The Idol of his Youth

Edgard Varese-Complete Works of, vol 1The image to the right depicts the cover of the Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume 1. According to Zappa, this was the first record he ever owned. (And one that changed everything for him!)

The story of how he came to discover the record was well-rehearsed. The following quotation is drawn from an article he wrote for  Stereo Review:

I was about thirteen when I read an article in Look about Sam Goody’s Record Store in New York. My memory is not too clear on the details, but I recall it was praising the store’s exceptional record merchandising ability. One example of brilliant salesmanship described how, through some mysterious trickery, the store actually managed to sell an album called “Ionization” (the real name of the album was “The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume One”). The article described the record as a weird jumble of drums and other unpleasant sounds. I dashed off to my local record store and asked for it. Nobody ever heard of it. I told the guy in the store what it was like. He turned away, repulsed, and mumbled solemnly, “I probably wouldn’t stock it anyway … nobody here in San Diego would buy it.” I didn’t give up. I was so hot to get that record I couldn’t even believe it. [1]

A number of other sources provide a similar account. Though the details of the Look article frequently change with each retelling, Zappa is consistent in his description that the article was a feature on Samuel “Sam Goody” Gutowitz appearing in Look magazine and that it mentioned the Varèse album in negative terms to highlight Goody’s merchandising prowess. Consider the following quotation from a 1971 interview for Rock Magazine:

The thing that led me to Varèse’s music was an article in Look Magazine saying how great Sam Goody’s record store was. Sam Goody sells records so well that he can even sell a record called Ionizations – they even called the album wrong – it was The Complete Works of Edgar Varèse, Volume I. And they were telling how ugly this record sounded. It was just drums and sirens and nobody would want to own this record and Sam Goody was actually selling it [2]

Or Zappa’s response from an 1981 interview in Down Beat:

How did you first find out about Edgar Varèse?

That’s a very simple story. I read an article in Look magazine in the early ’50s which was a feature saying what a great guy Sam Goody was because he was such an exciting merchandiser and he could sell anything, he could sell any kind of record. And to give an example of what a great merchandiser he was, it said that he was even able to sell an album called “Ionisation” which had a bunch of drums banging, and it described the album in very negative terms. When I read that, I thought it sounded exactly like the kind of album that I wanted to hear because I had been playing drums since I was 12. So I went looking for the album and I finally found it after a couple of months’ search, and I took it home, put it on, and I loved it as soon as I heard it. [3]

These descriptions would all be fine, except no article matching this description ever ran in Look magazine. Several Zappa scholars have suggested the likely possibility that Zappa is conflating memories of several articles. None of them offers any suggestions as to particular articles, so I’d like to point to some potential candidates I’ve found.

Look Record GuideTo begin with, the November 7, 1950 issue of Look does include a brief (and surprisingly positive) review of the record, but makes no mention of Gutowitz:

The good-things-from-obscure-places department has come up with the following finds. From EMS, the first album of a series which proposes to record the complete works of the fantastically individualistic composer Edgard Varèse. Density 21.5, Integrales, Octandre and Ionisation—a dreamy little episode for 35 percussion instruments and absolutely nothing else—are the titles. Varèse is unlike anything else in music, and well worth knowing. The recording is excellent… [4]

Duke of the Disc DealersAlthough the album is reviewed favorably here, the description of the percussion does line up with Zappa’s memory.

Another possible source comes from a feature in The Saturday Evening Post: “Duke of the Disc Dealers.” (The image to the right links to a PDF of the article.)

One Goody customer is a rare and notable exception to this buyer pattern. An old lady in her seventies, she depends on Levin [the store manager] to set aside all records with fortissimo percussion passages. ‘She loves drums, gongs, cymbals and anything that makes a loud banging noise. She has excellent hearing and is not interested in volume, as such. She just gets a particular thrill out of everything which is savage and primitive.’ [5]

This article, however, makes no mention of Varèse

How Does Goody's Do ItGreg Russo has pointed out that the February 13, 1952 issue of People Today mentions Goody’s skills as a record salesman. [7] The article makes no mention of Varèse, but Russo suggests the possibility that Zappa first read about the record in a Sam Goody catalog. Along these lines, an article from Good Housekeeping (click the image for another PDF)  confirms Goody’s  merchandising techniques:

Goody believes in aggressive advertising. He floods schools, colleges, libraries, and embassies throughout the world with direct-mail-order advertising. [6]

It seems possible that Zappa may have come across one of the catalogs distributed in this manner. (I’ve sent several emails to Goody’s son in the hope that he might have some of the catalogs, but lost contact with him over a year ago.)

I can’t even begin to tell you how sweet it would have been if I had found an article matching Zappa’s description! (Even if it wasn’t in Look magazine.) Unfortunately, it seems that for now at least the mystery remains.

