Water Walking and Bicycle Blowing (part 1)

Andre, , , ,

Most of you are probably already familiar with the following videos:

(The remainder of Zappa’s performance can be found here.) These videos have made the rounds numerous times over the years, but I don’t know if anyone’s ever looked into any possible connections between Cage and Zappa. To me, these two performances and their respective contexts are too similar to be coincidental. I think it’s very likely that Zappa saw Cage’s appearance on television and modeled his own performance on it. Even if there isn’t such a direct connection between the two videos, I think it’s more than likely that Zappa at least had some of Cage’s theory in mind.

I think there’s a lot to say here, so I’ll limit my discussion here to a little background info on the two videos. I’ll follow up in a second post with a brief analysis of Zappa’s discourse regarding Cage.

The first video shows John Cage in his February 24, 1960 appearance on the CBS game show I’ve Got a Secret. Typically, the show features contestants with unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or otherwise humorous secret. A panel tries to guess their secret using only yes/no questions. The host, Garry Moore, considered Cage’s secret–

I’m going to perform one of my musical compositions … The ‘instruments’ I will use are: a water pitcher, an iron pipe, a goose call, a bottle of wine, an electric mixer, a whistle, a sprinkling can, ice cubes, 2 cymbals, a mechanical fish, a quail call, a rubber duck, a tape recorder, a vase of roses, a seltzer siphon, 5 radios, a bathtub, and a grand piano.

–to be intriguing enough to forgo the game in hopes of allowing time for the entire piece to be performed (with the further hope of a Q&A afterwards).

water walk 1

Floorplan for Cage’s Water Walk [1]

The piece Cage performed, Water Walk, was an adaption of his earlier piece Water Music (1952) which is generally thought of as the first of Cage’s so-called “theater pieces.” Cage originally adapted the piece for a performance on a different game show, the Italian program Lascia o Raddoppia (loosely translated: “double or nothing”) in January of 1959.

cage_Buongiorno

John Cage on Lascia o Raddoppia with host Mike Buongiorno

On Lascia o Raddoppia, contestants answered questions on a topic of their choice. If they were successful, they were invited back the following week to answer harder questions for progressively larger winnings. A contestant who made it through all five weeks stood to win five million lire (approximately eight thousand dollars). Cage, an accomplished mycologist, answered questions about mushrooms with the aid of an interpreter. Cage made it through all five weeks and bought a new piano with his winnings upon returning home. More significantly, Cage was also invited to perform one of his compositions each week of show. Water Walk adapted the earlier Water Music to be more appropriate to the televised medium.

water walk 2

Detail of the score for Water Walk [2]

Compared to Water Music, Water Walk is much simpler. Cage’s specifications for the timing of various events are much less specific. More significantly, however, Cage seems to have introduced a greater degree of humor to the second piece, pandering to the lighthearted nature of television and its audiences. I think the added humor was something that would surely have appealed to Zappa.

(The only other performance of Water Walk by Cage was done on The Henry Morgan Show in June of 1959.)

In the other video, we see Zappa performing on The Steve Allen Show three years later. Zappa’s piece, a “concerto for two bicycles, a pre-recorded tape and the musicians in the back” is much more improvised. As Zappa points out in the pre-performance interview, he hadn’t been playing the bike very long.

Jerry Hopkins, the show’s talent coordinator recalls how Zappa landed the gig:

The rules for my job were simple. Get someone who was genuinely eccentric or who did something at least a little strange or out-of-the-ordinary, but never make fun of them—the idea was to have fun with them. And, no fakes, no frauds, no bogus acts looking for exposure and willing to do anything to get it, no put-ons or send-ups, no cons. Because, Steve assured me, they never, ever worked, and they embarrassed everyone.

Only once did I ignore his advice and that was when I got a call from a young man who identified himself as Frank Zappa. He said he wanted to teach Steve how to “blow bicycle.” “Blow bicycle,” I repeated.

“Yeah, you know, like, the bicycle is a musical instrument.”

(You can read the rest of Hopkins’ account here.)

Zappa’s performance even got a write up in a local Cucamonga newspaper:

“Ontario Composer, Steve Allen To Play Wacky Duet”

Frank Zappa, 22, Ontario resident and composer of music, serious and otherwise, will be seen on television tomorrow night playing a bicycle concerto for two with Steve Allen. The show is at 11 p.m., Channel 5. “It’s very funny,” said Zappa. “You play a bicycle by plucking the spokes and blowing through the handle bars.” Other methods of producing “cyclophony” is to stroke the spokes with the bow of a bass fiddle, twirl the pedals and let air out of the tires. The Zappa-Allen concerto will be abetted by a man in the control room fooling around with a tape recorder and by a jazz group which will supply toneless background noise. Zappa studied music and art at Chaffey College. He wrote the score for “The World’s Greatest Sinner,” a low-budget tale about a sacrilegious imposter who repents. “Sinner” had its premiere at Vista-Continental Theater, Hollywood, and opened Wednesday at the Ken Theater, San Diego. Zappa writes musical commercials for TV and radio. They are recorded at Pal Studio, Cucamonga. [3]

These videos both provide neat examples of how the frequently-opposed worlds of art and pop occasionally intersect. A lot of the responsibility for these meetings can be placed on television. I haven’t quite worked this out completely yet, but it seems that for Zappa, the added visual dimension of televised performance goes hand in hand with what he thought about Cage.

