Gargling Carrot Juice (UPDATE)

Andre

Reading through the first few years of the Los Angeles Free Press has already been very fruitful exercise! In addition to making (what I consider to be) a major breakthrough, I’ve started to find answers to some earlier questions too.

761px-TudorCageShiraz1971

David Tudor (left) and John Cage performing at the 1971 Shiraz Art Festival. (source)

In my post from November 6, I tried to track down the source for a story that Zappa often told about John Cage. He recalled attending a concert in which he witnessed Cage drinking carrot juice with a contact microphone attached to his throat:

A short time after that, John Cage came to Claremont College and he was giving one of his … he does these performances with a throat microphone. He’d put this thing on his throat and drink a quart of carrot juice, or read something to you while he was drinking the carrot juice. [1]

I determined that the piece in question was 0’00”–in which the performer is instructed to, “in a situation provided with maximum amplification (no feedback), perform a disciplined action”–and went on to suggest that Cage’s November 26 and 27, 1965 concerts at the Harper Theater in Hyde Park were the source of Zappa’s recollection. Cage gave a performance matching Zappa’s description there and, given that the score indicates that “no two performances [may] be of the same action,” I figured that this must be the source. (Curiously, after posting a query to silence, the John Cage mailing list, I received several responses that suggested Cage did the carrot juice thing on more than one occasion.)

As it turns out, I was incorrect.

In the January 29, 1965 issue of the Los Angeles Free Press, Michael Agnello reports on a concert Cage gave with David Tudor at the Pasadena Art Museum, now the Norton Simon Museum (click on the image to the right to read the whole article):

LAFP 2-5 p5It was a common swivel chair which the man (John Cage) sat on. Whenever he moved, I heard a grating sound of metal against metal. I then discovered that he had a contact microphone attached to the swivel of the chair (just as the microphone discovered the sounds contained in the knot which joins the two parts of the chair together). The man then strapped a similar type of microphone around his neck, and proceeded to cut carrots, apples and green peppers into pieces, using an amplified knife. As the knife penetrated, I noticed that there was a commotion resulting from the instrument breaking through the fibers of which these plants are composed. My eye saw and my ears heard and at one point I was moved to say to myself, “This is ridiculous, what possible purpose could there be to all this madness?” At that point a fellow named Snyder began to expound a variety of attempted witticisms; no, he was not intended to be part of the show—–and my eyes saw and my ears heard. After the man was finished cutting, he put each piece into the electric juicer. After each piece of carrot, green pepper and apple, he lowered a microphone down into the machine so we could witness at least the aural part of their metamorphosis. Altogether, it was a happy experience and it fittingly concluded with the sound of the juice passing through the man’s throat. [2]

The description matches Zappa’s perfectly. And given that this performance took place so close to where Zappa was living at the time, it seems the obvious source for Zappa’s story.

The article does not mention the specific date of the performance, only that it was at the Pasadena Art Museum. A quick search on ProQuest revealed the following confirmation:

LA Times - 'Experiments' in New Music to Be Heard - Jan 1, 1965 pSG8John Cage, one of the country’s new musical experimenters, will present three of his compositions at the Pasadena Art Museum in two performances, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan 7.

This will be the second in a series of musical events presented by the museum in cooperation with the Coleman Chamber Music Assn. and the Pasadena Music Teachers Assn.

The series, called “Encounters,” is designed to bring together outstanding composers and performers and their listeners who seek to gain an insight into original works.

To encourage rapport between the performer and listeners, the setting is informal. The compser or performer will speak before his works will be played.

Cage’s works will include “Variations II,” “Zero Zero Zero,” and “Duet for Cymbals.” Pianist will be David Tudor. [3]

I can’t say for certain if Zappa actually attended the concert or simply read the Free Press review–he did, after all, remember the concert as having took place in Claremont–but I would be inclined to take his word for it and assume the former.

FURTHER UPDATE (December 11, 2009):

In trying to track down some more information about Cage’s performance, I took it upon myself to contact the Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum). I promptly received a very helpful email from curatorial assistant Tom Norris confirming the date and the compositions performed. According to a PDF of the museum’s member newsletter and calendar, which Mr. Norris was kind enough to send me, Cage gave:

Two performances January 7, Thursday evening: 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. An encounters concert featuring the composer and David Tudor, pianist. Tickets $2.50, students $1.50.

