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.
2019 wholesale custom 68 jaromir jagr pittsburgh penguins vintage
spectacular sales for speechless lace floral walk through maxi dressfashion poll lace pastel shorts for men are hereespa帽ol outfits de moda verano 2017retail summer girls clothing sets short sleeve mustard yellow shirt overalls shorts floral kids outfi…
jordan 1 high decon black
jordan brand pays homage to chris paul with the air jordan 12 back to schoolair jordan retro 17 red sky blue air jordan retro 17 blue whiteunder armour 2018 mens spieth 2 golf shoes size 11.5 e width whitenew sale air jordan 12 the master gs aj12 black…
æ¸ä¼ªå°‰å–‚ è æ…°è €èŸ½èŸ¿ä¼ª 蟽蔚 æ¸èŸºä½è”š
蟿喂 谓伪 è æ…°èŸ»è‹‡èŸ½è … 蟽蟿慰 纬蟻伪è 蔚委慰 蟿伪 尾伪蟽喂éç»´ èŸ»æ…°è ‰è ‚ä¼ª 纬喂伪 谓伪 蔚委蟽伪喂 蟺维谓蟿伪 éæ…°æ¸è „èŽçº¬å–‚伪 èŸºä¼ªè ‚æ…°è €ä½è”šèŸ¼ çº¬è €è°“ä¼ªå–‚é蔚委伪 蟺伪谓蟿蔚ä½è ˆè°“喂伪ice tech 伪谓未蟻喂éç»´ æ¸èŸºæ…°è €è ç»´è°“ puffer è ‚è …èŸ»å§”èŸ¼ éæ…°è €éæ…°è ‰ä½ä¼ªä¼ªè°“未蟻喂éç»´ æ¸è”šçº¬ç»´ä½ä¼ª æ¸è”šçº¬è‹‡èƒƒç• 胃伪ä½ä¼ªèŸ½èŸ½å§” æ¸ä¼ªè ‰èŸ»æ…° 蟺蟻维蟽喂谓慰 è ‚ä¼ªé委 伪谓未蟻喂éç»´ æ¸ä¼ªçº¬å–‚è ˆ 蟽ä½å–‚蟺 æ¸ä¼ªçº¬å–‚è ˆ çº¬è”šè …æ¸è”šèŸ¿èŸ»å–‚éè ˆ xxxxl xxxxxl xxxxxxl 胃伪…
nike air max axis se gs silt red white women running shoes for sale
brokig mens gym workout sport shorts with zipper pocketsnike air max tn in red mens athletic sneakers shoesnew year deals off white x nike air more uptempo black and whitehate it or love it philadelphia eagles get jersey upgrade courtesy
best knee support for hinged and sports injury medical import
thomas and friends toddler boys swim trunks swimwear thomas the tank engine trainbuy g star mens dirik swim shorts cactus pinkpurusha people new moon phase organic cotton stirrup yoga leggingswtb s s16 supreme striped polo sweater size m l no rape pls…
home felt mouse slippers
baby louboutin red bottomsblue espadrille wedgeslindy 66 strappy platform wedge from urbanog. wedges wedge grey gray shoe heels platform christmaswhite silver rhinestone wedding prom shoes 2592399 weddbook
asics gel padel exclusive 4 sg buy and offers on smashinn
2018 new arrival touchdog breathable comfortable pet travel carrierhh classic duffel bag mlongchamp purse is on clearance saleted baker concertina credit card holder
ravel buckle mule sandals
oneplus bullet wireless earphonekiss i envy 16hr strip eyelash adhesive jet black beautyjam wireless earbudsunicorn cosmetics 3d mink eyelashes apple sours at beauty bay
good feeling adidas pure boost shoes amazon adidas torsion noir
carlos casagrande posa para a edi莽茫o de aniversè°©rio da revista feminina novamochila dumond matelass锚 len莽o vichy feminina compre agorabotina de seguran莽a 50b26 cb bico de plè°©stico n.38 marluvas ultra10 rasteirinhas melissa para revenda a preco de top v…
2017 cheap pharrell x adidas boost nmd human race yellow white for
pw human race nmd tr pharrell multicolor style id ac7360heres another chance to grab the bape x adidas nmd r1 black camowomens shoes low shoes sneakers shoes adidas swift run j cg6910 cleora whiteb ftwwht pink on salesbuy mens adidas running vigor boun…
lyst nike air jumpman fitted cap university red in red for men
fun store exotic sleepwear and robe sets nightgown womenversace femme robes soldes pas cher france en lignerobe pull col v manches longues en couleur purerobe minetom femme paillette robe soir茅e manches longue
girls unicorn hat scarf in sm5 london for 3.00 for sale shpock
who wore the first dad cap timelinemunchies curve cayler and sons capbuy carhartt bobble watch cap blackvintage classic hiroshima toyo carp c logo japan baseball team hat
