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).
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.
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.
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.
asics gel quantum 360 medieval azul for venta
v neck polo t shirts for hombres tom compton womens limited purple jersey nike nfl minnesota vikings rush vapor untouchable 79 mens nike shox 2016 gold orange jordan 11 red and black aliexpress nike roshe run iron vert seaweed ray ban tech polarised su…
cè´¸mo comprar en dafiti
skuldertaske til må¿™nd i helt unikt design i sort eller brunsmæ°“bord finner du hos verket interié…¶r shop enkelt onlinehaglæžšfs vandresté…¶vler outrupsamsé…¶e samsé…¶e rullekrave må¿™nd hé…¶jhalset
casaco com fecho e capuz casaco com fecho e capuz puma
lan莽amentos femininos compre agora new balancebuy 2015 new balance 410comprar rebaja zapatillas adidas zx flux hombre ramonurbanolibros salida de f谩bricavans cria cole莽茫o inspirada em obras de van gogh 02 08 18 blogue
bagsbeat
nike roshe run mujer cloud verde mens nike air max 97 grey san antonio spurs 47 nba hwc 47 lancaster cuff knit adidas ultra boost negro and blanco hombres nike air force 1 high 07 red nike air max 1 kvinner blæ°“ ré…¶d
bo sa chane jeans unica pronta entrega oja do som shopping
meia pata sa to a to fino uiza sobreira verniz preto mod. 136 uizat锚nis couro wa ker e us preto compre agora kanui brasimochi as com menos de 50 reais em promo莽茫o nas ojast锚nis infanti adidas a tarun cf k mascu ino compre agora netshoes
nike kyrie 1 wolf gray threes
bvlgari b.zero1 bracelet in white gold adidas forum mid outdoor light north face nuptse jacket white pandora pearl diamond ring pandora flower necklace pendant lebron 13 rainbow doernbecher
beckyhasaplan
fox racing graupel snapback cap nike sb dunk low pro nero and bianca nike hypervenom phinish lila nike hyperdunk 2015 dark blæ°“ womens dallas cowboys dak prescott pro line navy player jersey adidas uncaged ultra boost triple svart
adidas zx flux rosso
oakley razrwire nbt sunglasses black camo tout noir nike kaishi runs femmes nike air max 95 cuir blanc noir adidas pure boost x gelb air jordan retro 2 wei脽 rot schwarz mennns mizuno wave prophecy 3 gr氓
udsalg og masser af gode online tilbud pæ°“ legeté…¶j
t锚nis red nose sanchez preto st 69a ca cados on inenyt tr忙ningst酶jfitness butik sveav盲gencalvin klein pull over hoodie
dirt cheap evershade lunettes homme brunes pour femme 2016 accessoires
home page ai 2014 2015 uomo abbigliamento capispalla giubbotti armani jeansluoluoluo costumi donna mare due pezzimoda scarpe da ginnastica fitflop f sport con punta a specchio nudoamazon.it lumberjack stivali scarpe da uomo scarpe e borse
parajumpers vest fashion lady
adidas zx flux womens green red comprar nike shox r4 how can u tell if a ferragamo belt is real mackage satchel men joggers nike air max tavas 11.5 embiid joel 21 jersey youth
mochila feminina lona eco muccashop
achei muito massa essa bota da west coasttenis adidas skateboarding adi ease compre agora kanui brasilmarina figueiredo teve conquistou o t铆tulo em bras铆liatenis nike shox nz preto vermelho t锚nis no mercado livre brasil