In both of these videos, what interests me is the awkward mix of polite respect and anxious laughter on the parts of the hosts and the audiences of each show. I think that these two videos give us an intimate glance a very specific moment in the history of avant-garde music. Audiences (and television programmers) were still receptive to experimental ideas, which themselves hadn’t yet been relegated to exclusive academic circles.

From my perspective, nearly fifty years later, it’s remarkable how adventurous television programming was in the middle of the twentieth century. It’s easy to complain about the lack of this sort of programming nowadays, but I think these examples might give us a better understanding of the current situation.

References:
[1] Taken from William Fetterman, John Cage’s Theatre Pieces: Notations and Performances (Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1996), 33.
[2] Ibid., 35.
[3] As of yet, I have not been able to find an accurate citation for this article. Based on the details it came from a Cucamonga, CA newspaper and can be dated to March 13, 1963. A transcription of the text can be found here.
Water Walking and Bicycle Blowing (part 1)

84,938 thoughts on “Water Walking and Bicycle Blowing (part 1)”

  2. winasms

    chikankari anarkali dress wedding dresses womens moncler cezanne expos guerrero jersey for cheap moncler fragment down jacket pandora gold pendant

  4. blincville

    yellow fantasy dress new balance 1500 nero and arancia white and rose gold dress overalls short sleeve tottenham hotspur 2019 kit for cheap nike air max 270 atmosphere grey

  5. salnunz

    47 brand new orleans saints for cheap june birthstone pandora backless white long sleeve top michael kors selma medium size how much does a new york yankees hat cost basis cost pandora essence collection bracelet

  6. esep-portal

    black chelsea boots womens suede born oxford schuhe damen s6 active portemonnee hoesje limited nike camo youth bob lilly jersey nfl 74 dallas cowboys 2018 salute to service westwood torba black case iphone x

  7. vfokus

    how to know if coach wallet is authentic liverpool jersey youth size for cheap black mamba shoes nike gap christmas dress 1980 pittsburgh pirates hat nike run crew radar knit running hat amazon

  8. sozhane

    chikankari anarkali dress wedding dresses womens moncler cezanne expos guerrero jersey for cheap moncler fragment down jacket pandora gold pendant

  9. fricade

    calgary flames fitted hats new era nfl beauty and the beast ring pandora us polo assn lounge pants jordan retro 9 nero citrus jonathan woodard 66 jersey for cheap nike free run 2 rosa bianca

  10. ddukmani

    moncler bomber jacket with fur lebron irish jersey michael kors bifold wallet mens happyrui spikes miami dolphins stocking hats list onitsuka tiger mexico 66 blanc olive

  12. ainhoaart

    schuhe north face damen cord schieberm眉tze crazy lace agate bracelet mickey mouse shaped sunglasses bolsas chanel air force 1 basse blanche

  13. texhort

    fergey josef seibel sac a mains desigual tenis primavera verano 2021 hermes mini kelly preis cartera burberry mujer maglione rosso

  14. pridito

    long sleeve lace top wedding dress michael kors jet set travel wallet brown new york yankees hat fashion advice liverpool goalkeeper top junior long sleeve mesh workout top moncler joelle baby

  18. trungtamketoanhcm

    catalyst case iphone x handtas rugzak for girls wireless charger with magnet on pouzdro one piece 拧aty one piece 拧aty boston college bucket cappello moncler walking boots

  20. 2020jpc

    john lewis plecak m臋skie iphone 5 liquid case colorful leer portemonnees nokia mobile phone pouzdro long sleeve sequin shirt 拧aty bianca boston bruins cappello

  22. marieblsn

    samsung j3 wallet cover jean leer crossbody zak rebecca minkoff oppo f7 magnetic pouzdro ivory mikado wedding 拧aty miami heat adidas nba nero color pop flex berretto womens camo combat boots

  23. chinemile

    san francisco giants hats fitted 59fifty knitted baker boy hat pattern online glitter velvet dress chicago white sox winter hat online free women nike oakland raiders 11 sebastian janikowski limited black team color nfl jersey sale stylish outfits

  24. odecraf

    alaia mini torba samsung s10 case clear bruin croc handtas pouzdro mate clear pretty little thing st艡铆brn媒 tassel 拧aty cleveland browns baseball berretto

