What if I get paid not to play? Does that count?
Dave
One of my favorite Marx Brothers routines:
Chico's billing plan (from Animal Crackers):
Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont): You are one of the musicians? But you were not due until tomorrow.
Signor Emanuel Ravelli (Chico): Couldn't come tomorrow. That's too quick.
Captain Spaudling (Groucho): Say, you're lucky they didn't come yesterday.
Ravelli: We were busy yesterday, but we charge just the same.
Spaulding: This is better than exploring. What do you fellows get an hour?
Ravelli: Ah, for playing we getta ten dollars an hour.
Spaulding: I see. What do you get for not playing?
Ravelli: Twelve dollars an hour.
Spaulding: Well, clip me off a piece of that.
Ravelli: Now... for rehearsing, we make a special rate, that'sa fifteen dollars an hour.
Spauling: That's for rehearsing.
Ravelli: That'sa for rehearsing.
Spaulding: And what do you get for not rehearsing?
Ravelli: You couldn't afford it.You see if we don't rehearse we don't play. And if we don't play, that runs into money. . . . Well, let's see how we stand. . . . Yesterday we didn't come. You remember yesterday we didn't come.
Spaulding: Oh, I remember.
Ravelli: That's three hundred dollars.
Spaulding: Yesterday you didn't come, that's three hundred dollars.
Ravelli: Yes, three hundred dollars.
Spaulding: Well, that's reasonable. I can see that, alright.
Ravelli: Now today we did come, that's -
Spaulding: That's a hundred you owe us.
Ravelli: Hey, I bet I'm gonna lose on the deal.