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)”

  7. pennywise kids costume photo 4 5

    brooks ghost 10 herren laufschuh schwarz neongelb wei脽 7nike free rn flyknit 2 fete grade school pantofi de alergatasics ladies 谞注诇讬讬诐puma suede bow varsity wns marshmallow metallic gold

  11. l谩ska a sex love sex 膷sfd.cz

    啪ilina predaj n谩hradn媒ch dielov na vojensk煤 technikukovboji will play live on festivalo膷aruj煤ce zimn茅 膷ierne 膷lenkov茅 top谩nky riekermodr茅 d谩mske plisovan茅 拧aty medison

  14. 蟺位蠀谓蟿 蟻喂伪 蟻慰 蠂蠅谓 慰喂魏喂伪魏 蟽蠀蟽魏蔚蠀

    over the love dress redgafas ver miu miu8 camisas personalizadayilan fen thin section japanese cute girl bra student underwear cotton lining gather large size womens bra

  16. majica za dekli拧膷ino pop the champagne

    arnold mr. olympia youtubelocking bracelet with key锌邪谢褜褌芯 锌褍褏芯胁懈泻 卸械薪褋泻懈泄 褋械褉褘泄 褋 屑械褏芯屑 胁 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 屑邪谐邪蟹懈薪械 卸械薪褋泻芯泄 芯写械卸写褘 褕芯褍 褉褍屑womens bathing suits for little kids

  18. leather hobo bag designer hobo bag leather hobo purse leather shoulder bag hobo bag leather leather shoulder bag leaves

    swarovski sunglassesquay australia wild night oval sunglassessport the stride lightweight polarized photochromatic sunglassesshauna square computer glasses anti blue ray for women myopia frame black prescription eyeglasses clear lens optical glass men

  22. lange pyjama broek

    拧picat茅 zuby a stra拧ideln茅 o膷i ameri膷anka vyr谩ba zombiemintaka 2671 b茅啪ov茅 d谩mske spolo膷ensk茅 lodi膷kylevn谩 cena converse p谩nsk谩 tenisky chuck taylor all star oxbata 膷erven茅 d谩mske lodi膷ky z br煤senej ko啪e

  23. bra pdf sewing pattern

    shoes mens adidas running zelt slip on shoesd谩msk茅 tenisky na platform臎 ern茅 po ta zdarma2019 lace evening ball gowns women wedding guest dresses crew neck long sleeve slim a line dress from preetybeautythompson dark brown faux fur coat

  25. maudehairva

    polo ralph lauren handbags uk wholesale adidas tubular runner west rose violet dorothy perkins blue floral prom dress nike roshe run high cut schwarz silber nike free tr flyknit 5.0 blau gelb parajumpers gobi kvinne yttert

  26. duracordstyle

    pandora rose gold leaf ring nike hypervenom negro blanco roshe run military blæ°“ gré…¶nn ralph lauren stripe polo rouge marron nike air max tn rouge noir guy floral dress with sleeves for women

  29. keely knotted satin mules

    gosha rubchinskiy flag hoodie jackets coats gumtreenwt baby gap fair isle sweater dress baby girltommy hilfiger luxe 6pmtommy hilfiger mens classic fit blue printed piqu茅 polo shirt

  31. nike kids detsk茅 top谩nky tanjun

    alpine pro p谩nske tri膷ko 膷ierna xxxlsestr谩m sa nep谩膷i z谩kon ktor媒 m谩 upravi钮 platy v拧etk媒mluxusn铆 sexy leg铆ny s pro拧铆v谩n铆marena b ren short chlap膷ensk茅 plavky

  32. tummy trimmer magic new stahovac铆 pas

    detsk茅 tepl谩kov茅 s煤pravy pre diev膷at谩 aj chlapcov activekidsviano膷n茅 dekor谩cie nielen do ob媒va膷ky stavte na pr铆rodn茅tri膷k谩 s kr谩tkym ruk谩vom guess packed lacn茅 m贸dne zna膷kov茅tri膷ko queen logo crest applique slub

  33. veste levis pas cher

    chlo茅 drew bags collection chlo茅 usmens shirt ex uk store checked brushed cotton m l xl long sleeve brand newbuy leon max by cheap sunglasses sale aquagillette sensor excel mens razor blade refills 10 ct

  35. click on the photo to shop this beautiful white spring dress

    new mens adidas 360 traxion golf shoes white core black metallic silver q44994worek na buty asics tr core gym sack 0904brooks dyad walker mens black sneakers銉炪儬銉笺儓 銉堛儸銉冦偔銉炽偘銈枫儱銉笺偤 銉儍銈?銉兗 gt

  36. mini mochila feminina moderna com listras bege e branco

    jogo de chave de fenda simples e cruzadas vde 7 pe莽as ref 91.813 gedorenagano m谩quinas jardinagem aparadores de cerca vivabota feminina marrom couro tamanho 34 salto alto ziperw200 a balan莽a eletr么nica farm谩cia com r茅gua antropom茅trica 200 kg welmy

  38. 写卸懈薪褋芯胁褘械 褕芯褉褌褘 写谢褟 写械胁芯褔泻懈 5 8 谢械褌

    邪泻褋械褋褋褍邪褉褘 写谢褟 写械胁芯褔械泻 泻褍锌懈褌褜 胁 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 屑邪谐邪蟹懈薪邪褏 褋蟹芯谢芯褌褘械 谢械谐械薪写褘 芯褌屑芯写薪褘械 薪邪褉褟写薪褘械 锌谢邪褌褜褟 2016谢械褌薪懈械 泻褉芯褋褋芯胁泻懈 写谢褟 屑褍卸褔懈薪 泻褍锌懈褌褜 胁 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 屑邪谐邪蟹懈薪械

  39. diettucson

    moncler top quality men down jackets stuffing wool hat black nike kobe 11 violet tips zapatilla roja nike lunar forever 4 msl nike flyknit lunar 2 blæ°“ oransje walkthrough pandora necklace gift login nike air max 2016 hommes gris nike

  41. millertiregi

    ferragamo belt on waist mackage coats black friday releases white leather converse nfl deion jones black 45 atlanta falcons nike backer t shirt nike huarache ultra rot schwarz hole parajumpers black friday

  44. top 10 lego minifigures of 2016

    toy story 4 childrens puzzles jigsaw puzzles products19 awesome things to do when visiting the wizarding world oflego technic test track roller coaster photos legolandlego 8596銆€銉偞銉栥儹銉冦偗銉愩偆銈儖銈儷bionicle寤冪洡鍝?/a>

  49. giyimaskilari

    kyrie 2 venta schedule air jordan 4 cool grigio anthracite pandora red dangle heart charm instructions aidas boost clima chill blæ°“ svart adidas zx 750 gituttio blu yeti ralph lauren rugby shirt vintage kitchen

Comments are closed.