How not to confirm a gig

So, that nice Mr X (we'll call him) rang a couple of weeks ago to ask if we were available for the 13th July. I checked with the band, and lo, we seemed to be all available, so I thought I had better ring him back. But hold on a minute, I thought, I ought to be a bit careful. We know it's a birthday party, but what if it's a SURPRISE birthday party, and I ring up and speak to the birthday girl herself, and ruin the surprise?

Right, I thought, this is what I'll do. I'll ring during the day and leave an innocuous message, with no mention of the band, and ask Mr X to ring me back, and she'll never know. Ha! Brilliant plan!

Just before ten last night, our phone rang, and it was Mr X. All going to plan. We spoke for a minute...rather oddly...and when I started on the touchy subject of money, things got very frosty. It then dawned on me that he didn't have a clue who I was. As far as he knew, he was ringing a complete stranger (his wife had picked up my message and misheard it; "Can you ring some bloke called 'Jonathan'? " she'd said). And this complete stranger was now demanding money.....

I thought I had better start again, and then it all made sense. I think the poor fellow was getting worried. Mind you, not as worried as he was when he asked what we played. "Why, the best hits plucked effortlessly from the sixties, right up to the present day!" I cried. "Hmmm," he said. "Not sure about 'the present day'".