Not a bad deal! The newsletter describes the program thusly:

Whenever contemporary experimental music is discussed, the name of John Cage is sure to be mentioned. The “prepared piano,” chance music, choice music, superimposition of different layers of sound, extension and modification of sound through mechanical media–these are all fields in which Mr. Cage has taken the lead. Even silence as an element of composition has been provocatively explored by this restlessly inventive composer.

Encounters will bring John Cage and David Tudor to the Pasadena Art Museum on Thursday, January 7th, for two performances at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The program will consist of Duet for Cymbal, Variations II and Zero’ Zero Zero”.

References:
[1] Den Simms, “An Evening With Pierre Boulez and Frank Zappa,” T’Mershi Duween 9 (October 1989). (Text here.)
[2] Michael Agnello, “John Cage at Pasadena,” Los Angeles Free Press 2.5 (January 29, 1965): 5. (Scan of article here.)
[3] “‘Experiments’ in New Music to Be Heard.” Los Angeles Times (1965, January 1): SG8. (Full text here.)
Gargling Carrot Juice (UPDATE)

4,522 thoughts on “Gargling Carrot Juice (UPDATE)”

  1. converse chuck taylor all star first star red white blue

    masque capillaire naturelle extra enrichi è„¿ la k茅ratine 2 achet茅s 1 offert hard rock caf茅 hollywood hoodie in grau silber online kaufen vintage strumpfhalter lifeproof case iphone 7 plus iphone 8 plus new coque case clear transparent gold plating soft…

  2. retro jordans

    You made some respectable factors there. I looked on the web for the issue and located most people will go along with along with your website.

  3. sweter w r贸偶owo czarne paski h m 38 m d艂u偶szy lu藕ny tunika

    kostum mala 膷arovnica 3 5 let otro拧ki kostumi 1 5 let bodo pla膷evali 拧e ceneje novice velenje elegancka granatowa kurtka m臋ska pikowana bomber vert de la mer bimba robe mi longue boutonn茅e avec tunique pogled.ba foto prodaja posteljine u hodniku zgrade…

  4. hermes birkin

    Good post. I be taught something more difficult on completely different blogs everyday. It is going to always be stimulating to learn content from different writers and observe a little one thing from their store. I抎 choose to use some with the content…

  5. jordan shoes

    There are some attention-grabbing closing dates in this article but I don抰 know if I see all of them heart to heart. There’s some validity however I’ll take hold opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we want more! Added to F…

  6. jacka rund urringning chiffong sweep sl盲p applikation 1 2 盲rmar kl盲nning

    erkek tek paltolar 52 online satè°‹n al zmr 812 termo taban cè°‹rtlè°‹ erkek 莽ocuk spor bot petrol petrol ayakland collana girocollo stelle oro eski sezon krampon fj盲llr盲ven vinterjakke parkas singi dun namje拧taj mima igra spava膰a 2016 bayan kaban modelleri…

  7. convese outlet

    Oh my goodness! an incredible article dude. Thanks However I am experiencing challenge with ur rss . Don抰 know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting similar rss downside? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx

  8. basketball shoes junior

    adidas predator 18.1 firm ground kopa膷ky 膷ern谩 kabelka love moschino avorio d谩msk谩 stylov谩 拧ed谩 mikina s n谩pisem akciov茅 top谩nky modr谩 siv媒 sveter so zap铆nan铆m na zips p谩nske 膷lenkov茅 poltop谩nky hned茅 oreo 4s on feet vans negra roja y blanca

  9. gucci bracelet with heart

    f茅rfi r枚vid ujj煤 vasal谩smentes ing cink cip艖 adidas terrex mid gtx k gore tex cblack grethr cblack picard milano f茅rfi oldalt谩ska gucci pirates felpa con cappellipuccio ballerine sportive bimba gucci asos codice

  11. air jordan

    I抎 need to test with you here. Which isn’t one thing I often do! I take pleasure in studying a publish that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!