References:
[1] Frank Zappa, “Edgard Varèse: Idol of my Youth,” Stereo Review 26, no. 6 (June 1971): 62. (Text here.)
[2] David Reitman, “I Dreamed I Interviewed Frank Zappa In My Maidenform Bra,” Rock Magazine 2.13 (January 25, 1971): 31. (Text here.)
[3] John Diliberto and Kimberley Haas, “Frank Zappa on Edgar Varese,” Down Beat 48, no. 11 (November 1981): 22. (Text here.)
[4] Joseph Roddy, “Look Record Guide,” Look Magazine 14 (November 7, 1950): 111.
[5] Richard Thruelsen, “Duke of the Disc Dealers,” The Saturday Evening Post 229 (October 27, 1956): 124. (PDF here.)
[6] “How Does Goody’s Do It?,” Good Housekeeping 143 (September 1956): 56. (PDF here.)
[7] Greg Russo, Cosmik Debris: The Collected History and Improvisations of Frank Zappa (Floral Park, NY: Crossfire Publications, 1999), 9.
The Idol of his Youth

46,641 thoughts on “The Idol of his Youth

  1. nike free rn 2018 terra cotta

    original adidas nmd city sock r1 prinmeknit ba8629 corewhite unisex sneakers adidas ultra boost uncaged m by2548nike kobe venomenon 5 kobe venom 5 basketball shoes male 815757 853939adidas eqt cushion adv by9507 men black free shipping

  2. ahlyons

    julio jones color rush jersey burberry purple plaid tie fendi mini peekaboo bag prada green nylon bag nike air flight 89 black white red prada black bag with red lining

  3. neffloot

    nike hyperdunk 2016 low womens gold green pink mens air jordan 2017 lebron 13 hvid and guld jordans nike roshe all black one mens nike free flyknit 3.0 mens silver red hat for disney world

  4. 0fn25hbu

    air jordan aero flight or rose nike hyperdunk 2015 low himmelen blæ°“ ré…¶d nike huarache khaki mennns rosa nike shox deliver herren rot queen asics gel quantum 360 mennns græ°“ manual nike tiempo legend gré…¶n zone

  5. converse shorts womens

    2016 new balance ml574cpe black orange white men running shoespuma vikky platform ribbon bold womens black gum suede trainers 7 uk21 100 converse all star 100 color hi 1ck955buy new balance wl574esp wl574esp

  6. twiggyallure

    ladies cincinnati reds hat hours oakley frogskins sunglasses uk only nike cortez size 10 nike air max og reflective nike zoom vomero mens silver yellow adidas superstar 2 light blau

  7. puma evospeed 4.4 tt yellow blue

    puma mens faas grip golf shoe black vibrant orange shoespuma x rihanna suede fenty creepers green bordeaux gum women apos smaroon and gold pumas fire up chips for surepuma basket platform metallic womens sneakers city streets shoes

  8. nfl raiders gear fanzz

    wholesale mens boston red sox new era white navy 2018 mlb all star game on field 59fifty fitted hatmlb new york yankees snapback hat nu21wholesale kenzo snapback hat 1720wholesale mens buffalo bills new era royal 39thirty flex team classic hat

  9. farenyuk

    flyknit lunar 2 femminile nero rims nike air max 2015 naranja and amarillo xanax adidas prougeator bleu and blanc nike air max 90 azul mesh air max 1 varsity blu zone nike cortez quilted for verkauf michigan

  10. la dodgers starter jacket fanzz

    7 star mlb atlanta braves blue capsmens los angeles kings 47 brand gray taylor closer flex haton nfl kansas city chiefs m n strapback hat id5003nfl tampa bay buccaneers snapback mitchell ness shark hat

  11. cayler and sons snapback hat 1716

    get new nfl new york giants 21 landon collins snapback adjtable stitched player hat blue white brand designermens texas rangers nike royal cooperstown collection heritage 86 adjustable hatdiscount mens kansas city royals 35 eric hosmer stitched new era…

  12. womens jordan cement 3 for sale

    osu slider hat clipbaltimore ravens nfl super bowl xlvii onfield blackgreen gecko puma varial bucket lime hat cap floppy sun protection beach pool fishing funbaby boy knit hat hat imageimage cute newborn 20081131

  13. in 1902 area shreveport louisiana known as west end was a bustling neighborhood working class families and businesses

    prodirect basketball basketball replica hoodies nike nbanike nikelab x gyakusou flex running short women clothingnike shoes for cheapthe north face kids denali jacket little big tnf black mens clothing coats outerwearthe north face jesterthe north face…

  14. siam crossbody in black

    adidas mission backpack black neo white one sizezara khaki one shoulder dress saint laurent ysl blogger bag adidasluxury leather looking shockproof phone caseluxury leather looking shockproof phone case

  15. air jordan xx3 23 low white midnight navy silver

    wholesale trade nike zoom kobe 7 poison dart frog sneakers in ss0tgykc100 true air jordan 19 silver anniversary collection neutral grey metallic silvernike air kobe bryant xi green black white mens basketball shoescheap jordan xx8 se for sale more info…

Comments are closed.