| Living in NYC teaches one the beauty of succinctity (a word?).
When asked if I'd rather play flute (or harmonica or whatever), I find a deadpan stare and a monotonal 'no' followed by a pregnant, unblinking pause does wonders. If you're feeling too midwestern to really pull it off properly, then follow it up with a warm smile. If you want to go all out, an acidic smile will send them packing. I only use this on real butt-heads, though. I generally just smile, nod, and wheel on.
Another and more subtle one that I use in response to, "That's a helluva guitar, buddy...", is, "Yeah, it would be, wuddn't it?" |