We're sure that all of you out there know of the movie The Wizard of Oz. In fact, most of you have probably seen it at least once. The sweet tale of Dorothy and Toto on their quest to get home and the characters that they meet along the way. The Scarecrow looking for a Brain, the Tin Man looking for a Heart and the Lion looking for Courage. What could be more pure, honest, wholesome? It is a true American Classic.  

 In our tradition of finding ways to pervert that which is good and wholesome, we bring you the Wizard of Oz Party. We know what you are probably thinking, have everyone dress as their favorite character, decorate the house as the movie, invite over some midgets, blah, blah, blah. While you can certainly do that, and we're sure you'll have a grand time, it is not what we were thinking.

Our Wizard of Oz party entails having everyone come over to watch the movie and listen to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Strange, the thought never crossed your mind? Well, after you read the rest of this you will want to check it out for yourself.

According to sources, (sort of like,"they say") there is a connection between the movie The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Side of the Moon. According to the band there is no connection, however there is speculation that former band leader Roger Waters planned the whole thing without telling the rest of the band. You will need to have a TV and VCR, a copy of the movie The Wizard of Oz and a copy of the Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on album or CD.

Here's how it works. You start the album at the exact moment when the MGM lion finishes its third and last roar. It might take a few times to get everything lined up just right. Then, just sit back and watch. Here is some of what is supposed to happen:

• Floyd sings "the lunatic is on the grass" just as the Scarecrow begins his floppy jig near a green lawn. The line "got to keep the loonies on the path" comes just before Dorothy and the Scarecrow start traipsing down the Yellow Brick Road.
• During "Breathe," Dorothy teeters along a fence to the lyric: "balanced on the biggest wave." The Wicked Witch, in human form, first appears on her bike at the same moment a burst of alarm bells sounds on the album.
• During "Time," Dorothy breaks into a trot to the line: "no one told you when to run." When Dorothy leaves the fortuneteller to go back to her farm, the album is playing: "home, home again."
• Glinda, Good Witch of the North, appears in her bubble just as the band sings: "Don't give me that do goody goody bull shit."
• A few minutes later, the Good Witch confronts the Wicked Witch as the band sings, "And who knows which is which" (or is that "witch is witch"?).
• The song "Brain Damage" starts about the same time as the Scarecrow launches into "If I Only Had a Brain."
• Songs end when scenes switch, and even the Munchkins' dancing is perfectly choreographed to the song "Us and Them."
• During the tornado scene, the wordless singing in "The Great Gig in the Sky" swells and recedes in strikingly perfect time with the movie.
• When Dorothy opens the door into Oz, the movie switches to rich color and at that exact moment the album starts in with the tinkling cash register sound effects from "Money."
• Side one of the vinyl album is the exact length of the black-and-white portion of the movie. And then there's that iconic album cover, with its prism and rainbow echoing the movie's famous black-and-white-into-color switch not to mention Judy Garland's classic first song.
• The end of the album, tails off with the insistent sound of a beating heart. What's happening on screen? Yep, you guessed it: Dorothy's got her ear to the Tin Man's chest, listening for a heartbeat.

Maybe it's just a string of coincidences. Maybe the mind is just playing some  really cool tricks. Maybe some  people just have waaaay too much time on their hands. Or maybe, as Pink Floyd sings to close out the album, everything under the sun really is in tune.

We must admit that we have never had the opportunity to partake of this little adventure ourselves, or that we came up with the idea. There are even a couple of Web sites devoted to this "Phenomenon." We just wanted to bring you, our devoted readers, all of the wondrous experiences that we can.

You can also turn the party into a game. Have all of the attendees choose a main character, there can be doubling up, and have them drink whenever that character is on screen or speaking, whichever you prefer. This should not only enhance your experience, but help it seem even more amazing! Let us know if you try it and it actually works.