air jordan 5 retro men white black green nike air 5 jordan retro 5s black fire
huge selection womens sandals sandals dark brown womens ca 5.5 6adidas pink adilette sandals lysttommy hilfiger loafers slip ons loafers suede street style plain loaferslacoste navy blue sneakers size us 8 for sale read for package deal
2 爻丕毓丕 匕賴亘賷賾丞 賲毓 dkny
è´¸culos sol mormaii cali azul marinho brilho lente cinza degrad锚 undefined loading zoomè´¸culos de sol colcci linda c0095i6780 translucido lente flash prata undefined loading zoomfoto 1 oculos de grau masculino round cannes redondo dia a dia azulè´¸culos de…
nike air zoom vomero 13 black carbon team orange running shoes
tory burch medallion detail sandals 809 shoes womenadidas golf shorts ladies originalgucci flip flops gay version by glory2018 16 17 mint womens leo flip flops united states
hanes beefy t custom shirts
2019 adogirl women sexy sheer mesh romper sexy deep v neck short sleeve bandage jumpsuits shorts playsuit night club overall bodysuit from maokujoaplunge romperladies blue denim jumpsuitburnt orange ribbed jumpsuit from zara perfect for autumn n depop
bota futbol adulto plata naranja puma future 4.4 fg ag
k swiss ultrashot womens tennis shoenike boys nsw club camo joggernike just do it air max 95 total orange white black av6246 800 mensautographed signed alvin kamara new orleans saints color rush football jersey jsa coa at amazons sports collectibles st…
wholesale all purple seamless workout leggings manufacturer
how kohls figured out the amazon era cnnpetite paisley pleat pinafore dress as part of an outfitsilver holographic pencil skirt holographic pencil skirt choose color black holographic skirt and topshort area of japanese girls high school skirt top 10 y…
ivory ella wallpaper
no taxes eve womens comfortable flip flops wedge sandalshazel pointed toe heel by sam edelman light gold metalliccrossfit shoes 2015womens barbour hett knitted cardigan cloud
esquema de modelagem de vestido de festa ombro a ombro tamanho 46
sapat锚nis walkabout b谩sico masculino begecarrinho de compras infantil fun little mommy com acess贸rios rosa nabota feminina montaria camur莽a mooncitybota adventure masculina jipe couro trilha bergally. carregando zoom
divamm orange pink afghan earrings german golden earrings silver
kenneth jay lane earrings. vintage earrings. kjl earringsdavid yurman jewelry david yurman black orchid albion ringargento two tone rose gold and silver bar braceletla jewelry opal starburst studs
qualitè„¿ garanzia sito ufficiale timberland italia uomini custom stivali modello originale italy
autunno inverno 2017 donna nero effetto pelle di serpente asos tronchetti asneaker saucony uomo 2108 shadow blutrasporto veloce pedro garcia zeppa pedro garcia nere donnafaraly scarpe per bambini scarpe per bambini in inverno in pelle nuovi ragazzi e r…
michael kors michael kors hamilton traveler large zip wallet navy size one size
ever pretty leskl茅 拧aty s hlubok媒m v媒st艡ihem a hol媒mi z谩dynike tenisky roshe run 膷ern谩 od 2 279 k膷d谩msk茅 lodi膷ky v sv臎tle b茅啪ov茅 barv臎 bez platformyak茅 be啪eck茅 top谩nky
le portage salarial donne droit aux allocations ch么mage
xl extra plate tank louis cartier le point montreshomme pas cher nike air max 270 noir blanche rouge solaire ah8050 002le flux lithographielacoste lacoste homme casquette noir lacoste rk9811 taille v锚tements unique
womens training shoes shoes nike wmns free tr 6 prt
gilet coq sportif vintedbuy reebok couleur blanc baskets basses classicpromo nike enfant chaussures noir blanc formateurs court royalenike air jordan blanche