  12. coach outlet

    After study just a few of the blog posts in your web site now, and I actually like your method of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site checklist and shall be checking back soon. Pls try my web page as nicely and let me know what you think.

  13. reebok cl lthr x face

    nmd r1 stlt pk rosa royal azul long cardigan element undercover blue peep toe shoes dark grey mens hoodie rei merrell jungle moc svadobn谩 ozdoba do vlasov anita re拧taura膷n茅 n谩bytok marcos o n谩vrate do realu madrid

  16. yeezy shoes

    It抯 exhausting to search out knowledgeable people on this subject, however you sound like you recognize what you抮e talking about! Thanks

  17. birkin bag

    Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So good to search out somebody with some authentic ideas on this subject. realy thanks for beginning this up. this web site is something that is needed on the internet, someone with so…

  18. hommes femmes france lacoste hommes l.ight

    jenni jenni t cloth sports bra pink chinos pants for men black columbia ski jacket grey size xl mens snowboarding hood waterproof vertex ebay spaw mat us艂ugi 艣lusarsko spawalnicze piotr u偶ywane podkaszarki ogrè´¸d strona 12 tiulowa spè´¸dnica na sylwestra…

  19. 畏位喂伪魏慰 蠁蠅蟿喂蟽蟿喂魏慰 蠂伪蟻蟿喂谓畏 渭蟺伪位伪 30c渭

    伪胃位畏蟿喂魏维 蟺伪喂未喂魏维 蟺伪蟺慰蠉蟿蟽喂伪 nike 渭蟺维蟽魏蔚蟿 蟽蔚位委未伪 2 parabita parabita 蠁慰蟻蔚渭伪蟿伪 纬蠀谓伪喂魏伪 蟻慰蠀蠂伪 蠁慰蟻蔚渭伪蟿伪 蠂蟻蠋渭伪 伪谓未蟻喂魏维 蟻慰蠉蠂伪 cosmos sport 渭伪蟽慰谓喂魏伪 蟽蠀渭尾慰位伪 蟽蔚 蟺伪喂蠂谓喂未喂伪 纬喂伪 渭喂魏蟻伪 蟺伪喂未喂伪 grothia game of thrones 蟿蟻蔚喂蟼 谓苇蔚蟼 魏喂胃维蟻蔚蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 fender 蟿伪 谓蔚伪 萎蟻伪 魏伪蟿蟽伪…

  21. pantofi sport barbati adidas tubular shadow cq0927

    valentino garavani rockstud patent leather flats size eu 39 regular shell cordovan mens bifold wallets sports duffle bag with shoe compartment feetmat kids sneakers ultra breathable athletic running walking tennis shoes for boys girls nike metcon 4 tr茅…

  22. guanti da portiere adidas con stecche

    alpine pro pè°©nsk茅 mikiny svetr pè°©nsk媒 eneas 653 basic blanket source baby cardigan knitting pattern free knitting patterns handy activity centers 20413 kid s wild safari adventure fun activity center small motor skills ages 1 and up it now only ralph l…

  23. gyæžšngyæžšs szoknya

    feh茅r csipkemintè°©s menyasszonyi cip艖 szandè°©l musztardowa spè´¸dnica tulipan z kokard膮 are you fashion elegancki soha nem hasznè°©lt sequence tè°©rsasjè°©t茅k asics gel cumulus 19 futè´¸cip艖 n艖i pink lila fekete nike air force 1 w cip艖 sage lo premium w 001 eladè´¸…

  24. fila shoes

    Oh my goodness! an amazing article dude. Thank you However I am experiencing subject with ur rss . Don抰 know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting an identical rss problem? Anybody who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx

  25. nwt womens navy and white striped sweater nwt

    every day is a good day silver cufflinks with words stanley proto set box 10 3 marc chagall chagall juin juillet sale vince drape front wool cashmere cardigan cute little baby girl clothes good life womens luxury cotton v neck t shirt mid weight preshr…

  26. cage è„¿ gerbille

    robe rouge enfant mariage housse de couette percale blanche robe vert bouteille zara lot de linge de maison vans shoes sg tuta mizuno 6 anni reebok ers 1000 femme brun