hair blow dryer tip always start it on low in a new country until you understand how the electricity works in that country. use the plug ends to move the
nike ayakkab谋 modelleri ve fiyatlar谋 erkek adidas erkek ayakkab谋 fiyatlar谋 g眉n眉n modelleri陌stanbulde bebek ayakkab谋s谋 alba臒c谋kl谋 erkek ayakkab谋 bot. t眉kend陌ille et vilaine cin茅ma photographie vid茅o le cercle des voyageurs mont saint michel
shufiparis
coach large black leather tote nike dallas cowboys 96 marcus spears limited white throwback alternate jersey zx 700 remastered nike free 3.0 v5 purple haze adidas tubular runner triple black youth new york giants odell beckham jr jersey
maplebeyond
long sleeve pique polo shirts for men air jordan retro 1 womens gold black womens air jordan retro 10 purple gold mennns nike roshe run triangle lilla gré…¶nn air jordan 3 retro 88 hvid cemå¿™ndt nike flyknit lunar 3 femminile oro grigio
t锚nis couro adidas originals gazelle vermelho compre agora dafiti brasil
blusa cropped feminino adidas cirandeira farm. promo莽茫ot锚nis vans authentic navy vn00bee3nvy t锚nis vans authentic navy vn00bee3nvy lan莽amentocomprar saucony triumph iso 2 hombre 2017 baratastenis feminino unicornio outros modelos nike t锚nis casuais ros…
very knee high boots
black loafers skechers for sale in shanakielnaturalizer womens finn heeled sandal shoescole haan pinch grand classic penny loafer british brn. men shoe sizedavids bridal wedding shoes silver glitter heels 8 prom shoes acuba
mennns nike cortez ré…¶d blæ°“
coach bleecker logo charm medium brown satchels nike lebron 12 low arancia verde air jordan true flight or hommesthe verte north face mens windstopper jacket green nike air max tailwind 8 dam盲nner himmelblau gr眉n femmes air jordan retro 2 vert blanc
lebron x u莽tu haberler son dakika
asics court slide tenis erkek ayakkab谋 spxsuperfit 00338 50 bk beyaz k谋z 莽ocuk deri ayakkab谋adidas superstar cf c scarpe sportive bambina strappi bianchescooter erkek outdoor bot erkek siyah bot
adidas tubular femminile tutti nero
nike free 5.0 full noir hombres nike lebron 12 blanco azul negro nike tiempo legend v fg cleats white yellow green hurley military cap nike flyknit lunar 3 acid azul pç…¤rpura nike lunarepic low flyknit purple black
兀噩賲賱 丕賱賲賱丕亘爻 丕賱æ°è³·è³®è³·ä¸ž 2014 兀噩賲賱 賲賱丕亘爻 丕胤賮丕賱 2014 丕噩丿丿 丕å¤è³·ä¸•äº 丕胤賮丕賱 2014 almstba
賵馗丕å…è³® å®ä¹‡è³°ä¸ž 兀丿賷丿丕爻 賱賱賲賱丕亘爻 丕賱乇賷丕囟賷丞 賮賷 丕賱廿賲丕乇丕鬲 賱賲禺鬲賱賮 丕賱鬲禺æ°æ°ä¸•é¬² 15000 賵馗賷賮丞a f 賱賱丕丨匕賷丞 賵丕賱丨賯丕å…亘 丕賱賳爻丕å…賷丞 丕賱æ°è³®ä¸¨ä¸ž 丕賱乇å…賷爻賷丞兀噩賲賱 賮爻丕鬲賷賳 丕賱爻賴乇丞 丕賱賯æ°è³·ä¹‡ä¸ž è²™ å…€å®è³·è³° 賮爻丕鬲賷賳 爻賴乇丞 賯æ°è³·ä¹‡ä¸ž 2019 pink rony鬲毓賱賷賲 丕賱賰乇賵å®è³·è³´ 賱賱賲亘鬲丿å…è³·è³³ for android apk download
scarpe jordan 6 retro uomo bianco white infrared black
acquisto donna vans slip on 59 scarpe senza lacci nere facileadidas ace 17 senza laccisandali argento the flexx bia sandalo donna argento donna sandalidonne gioco nike sportswear air max 1 scarpe ultra flyknit bianco negozio n86n8898 donne scarpe onlin…
diadora v7000 samurai white end
i love sc south carolina t shirt heat columbia palmetto state fashion design white skate spade roma bon voyage large travel duffle bag black pink seize the daybig star jeans 78 nwt womens capri capris low rise poshmarkdonna karans new york home
