Hallo Jody and Robbie!  I hope all is a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year!  In regard to the talented German pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel
performing as "Der schräge Otto", and the idea that he may have based
his performances on old, out-of-tune player pianos without knowing how
to regulate the speed...

Was für ein Unsinn!  [What nonsense!]  Herr Schulz-Reichel was a very
intelligent and talented musician, who, being born on 4 July 1912,
would have been very familiar with the fine quality automatic musical
instruments and player pianos produced in Germany and Austria at the
time.  Perhaps Herr Schulz-Reichel performed these honky-tonk tunes
as he did because people at the time -- and people still -- like them
that way!

Johnny Maddox, another very talented and American musician who had the
opportunity also to hear player pianos and their music rolls played as
they should be, played tunes in a very similar way -- because that is
what was popular -- and Johnny seems to be having fun playing them also.

For an interest, "Crazy Otto" appears in "Ramble on Rose" composed by
Rob. Hunter and performed by the Grateful Dead -- and we come back to
Cannon's Jug Stompers, impossibly...  Somehow?

Grüß,
Karl Schröder
Milwaukee, USA