Stories of this kind are probably all true, even when they're
apocryphal....

They've also spread a bit.  The long running US-American comedy _Cheers_
opened one episode with a well-dressed boozer tapping his fingers on the
bar while drinking his beer.  According to the Ted Danson character, the
man was a percussionist with the BSO counting beats until he reached his
next cue....

All the best,

Robert Clements <[log in to unmask]>
<http://www.ausnet.net.au/~clemensr/welcome.htm>