  27. lebron 13

    There are some attention-grabbing time limits on this article however I don抰 know if I see all of them middle to heart. There is some validity however I will take maintain opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we want extra! A…

  28. a cold wall x nike collaboration exclusive look

    mitchell ness new york red bulls black cropped xl snapback adjustable hat shoei neotec helmet gloss white new york islanders new womens board shorts size 18 xelosette black xelos swim nwt hand made in ca billabong double up platinum x quad stretch boar…

  29. obchodn铆 centrum chodov

    2020 fila roja slides lil yachty reebok aztrek 2020 hurts rojashirt wingtip golf shoes 2020 buy adidas nmd light pink flowy dress adidas samba rose foot locker 2020 pw hu slim mochila hottest nike shoes 2020 s80874

  31. hublot classic fusion chronograph

    donne che girano senza mutande modelli di scarpe invernali valigetta pelle sabina green pique è°©gytakarè´¸ 200×240 cm police szem眉veg akciè´¸ makè´¸ gyæžšngyszem optika regio jè°©t茅k lego friends mia lakè´¸kocsija 41339 orologio vibrazione sveglia tute in velluto e…

  32. 3 賯胤毓丞 丕賱賵丨丿丞 xxxxl 丨噩賲 賰亘賷乇 丕賱賲賱丕亘爻 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞 calcinha

    top renda inverno lojas mayara fellipe krein historia bj枚rn borg bb mini floral mia 3x 啪enske bokserice 毓乇賵囟 爻亘賵乇 爻 丿丕賷乇賰 賷氐賱 廿賱賶 50 毓賱賶 丕賱賲丕乇賰丕 丕賱乇賷丕囟賷丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶

  33. مشخصنة iphone xs حالة مجردة عاشق الوجه لينة TPU ماتي حالة Fundas كوكه غطاء ل iphone 6 6s X 5S SE حالة 11Pro

    funda transparente huawei y7 2018 fundas para celular samsung j2 prime fundas originales samsung a50 Funda Samsung personalizada golpes funda anillo tel para Note 10

  34. fundas huawei p8 lite 2017 amazon

    funda movil samsung a5 carcasa samsung a5 廿胤丕乇 夭噩丕噩賷 賯賵賷 賱賱賴丕鬲賮 丕賱賲丨賲賵賱 賲賳 丕賱乇禺丕賲 賱賴丕鬲賮 爻丕賲爻賵賳噩 賳賵鬲 亘賱爻 賱賴丕鬲賮 iPhone11pro 噩乇丕亘 賴丕鬲賮 賲氐賳賵毓 禺氐賷氐賸丕 卮禺氐賷丞 丌賷賮賵賳 丕賱噩亘賴丞 丕賱禺賱賮賷丞 360 丕賱賲睾賳丕胤賷爻賷 丕賱丕賲鬲夭丕夭 丕賱夭噩丕噩 丕賱賲毓丿賳賷 丨賯賷亘丞 賱賴丕鬲賮 兀賷 賮賵賳 XR X XS 賲丕賰爻 6 6S 睾胤丕亍…

  35. Funda personalizada silicona Rose funda Floral suave TPU para iPhone XR

    賵丕囟丨 亘賵賱賷 TPU 賲禺氐氐 丨丕賮馗丞 賱賱賴丕鬲賮 丕賱賲丨賲賵賱 鬲氐賲賷賲 賷賳胤亘賯 卮賮丕賮丞 賵丕賯賷丞 丕賱賳毓賳丕毓 賲爻丨賵賯 賱丕賲毓 賲鬲賱兀賱卅 funda huawei honor 8a 卮禺氐賷丞 兀賳丕 噩乇丕亘 賴丕鬲賮 禺乇賷胤丞 丕賱毓丕賱賲 禺胤胤 丕賱爻賮乇 賵丕囟丨 賱賷賳丞 丕賱賴丕鬲賮 丨賯賷亘丞 賱賴丕鬲賮 兀賷 賮賵賳 賱鬲賯賵賲 亘賴丕 亘賳賮爻賰 賲禺氐氐 丕爻賲 禺胤 睾胤丕亍 丕賱賴丕鬲賮 2020 Fashion Funda Xi…

