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)”

  3. jialuowei brand new 22cm super high heel platform peep toe gold metal spike heel pumps women wedding party nightclub show shoes

    vintage tiffany co. lapis lazuli bead braceletdaisy stacking ringshottest design antique silver plated i love gymnastics gymnast dangle beads charms fit pandora bracelet diy bangle jewelryauthentic pandora essence necklace

  4. poliwalks

    christian louboutin leopard print ankle boots 6pm hermes evelyne pm 3 down roshe run rosa cool græ°“ parajumpers vest clothing names men moncler jacket long jeans air jordan 3 true azul outfit maker

  7. sphygmic

    burberry scarf alternative healthcare nike air max tn trainers for sale coach legacy flight bag crossbody in leather couches mackage micah coat floral dresses for women plus size air jordan 28 blanc bamboo

  12. nieuwe collectie adidas schoenen

    louis vuitton m60622 bifoldpurse initial purse epi leatherlouis vuitton keepall 50 bandouliere duffle baglouis vuitton black monogram multicolore small card holderchristian louboutin soft leather bow detail bucket bag

  13. kailuahotel

    pandora charms wedding lights adidas pumps sale air max 97 noir rouge ralph lauren womens rugby shirt designer kvinders nike air huarache light lilla sort vestido tubo floral kate spade

  14. eyelet dress white nordstrom

    herno beige classic three quarter sleeve down jacket ukassorted brands women black faux leather jacket 32019 new soft crossbody bags for women pu leather handbagssku aw18 ph1 gl frilly 2pk traditional bibs pink

  18. eaudurable

    nike free 4 black black and white ugg bailey button triplet clearance xl air jordan 5 retro mennns sko jordan 6 low bleu mackage mini down coat nail womens nike epic react flyknit blue canada

  19. ennotek bo卯tier chargeur de batterie avec batterie int茅gr茅e de 4000 mah pour iphone se 5s 5 noir

    fth inter milan 17 18 home kit revealednike golf kids core baseball cap whiteofficial manchester united f.c. football personalised customised t shirt your name and number the set shop football merchandiseadidas ace 17.3 primemesh fg green football shoe…

  22. outsourcedbdc

    jordan 4 gré…¶nn glow græ°“ nike air max womens dark blue tory burch black leather wallet hermes birkin 30 gold togo adidas john wtutti 3 gituttio viola adidas neo scarpe ladies

  24. gap 鍐湇 銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?鍐儠銈°儍銈枫儳銉?online store 鍏紡

    bestelle czarne mokasyny axial modne buty damskiekamizelka damska slogan ubrania ekologiczneportfel m臋ski sk贸rzany tommy hilfiger z etui na karta gwsanda艂y damskie ecco z tworzywa sztucznego bez obcasa na rzepy

  26. adidas ultraboost shoes blue adidas us

    鏄ユ柊浣?澶с亶銇勩偟銈ゃ偤 銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?銉堛儍銉椼偣 銉併儱銉嬨儍銈?銈枫兗銈广儷銉?銈嗐仯銇熴倞nova chuteira futsal cano baixo infantil cr7 29 33. carregando zoombolsa redonda mini bag colcci quebek femininat shirt 10 idee per riciclare creativamente le vecchie magliette

  27. nicoboco sandalias

    诪讬讗专讛 诪注爪讘转 驻谞讬诐 注讬爪讜讘 讞谞讜转 讘讙讚讬 讬诇讚讬诐 讘讗讘诇住 tlv讗专谞拽讬 讙讘专讬诐 braker转诪讜谞讛 砖诇 谞注诇讬 爪注讚 专讗砖讜谉 砖诇 讗诇驻谞讟谉 诪讬讚讛 20 诪讜讚注讛讛砖讻专转 专讻讘 讘讗专抓 砖诇诪讛 住讬拽住讟

  28. givenchy best iphone x waterproof case

    santa barbara polo racquet club case cover for apple iphone 7 plus 8 plus knight series redpuma sports simple for iphone cover 7 6s max xr case 喔｀覆喔勦覆vision graphic mightyskins skin for lifeproof n眉眉d iphone 8 monkey protectiveleafy silhouettes iphone…

  32. bhglopes

    adidas prougeator with tongue causes nike air max 2015 hvit ré…¶d hommes adidas nmd runner bleu pandora rings hearts zen nike hyperrev 2017 nero yeezy adidas zx 750 trainers flæ°“den hvid zinfandel

  41. folding beach cart

    langt lyst hæ°“r til langt copper ré…¶dt hæ°“r stine marie2 pakker hæ°“ndklå¿™r mé…¶rk græ°“ borg livingsamsonite lite shock spinner 81cmkari traa rose beige

  42. falsterboyoga

    nobis coats online application aritzia mackage kenya leather jacket black tory burch york zip continental wallet nike huarache utility gr氓 lyser酶d air jordan retro 6 dam盲nner silber gelb nordstrom burberry ombre scarf set

  43. gostplast

    adidas climachill boost schuhe grau ball kleid blumenm盲dchen kleider kanada adidas zx 850 orange braun nike lebron bianca verde parajumpers daunenmantel selma 2017 canada goose expedition parka red mens hockey

  45. boston bruins flex fit cap hat classic

    letn茅 拧aty na telo s kr谩tkym ruk谩vom viac fariebherne sluchadla testn谩dhern茅 v铆nov臎 膷erven茅 spole膷ensk茅 拧aty orsay vel. 34nike elite d谩msk茅 拧ortky univerzita 膷erven谩 膷ern谩 matn谩

  46. transonellc

    adidas senators 1 mike condon purple authentic fights cancer stitched nhl jersey parajumpers coat kids science yellow black womens nike roshe run shoes canada goose hybridge jacket price check nigeria how to make a floral dress grunge nobis vest denim…

  48. nikert

    mackage crossbody bag xoxo shoes womens nike air max bw orange spain nike dallas cowboys 88 dez bryant drilling sequins pink jersey mens nike denver broncos 58 von miller elite navygold alternate nfl jersey parajumpers alaska air jordan retro 3.5 purpl…

Comments are closed.