westbrook shoes
I simply wanted to post a comment so as to appreciate you for some of the marvelous solutions you are giving at this website. My prolonged internet investigation has at the end of the day been honored with brilliant tips to write about with my company.…
brandshop reine fendi fendi logo tote bag 8bh357 rakuten global
full black air force thesolesuppliernike 80s windbreakerglitter kicks discount wanelo.coauthentic jordan 11 womencurry
hermes evelyne etoupe
prada sunglasses warranty home mulberry bayswater bag pink trim asics gel kinsei 4 blue brown hermes slim h belt nike air force 1 puerto rico sko coach tote travel jacket
exterminas
salomon xt hornet sé…¶lv gul nike kd trey 5 for salg kansas asics onitsuka tiger mexico 66 grigio argento mesh hours nike air huarache ultra zapatilla de deporte nike air huarache nm rot grau kyrie 1 deceptive ré…¶d mennns
paleoeggs
maschio salomon xt wings 3 arancia verde adidas zx 750 rosado oro air jordan retro 6 mujeres gris rojo anthony rizzo jersey nike hypervenom amarillo and azul nike femmes roshe run trainers in noir anthracite and sail
ikmsdkravmaga
kvinders nike roshe yeezy boost alle græ°“ nike kobe 11 femmes argent rouge nike roshe one femmes chaussures noir blanc nike foamposite pro schwarz laser crimson herren nike air max lunar 1 blau gelb nike air max motion all svart
glpwindsor
air jordan melo m11 hvit lilla frau nike blazer high i light blau wei脽 baltimore ravens new era nfl team hashmark 39thirty cap hombres nike air max 2014 blanco negro converse chuck schwarz leder jordan prime fly 2 verde
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35
http://www.nikeoutletonlineshopping.us/ Nike Outlet Store Online Shopping
parajumpers long bear blogg phone
game thomas keiser jersey san diego chargers 90 road white boston celtics alternate jersey purple pink mens nike free trainer 7.0 shoes authentic prada sunglasses black frame mulberry lily yellow 2017 footlocker lebron 12 low usa
nike free run red laces
montreal canadiens blank red kids jersey purple yellow mens air jordan retro 1 shoes adidas bbneo low leather mens trainers diy new nike kaishi russell wilson jersey sale oakland raiders 15 michael crabtree olive 2017 salute to service limited jersey
womens supreme x adidas yeezy 350 v2
womens kramer of new york broochwomens white tank top shirtcrystals Nike Zenjiwomens san marcos blankets online
coach latest sling bag
herren nike free 5.0 schwarz lyseré…¶d adidas soccer sko odell beckham jr. 13 new york giants jersey adidas pré…¶dator equipmennt value coach dinky crossbody in glovetanned leather maschio nike kd 10 rosa
akkordiki
long sleeve ralph lauren t shirt white nike air max tn kvinners gul rosa nike roshe gray mujeres air jordan 3.5 vert gris jordan 1 retro high og ko sport azul nike mercurialx proximo street indoor high tops silber rosa schwarz
new mens low rise bikini swimwear briefs swimsuit beach white
shape of walking man in tikz tex latex stack exchangemarie jo undertones push up bra black ouh la latall clothing for womentop shapers top shapers womens firm control shapewear slimming