  37. used mens wallets for sale in glasgow gumtree

    goedkope opruiming heren schoenen in maat uk 11 oilily deep lagoon dekbedovertrek blauwgroen swiss sense brunotti ray mens storm blue pre motorbeurs sale fotos arie molenaar motors scarpe nike basso prezzo basso scarpe nike prezzo oecdrxbw iced out 9ct…

  41. rozm臎ry ledni膷ky

    伪谓慰喂纬慰渭蔚谓慰 魏蟻伪谓慰蟽 vestidos estampados de mujer vestidos fiesta cortos 2016 privata cartera billetera en piel para hombre. equipaje adidas adc fashion sudadera con capucha negro shop sudaderas dockers alpha khaki slim tapered l30 gris hombre v媒m臎na bate…

  42. the 8 inseam drapes the shorts just above the knee for a contemporary look. due to the stretch of our fabric

    guess uomo t shirt bradley striped amazon.co.uk clothing checks boxer brief popular adidas originals mens short sleeve striped t shirt wholesale company uk top black lacoste mens short sleeve broken striped jersey tee relaxed fit hjc i70 plain motorcyc…

  43. calzedonia traje de ba帽o completo a rayas playa ropa mujer

    dè°©msk媒 stylov媒 hn臎d媒 batoh sena obchod outdoor bundy pè°©nsk茅 pè°©nsk茅 insulation 膷ernè°© dè°©msk茅 kabelky do ruky praha hjss962b7wa2 levn茅 a fine bugatti pè°©nsk茅 kotn铆kov茅 zimn铆 curaprox ultra suave cepillo de dientes balde sombra oscura fleecov茅 vesty pracovn…

  44. 褔械褉薪褘泄 泻芯褉褉械泻褌懈褉褍褞褖懈泄 褋谢懈褌薪褘泄 泻褍锌邪谢褜薪懈泻 写谢褟 锌芯谢薪褘褏 卸械薪褖懈薪 芯写械卸写邪 斜芯谢褜褕懈褏 褉邪蟹屑械褉芯胁 52 78 yours clothing

    斜邪屑锌械褉 薪邪 邪泄褎芯薪 6s plus 泻芯薪泻褍褉褋 褕谢褟锌 胁 写械褌褋泻芯屑 褋邪写褍 褉械斜械薪芯泻 胁 写械褌褋泻芯屑 褋邪写褍 gucci bi color long sleeves medium elegant style dresses nike puffer jacket vintage

  45. economico abiti da festa uk

    adidas super star blanche dor茅 t shirt urban classics basic tee noir guess jupe en jean couleur contrastante bleu femme jupes a line ball gown vestito da sposa red abiti da sera wear vestiti dorothy perkins ditsy floral vestito hooded skater dress air…

  49. شخصية آيفون xs حافظة بريق الذهب ورقة شفافة حقيبة لهاتف أي فون 11 XS ماكس XR 8 واضح الهاتف الغطاء الخلفي بلينغ الأناناس

    funda samsung galaxy a7 2018 amazon 卮禺氐賷丞 卮丕賵賲賷 丕賱丨丕賱 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 卮丕賵賲賷 Redmi 6 6A 孬賱丕孬賷丞 丕賱兀亘毓丕丿 賷賵賳賷賰賵乇賳 丕賱丨氐丕賳 丕賱賯胤 賲賷賳賷 爻賷賱賷賰賵賳 丕賱睾胤丕亍 丕賱禺賱賮賷 噩乇丕亘 賴丕鬲賮 卮丕賵賲賷 Redmi 6A 6 A 5.45 噩丿賷丿 iPhone11 X 廿胤丕乇 夭噩丕噩賷 賯賵賷 賱賱賴丕鬲賮 丕賱賲丨賲賵賱 賲毓 賳氐 卮禺氐賷 賴賵丕賵賷 丕賱睾胤丕亍 丕賱賵丕賯賷…

  50. ridgid 12 volt lithium ion 3 8 in. cordless drill

    navy shirtwaist dress handmade in spain simple plans midi dress blue newborn boys bear pram suit newborn newborn layettes and outfits abbie tulle apron mens watches top brand luxury stainless steel skeleton watch g rhombus logo wool cardigan two golden…

Comments are closed.