  25. prednisone-20mg-buy

    glass chandelier beads wallet style iphone case north face womens pallie down jacket ray ban herren sonnenbrille polarisiert sac en paille celine boucle oreille femme diamant

  27. lojascapixababr3

    galaxy s9 pouzdro liquid air venus cut out detail 拧aty los angeles rams new era nfl draft team color 59fifty berretto simply be gold sandals square dance schuhe huawei cun l21 hoesje

  28. declaromag

    tempered glass case iphone 11 pro max nike seattle seahawks 25 richard sherman black mens stitched nfl elite pro line gold collection jersey chicago white sox hats fitted armament modest teenage girl clothes christian dior wedding dress washington capi…

  29. kamranjaisak

    merrell rosa sandalen huawei mate 20 pro silicone dekking mens alshon jeffery elite green nike jersey nfl philadelphia eagles 17 salute to service flower girl plecak iphone 8 plus stitch case perry ellis toiletry zak

  31. wdifah

    nike air max 2015 laces pandora red earrings michael kors pink purse crossbody mens 2015 nike nfl san diego chargers t shirts 17 detroit tigers magglio ordonez 30 white authentic jersey sale pandora belle ring

  32. e01ulf

    st艡铆brn媒 sparkly phone pouzdro tulle maternity 拧aty philadelphia 76ers basic 2 tone 9fifty snapback berretto ether grey slip on sneakers most expensive gym schuhe samsung tab 3 7.0 hoesje

  33. flowimg

    mens chicago bears 10 marquess wilson orange alternate nfl nike elite jersey the weeknd long sleeve tee kids black moncler coat matthews wesley 23 jersey for cheap christian louboutin red bottoms womens nike internationalist negro university rojo

  34. celindamuza

    black stiletto with red sole galaxy a20 case otterbox wristlet mk new york yankees hats canada schedule short night suit for ladies green black kobe 8 all star galaxy

  37. venetsnews

    mitchell trubisky mens game navy blue jersey nike nfl chicago bears home 10 arctic hunter anti theft plecak picture cases for iphone 6s plus aldo crab handtas bmw m phone pouzdro nookie long sleeve 拧aty

  38. alniam

    tempered glass case iphone 11 pro max nike seattle seahawks 25 richard sherman black mens stitched nfl elite pro line gold collection jersey chicago white sox hats fitted armament modest teenage girl clothes christian dior wedding dress washington capi…

  39. mmycua

    hello kitty vinyl coin portmonetka s9 plus case custom margot tassen australia spigen clear pouzdro s9 petite b铆l媒 mini 拧aty design own baseball berretto

  40. oraien

    limited josh kline mens jersey new england patriots 67 road white nfl black and yellow new york yankees hat linux guide red bottom dress shoe superdry cami dress nike sb satire white halter babydoll dress

  41. freelance-dz

    housse de couette 80×120 auchan tiffany necklace broken chain coach f36702 damenschuhe hellblau valentino borse uomo chaussure de foot professionnel

  43. capilarspain

    gleitsichtbrille ray ban c茅line sac 脿 main amazon chiama angeli cosmopolitan lunette de soleil disney princess coach purses superstar beige

  44. listadeemailsvip

    iphone xs max cute protective hoesje nfl mens nike philadelphia eagles 86 zach ertz black name number pullover hoodie teacher tote torebki with pockets nillkin iphone 5s case pom pom zak tassel earpods apple pouzdro

  45. wetheproducts

    asos 膷ern谩 floral 拧aty baseball berretto for vendita sakroots rhythm waterproof rain boot kinderschuhe limango nike 7 plus hoesje white capitals jersey

  46. malabarcet

    san francisco giants titleist hats usa mennns hvit nike air max 90 hyperfuse all white ua yeezys v2 boston red sox trapper hat nyt gatsby fancy dress womens houston texans snapback uk

  47. bibuthomas

    ysl envelope chain wallet small first louboutin shoe honeycomb earrings pandora moncler grenoble praz one piece swim dress moncler star jacket

  48. buy-atarax

    spider man homecoming phone hoesje roquan smith womens limited orange jersey nike nfl chicago bears vapor untouchable alternate 58 cath kidston barton sk贸rzany plecak snake phone case cavenders hooey portemonnees google pixel 2 xl otterbox pouzdro

  49. fletsaccess

    amari cooper 89 jersey for cheap iowa hawkeye youth jersey for cheap hot outfit for girls plastic screen protector iphone se 2020 moncler augert alto iphone case

  50. ibaraki-fudousan

    adidas originals atric rugzak xl slim iphone xs pouzdro alexander wang striped 拧aty california republic fitted cappello rose gold wedge espadrilles tods female schuhe

Comments are closed.