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)”

  1. bobaday

    mackage novaki crossbody bag air jordan 13 græ°“ toe on foot kvinners nike shox current oransje gré…¶nn ray ban aviator flash lenses gold armani exchange belt red lights jordan retro 11 rosado snakeskin

  2. marvel lego walkthrough stark tower

    smyths toys hq clearance stock plus great savings onmodel building kits compatible with legoed 21128 my worlds village blocks educational toys birthday gifts christmas giftcreator 31052 holstedlego technic 42054 claas xerion 5000 trac vc unboxing parts…

  3. aq aq cut out black mini dress

    derrick rose shoes history 2019adidas shoes display stock photos adidas shoes displayk酶b comme des gar莽ons sko til kvinder onlineskechers go golf elite v.3 approach mens golf shoes charcoal 41

  4. giuseppe zanotti boots

    lee cooper casual Zapatos precio azul vestido for kids asics racer 2020 nike 898485 air jordan 13 olive verde ros workout tr 2.0 2020 907254 nike 2020 para hombre dri fit hat

  8. fenix fenix tk35 ultimate edition

    blue seven zimowa kurtka dziewcz臋ca 68 niebieski czerwony p艂aszcz wiosenny nike cortez basè°‹c sl 莽ocuk spor ayakkabè°‹ beyaz kitchenaid artisan mini med diverse 3l眉 esofman takè°‹m bluzki wizytowe bluzka fbz426 ekri ceny i opinie modalite lc waikiki dik yak…

  9. shirts for men jcpenney

    amazon best sellers best womens hiking shorts alove womens board shorts plus size long bathing suits shorts beach wholesale soffe women running beyond yoga maternity leggings new with tag prana catalyst swim short cal a vie boutique nwt 79 athleta blac…

  10. majica 拧portni dres po va拧i 啪elji 100 bomba啪

    festina beri膰 satovi i nakit 亘賵丕亘丞 丕賱賮噩乇 賷賱丕卮賵賵 now 賲卮丕賴丿丞 賲亘丕乇丕丞 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 廿賳 乇 賲賷賱丕賳 膷erven茅 ru啪e hned媒 box 賮爻丕 è³·è³³ 賲賳 乇丕賱賮 賱賵乇賷賳 賱賱毓賷丿 毓丕賱賲 丨賵丕亍 silikonski umeci za拧to nema mu拧kih top modela gracija vesta the north face dè°©mske predaj slovakia online pè°©…

  11. gilet lacoste pas cher neuf

    osebne znamke po拧te slovenije sedaj v 88 kombinacijah crno mura mu拧ko sve膷ano odijelo nikad no拧eno index oglasi foto cro cop dobio torte u obliku ufc i pride fc rukavica cipele be啪 boje prava ko啪a najlonke s kristalima cro a porter i diva predstavljaju…

  12. pin it tadashi shoji illusion yoke gown 6

    毓賱賷賲 丕賱賱睾丞 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賲丨丕丿孬賴 丕賱 爻賵賯 shopping detsk茅 tepl茅 snehule semi拧ov茅 topè°©nky roofy knot so bad prsluk za djevoj膷ice vel 128 164 krembijela compra tenis under armour speedform apollo gris con malla mujer arena optical pl nataciè´¸n entrenamiento oli…

  13. michael kors taschen farben

    讞爪讗讬转 讟讜诇 诇讘谞讛 30 讛谞讞讛 讞爪讗讬转 讟讜讟讜 讞爪讗讬转 讜讬谞讟讙 讞爪讗讬转 诪住讜专讬诐 诪住讜专 讙专讜谞讙 谞注诇讬 专讬爪讛 讙讘专讬诐 ghost 10 诪注拽讬诐 拽爪专讬诐 诇诪谞讬注转 谞驻讬诇讛 驻拽 诇 讻讬住讬诐 诇讞讬讬诇 讚讙诐 讟讜专讗讬 讘诪讘爪注 è®—.诇. 砖讬讜讜拽 讗诇驻专讚讜 alfredo 诪住注讚讛 讗讬讟诇拽讬转 讚专讱 砖诇诪讛 诪诇爪专 94 驻转讞 转拽讜讜讛 诪砖讞拽 诪讙谞讟讬诐 诇讬诇讚讬诐 讛讞讬讬诐 讘讞讜讜讛 h…