tenis jordan air
bia艂e trampki guess joel2 active whitedres damski tommy hilfigerpulp fiction portfelmichael kors jet set item lg studded black
new era 9fifty cleveland cavaliers 2017 on court snapback hat burgundy
kenneth cole reaction lucky net womens thong sandals on sale champagne metallic itemellie 4 inch glitter go go boots platform chunky heel sexy glamour boots2018 sexy fashion high heel sandals simple womens shoesugg dalla ladies luxury mule slippers pur…
suit bikini swimsuit swimwear women cover up beach dress tunic beach outlet bathing beachwear 2018 t shirts
vintage rare aphex twin come to daddy t shirtfrench bulldog namaste om funny yoga t shirt t shirtjust my size jms women long sleeve v neck t shirt mid charcoal heathernirvana vtg nirvana nevermind album cover tracklist t shirt xl usa made ultra rare bl…
ways to cover up wrist tattoos
black music wave tattoo on armlittle frog in color whit watercolor tattoo tattooart tattooartist froga staff member poses with a freehand temporary tattoo at the of start upfair baby footprint tattoos with quotes remembrance tattoos for babies angel wo…
nike air vapormax flyknit sneakers lavender
nike mayfly woven fiberglass 919749 300 buy new sneakers trainers for man women in uknike epic react flyknit pearl pink react pink aq0070 600france nike lebron soldier 10 id championship pack black gold sz 11 885682nike air foamposite one floral review…
kurtki nike dla niemowl膮t
alvina 2016 2017 sonbahar k谋艧 tesett眉r koleksiyonutesett眉r giyim yen陌 sezon . . tesett眉r giyimbordo ni艧anl谋k abercrombie fitch elbise modelleridakolye detayl谋 simli abiye elbise pudra
burberry designer bags for less burberry london bonded leather hobo bag
buy rustic melodies tribal old silver alluring tribal silverheart tiffany necklacessmjel vintage punk thunder earrings pendientes hombre silverrare tiffany co. vintage signature x hoop earrings
sommerklå¿™r til jente
cortador para piso e azulejo 90cm tec 90 cortag ferramentas geraiscalvin klein d谩mske spodn茅 pr谩dlomichelin wild enduro front magi xsilk dinner jacket
office magdalena peep toe espadrille wedge black suede mid heels
free shipping new puma shoes x unicorn new ladys pink campus series is transparent and low in badminton shoes from sports entertainment onsneaker casual womens mens uk puma basket classic white 351912 0003top notch puma ferrari edition 707 shoes white…
adidas ultra boost met silver unisex sports
bota de seguran莽a em el谩stico preto estival primeira linhasapato couro branco feminino neftali nr32 enfermagemconjunto infantil masculino ref mescla andritexcompre tenis nike botinha online
detail feedback questions about new arrival gentle boy romper
aliexpress womens amazon explosion models ebay stand collar perspective mesh stitching sexy hot drilling jumpsuita super cute modest skirt outfit perfect for the park for the girl striving for modestygirls wild flower dress by wild things funky little…
oakley litebeam ox 8140 men eyeglasses online sale
designer frames outlet. versace ve4292tom ford brown new franklin rare designer made in italy sunglasseslyst ray ban ray ban rx5245 eyeglasses in white for men save 2diff sydney 62mm polarized aviator sunglasses
tinycottons style is eternal towel romper off white blue
mens swim trunks in 2019summermckeen homecoming dressjuicy couture black edition sequins silk romperapostolic struggles
country boy cartoon tattoo on bicep
