent audience.

“Can I have a round of applause?” Mr. Thompson said, drawing a rustle of clapping and some laughter.

“Well, I had to drag that out of you,” he said.