braun spare parts complete motor unit for multiquick combimax food processor 3
aspinal the micro lottie bag lystfor love and lemons dresses prom dress poshmarkwomens vintage logo super sewn t shirt in rugged grey superdrytop seller emporio armani short cotton shirts for men in store 2 unique
adidas stan smith velcro gr眉n
adidas eqt support 93 classic noir m盲nner kevin durant 7 rot grau schwarz 2014 world cup croatia 10 modric away soccer shirt kit adidas ultra boost uncaged hvit mennns nike id solar red air max 90 hyperfuse men asics gel noosa tri 8 gs black orange con…
sblpodcast
nike zoom winflo 2 ré…¶d hombres azul converse zapatos adidas zx 750 leder braun kit adidas originals zx 750 azul blanco rojo roshe run græ°“ uk jordan 1 trek blæ°“
saszetka nerka converse 10005991 a01 001 saszetki m臋skie marki
najnowszy torby gola freeman felt marine50szt. toreb polipropylen krè´¸tkie ucho nadruk 1 kolorplecak puccini bt28566 4 szare plecaki damskie marki puccinikurtka ochnik meska
diadasmaes vans feminino tamanho 33
carite sport damebukser 2 way stretch capri 3 4 buksersnowboard sté…¶vler pæ°“ tilbud vi har mange kendte må¿™kerbridesire plus size7 mm nordahl andersen runde hvide perle é…¶reringe i 8 karat guld
mizuno wave sky 2 conhe莽a o novo t锚nis de alta performance da marca
compre nike 4 molas laranja com cinza netshoesbota feminina unkle boot cano curto cinza salto agulha com cadar莽o. loading zoombota tbl yellow boot 6 premium wt锚nis diversao dd0094 frozen azul comprar na loja online
fullserviceap
converse alle star schuhe blau nike free run 4.0 v3 negro salomon xt hornet blanco naranja nike air max 90 premium em amarillo negro nike air max tailwind 8 hommes bleu units nike blazer mid lr negro
varisofttech
nike foamposite one schwarz royal ua clutchfit prodigy lyseré…¶d sé…¶lv nike kyrie 3 gituttio river nike roshe run zapatilla de deporte mint caqui nfl miami dolphins jersey kevin durant jersey women
neuroassocpc
adidas yeezy boost 350 v2 dark verde kit nike free run 5.0 nero junior nike free run 4.0 v3 argento gituttio air jordan retro 14 blau schwarz california girl hat nike air max tailwind 6 femmes gris rose
Converse Fall/Winter 2018 Trampki Bia艂y skè´¸ra naturalna – licowa guma materia艂 Ct A/S Lthr Hi 1T406 EYCFWVW
Converse Fall/Winter 2017 Tenisè´¸wki Czarny skè´¸ra naturalna – licowa guma materia艂 Ctas Ox 157667C MSCYASB
new balance 410 unisex utcai cip艖 f茅rfi
èŸºè ‹èŸ¼ 谓伪 è 慰蟻苇蟽蔚蟿蔚 蟿伪 prints 蟿慰谓 è è”šèŸ¿å–‚è°“è ˆ è ‚è”šå–‚æ¸è ‹è°“伪蔚喂未喂é苇蟼 é伪蟿伪蟽éè”šè €è‹‡èŸ¼ 纬喂伪 é伪蟿伪蟽蟿èŽæ¸ä¼ªèŸ¿ä¼ª èŸ¿èŸ½ä¼ªè°“èŸ¿è ‹è°“ 苇蟺喂蟺ä½ä¼ª 纬喂伪 èŸ¿èŸ½ç»´è°“èŸ¿è”šèŸ¼å°‰è €èŸ»å–‚èŸ½èŸ¿å–‚éèŽ æ¸ç•è ‚ä¼ªè°“èŽ braun cruzer 2 5733蟽蟿慰 蟽è è €èŸ»å§” 蟿伪 蟺喂慰 伪喂蟽胃ç•èŸ½å–‚伪éç»´ 蔚ä½å°¾è”šèŸ¿å–‚éç»´ 蟻慰ä½è ˆçº¬å–‚伪
botas timber and bota timber and earthkeepers rugged p ain toe castanho
t锚nis adidas varia new cano a to preto e rosa apenas r 169under armour mujer b anco tenis under armour runningcamisa estampada versace feminina shoe overt锚nis nike mascu ino caminhada f ex contact 2
lyst carr茅 en soie dior
marche popolari nike kobe scarpe della nike 10 elite high elevate delicatoacquista reebok furylite donna 2016 off59 scontibuy vans stivaletto donna off69 discountsigi co scarpa stringata uomo