褌è¤è¤Žè°¢æ‡ˆ marko 邪褉褌 æ³»è¤é”Œæ‡ˆè¤Œè¤œ èƒ æ‡ˆè–ªè¤Œæ¢°è¤‰è–ªæ¢°è¤Œå¸æ¢°è–ªè¤‹æ³»æ‡ˆæ¢° 褔械褉薪褘械 斜芯褌懈薪泻懈 褋 屑芯谢薪懈械泄 è¤‹æ–œèŠ¯æ³»è¤ æ‡ˆ 褕薪è¤è¤‰èŠ¯èƒæ³»èŠ¯æ³„ 褋蟹邪写懈 懈蟹 懈褋泻è¤è¤‹è¤‹è¤Œèƒæ¢°è–ªè–ªèŠ¯æ³„ 泻芯å¸æ‡ˆ 薪邪 èƒè¤˜è¤‹èŠ¯æ³»èŠ¯æ³„ 锌谢邪褌褎芯褉屑械芯斜è¤èƒè¤œ 褋泻邪蟹泻邪 æ³»è¤é”Œæ‡ˆè¤Œè¤œ 芯锌褌芯屑 褋芯 褋泻谢邪写邪 èƒ èŠ¯å†™æ¢°è¤‹è¤‹æ¢°å±‘è¤å¸è¤‹æ³»é‚ªè¤Ÿ 芯斜è¤èƒè¤œ æ³»è¤é”Œæ‡ˆè¤Œè¤œ 懈褌邪谢褜褟薪褋泻è¤è¤ž 屑è¤å¸è¤‹æ³»è¤è¤ž 芯斜è¤èƒè¤œ èƒ æ‡ˆè–ªè¤Œæ¢°è¤‰è–ªæ¢°è¤Œ 屑邪è°é‚ªèŸ¹æ‡ˆè–ªæ¢°
shidishangpin 1 pair natural long eyelashes 3d false eyelashes black lashes volume soft lashes eyelash extension
bateria galaxy s4 mini repuestos accesorios electrè´¸nicajuego de bluetooth gamepad para controlador usb joystick del tel茅fono mè´¸vil para iphone 5 5s se gratuita sè´¸lofunda aluminio rigida motomo iphone 6 templado glass 199carregador de mesa iphone 6 ipho…
vintage camo bucket hat from the army size small depop
苇蟿蟽喂 æ¸ä¼ªèŸ¼ å°¾ä½è‹‡èŸºæ…°è €è°“ 蟿伪 谓蔚慰纬苇谓谓ç•èŸ¿ä¼ª æ¸è …蟻维 æ¸ä¼ªèŸ¼ä¼ªèƒƒä½ç•èŸ¿å–‚éç»´ èŸºä¼ªèŸºæ…°è ‰èŸ¿èŸ½å–‚ä¼ª éæ…°èŸ»å–‚èŸ¿èŸ½å–‚è ‹è°“ andosports蟿蟽维谓蟿伪 shopper loqi hvass hannibal birdslacoste lacoste esparre chukka æ¸èŸºä½è”š 蟽éæ…°è €èŸ»æ…°
white kraft one piece gift boxes
belted camo romperkate spade dresses skirts kate spade lemon print summer dressamazon.com comfy womens overalls casual loose pure color pocket jumpsuit pants clothingfinley wide leg jumpsuit
the best running shoes for men business insider
wedding guest dresses for weddings davids bridal dresses for wedding guestsummer outfits fashion musely tip summer outfits for vacation2017 summer style yellow women skirt fashion a line mid calf black girl taffeta skirt high street saias jupe custom m…
nike air max 2017 men black white logo running
nike air zoom talaria mens shoes 844695 077 black metallic gold sz 9nike free 3.0 flyknit purple orange running shoes online womens shoes size 36nike flex tr 7 premium womens training shoes sale shoesnike air free 5.0 kids light pink shoe
new air jordan 20 stealth size 10.5 brand new ds shcck
homem cuecas roupa olx portugallingerie sensual doutora medica moda intima feminina r 44calcinha fio dental em renda demillus ermitage 51068 le lingerievestidos gala baratos
tenis saucony promo莽茫o
t锚nis vans winston floral preto compre agorablusa feminina hang raglan vans pretotenis vans old skool preto femininot锚nis nike air max 270 rosa frete gr谩tis outlet magrinho os
michael kors layton mk6395 hier bei valmano
piedras en playa del carmen collares y cadenas en mercado libre m茅xicocollares de bisuteria de moda mayoreo en mercado libre m茅xicobling collar 18k oro laminado cadena gravada con detalles a solo scompra collar corazones unidos swarovski online
澶?濂虫€ф湇 銉儑銈c兗銈?銉兂銉斻兗銈?銈裤兂銈儓銉冦儣 鑲╄銇?銈广儓銉┿å†éŠ‰?銉曘儶銉?銉î‚儨銉?éŠ‰æ ¥å„·éŠ‰?m é¢è¯²å„š
petite fille en robe blanche avec un diad猫me sur la t锚te peinturespyjama mixte naissance absorba tr猫s bon 茅tat vintedet showroom priv茅 vous propose un jeu tr猫s sympa pour je vous poses 3 petites questionsmarque de mode doudoune avec capuche guess kids…
2 par de silicona zapatos de tac贸n alto plantillas coj铆n almohadilla antideslizante gel heel grip
pack de 2 gafas de pasta sin graduar unisex color negro y negro rosa con fundalentes gucci rebajas junioanteojos lentes rayban clubmaster original cdo. cargando zoomc x damas de metal gafas de sol box ganchos pintura de moda retro lens gafas
泻褉芯褋褋芯èƒæ³»æ‡ˆ 褋薪懈泻械褉褋褘 褎芯褉褋褘 èƒè¤˜è¤‹èŠ¯æ³»æ‡ˆæ¢° 薪邪 褌芯谢褋褌芯泄 锌芯写芯褕èƒæ¢° 斜械谢褘械
jacob exercise capri feel fit wearsummer shopping special memoi microfiber opaque maternity tightsmaternity and nursing dresshelly hansen lifa merino wool blend tights