Whiskey Gap Flap

One of my Mom’s common expressions was, “What will the neighbors think!” These words made me chuckle while I washed and hung all the costumes, bloomers and wigs on the backyard clothesline so they would dry in the bright sunshine. Well my ‘Granny’ character wouldn’t give a you-know-what about what folks say. She just speaks what she thinks, does what she wants  and above all, she sees the fun in absolutely every situation.

I still laugh when I think of all the crazy antics of Granny and her sidekick, Underarm Tom (played by my husband, Tink Robinson). It was 1995 and we had just returned from a successful run of summer shows at the Carriage House Theater in Cardston, AB. What a great experience we had – writing, directing and performing with such talented kids and students. I really think that everyone in that whole town is musical! That year, we called the show, “Whiskey Gap Flap”.

Before I continue, here is a sample of the title song I co-wrote with Tink for the show. (We sang it as our characters, Granny and Underarm Tom.)

To listen to Whiskey Gap Flap, Click Here (Song #3)

As you can tell by listening, the song is pure silliness with a rhythm that beckons you to get up, dance around, let your hair down, jiggle, jump, knock your knees and spontaneously bring out your inner nut.

Everybody’s doing it, “The Whiskey Gap Flap”
Think I’ll start pursuin’ it, “The Whiskey Gap Flap”
Knock yer knees, and wiggle yer fanny
Look out world, hear comes Granny!

Everybody’s singin’ it, “The Whiskey Gap Flap”
Make the rafters ring with it, “The Whiskey Gap Flap”
With yer toes a tappin’, things’ll start to happen,
Doin’ the Whiskey Gap Flap

A side note here … In Canada, wiggling your ‘fanny’ means jiggling your rear end. This is how I wrote it and certainly what I intended. Therefore, I couldn’t understand why an English friend of mine laughed hysterically when she heard the song for the first time. It was cute, but not that funny! Then she informed me that in England, the ‘fanny’ is at the front, not the back! The comical visual of her interpretation made us both double over. ‘Granny’ would laugh at both versions. With her barnyard humor, she would just nudge you to chuckle and basically “git up, do a little ditty and ‘jiggle yer whatcha-ma-call-it’ jest fer the fun of it.”

Whiskey Gap was an actual place with an interesting history. Now a ghost town, Whiskey Gap was one of the main routes near the southern border of Alberta. It is located about 80 kilometers south of Lethbridge on Highway 501. In the 1860s and 1870s, American traders crossed over the border to trade goods and alcohol for furs and buffalo robes. During the Prohibition period in Alberta between 1916-1924, alcohol was smuggled through this area from the United States. Later it flowed in the opposite direction when the Americans declared Prohibition. Although little remains of this once flourishing community, its descriptive name reflects its colorful past and strategic location.

In our show, we had a whole stage full of kids singing and dancing Whiskey Gap Flap along with us. Of course with all the children performing, you can imagine how many moms, dads, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins made up the audience. Most shows were sold out and people returned again and again to bring more relatives and friends.

Tink and I love bringing out the ‘kids’ inside the adults. We have had whole audiences bouncing up and down and doing actions to our songs. As I wrote in a previous blog, Granny’s Metaphysicals, the songs we wrote and recorded for ‘KIDS (for all ages)‘ teach universal messages through lively rhythms, catchy tunes and humor. Granny and Underarm Tom sing four of the songs on the CD and Tink and I do the rest. Learning through music and rhythm improves many life skills such as coordination, creativity, cooperation, self-worth and concentration.

We are so grateful to all the cast and crew at the Carriage House Theater who light up the world with their enthusiasm, talent and pure joy of performing. They leave a song in our hearts and a smile in our memories.

Life can be full of challenges, ups and downs and roundabouts. But through it all, your energy will be lighter when you sprinkle in doses of laughter, nuttiness, belly laughs, dancing, jumping for joy, skipping and, just for the fun of it – ‘wiggling yer fanny’ …

“Jiggle around like a bowl full of jelly
Lift yer knees high off the ground
Laugh so hard that it hurts yer belly
Everybody’s gonna want to stick around

Everybody’s prancin’ it
The Whiskey Gap Flap
Singin’ and a dancin’ it
The Whiskey Gap Flap
Keep yer hands a clappin’
and yer thighs a slappin’
Doin’ the Whiskey Gap Flap”

 

 

To listen to a clip of our song, “Whiskey Gap Flap” –  CLICK HERE  Or to download a copy of the song for yourself,  GO HERE

Want to  Hire a Granny?  CLICK HERE

P.S. Check out my brand NEW ‘From Spirit to Story to Song’ Website Home  for more fun and inspirational stories. 

While you are there, download my song and FREE Gift for you, “Give Yourself Love”.