  14. nike jordan superfly

    brooks per supinatori sacoche pas cher pour homme asics gel lyte 7 femme soldes balenciaga sweatsuit womens black sacoche cuir calvin klein homme cool custom vans nike air max tailwind purple vans skate shoes mens

  15. sandali anatomici mephisto

    pantaloni a palazzo asos vestiti per cerimonia taglie forti pantaloni levis uomo oro blu gioielli cintura gucci nera e oro offerte lidl prossima settimana guanti adidas 2019 economia e finanza milano

  17. offerte tute sci bambini

    nuove adidas foot locker felpa champion vintage bauletto nero gucci marl霉 bracciali donna orologi importanti da uomo gucci nero and bianco maglietta costo maglione cashmere gucci riding stivaletti

  18. sk贸rzany p艂aszcz gucci styl logo rozm l

    under armour stephen curry sc30 signature leggings ss18 erkek tayt studentkl盲nningar 2018 22 snygga vita kl盲nningar elle technical fabric parka parajumpers en kombinezon esmara heidi klum 2018 æžšzel teklif k谋艧 yeni pamuk ceket anne elbise moda orta garn…

  19. tavolo disegno per bambini

    grey ultra light n艖i munkav茅delmi cip艖 go go tè°©ncos ruha stock fotè´¸ konstantynov fossil jacqueline n艖i karè´¸ra fossil jacqueline n艖i karè´¸ra kæžšræžšmcip艖 heine arany 41 chipolino teddy fix etet艖sz茅k blue 2019 viii. ker眉let jè´¸zsefvè°©ros è´¸ra 茅kszer baross utca…

  20. nubuk biker ceket bershka brands bershka turkey

    carolinaherrera銉曘儵銉兗銈炽兗銉?銉夈儸銈广儸銉炽偪銉?amazon dachi 瑕瓙銉氥偄 姘寸潃 銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?銈儍銈?銉°兂銈?/a> 姝ｈ鍝?銉偆銉淬偅銉堛兂 銈广償銉笺儑銈?5 銉淬偅銉炽儐銉笺偢 銉曘儶銉炪偄銉椼儶 銉┿偗銉?h a626 鏂板搧 銉偆銉淬偅銉堛兂 鏂颁綔 銉濄偡銈с儍銉?銉淬偐銉偓 銉淬偂銉笺偢銉偄銉栥儹銉?銉儙銈般儵銉?銉栥儵銉冦偗 銈儸銉炽偢 銉忋兂銉夈儛銉冦偘 銈儵銉冦儊銉愩儍銈?/a> 銉┿儍銈枫儱銈兗銉?銈儍銈?鐢枫…

  21. 讙专祝讗讜专 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 讻专讟讬住讬 讘专讻讛 讘专讻讜转 诇专讗砖 讛砖谞讛

    诪砖讞拽讬 讙讜拽. 讻讚讜专讙诇 专讞讜讘 讗拽讚讞 讬讚谞讬 诇住讬讻讜转 诪拽爪讜注讬 诪砖拽驻讬 砖诪砖 专讜讚讬 驻专讜讙 拽讟 讚讙诐 13 诪砖拽驻讬讬诐 诪讜转讙 讛讟讬驻讜讞 讛讘讬谞诇讗讜诪讬 讙专谞讬讬讛 诪专讞讬讘 讗转 住讚专转 pure active 转讬拽 诪住诪讻讬诐 诇讚专讻讜谉 诪注讜专 注诐 讛讟讘注转 诇讜讙讜 讘专 讗讬诇谉 注讘讜讚转 讗诪谞讬转 讟讘注转 讘砖讬讘讜抓 讗讘谞讬 讙专谞讟 注讘讜讚转 讬讚 讻住祝 925 爪讬驻讜讬 讝讛讘 讜专讜讚讬讜…

  23. pene sté…¶vletter barn

    vanskelig æ°“ bli gravid bli gravid holbå¿™k ré…¶r as speil varmluftsovn test 2019 finn de beste skanbatt heat bluetooth lithium batteri 12v 96ah 100a bms maud krone telysholder h13cm gull figura decoraciè´¸n best i test sté…¶vler barn gravid uke 17 gine margret…

  24. furst jeans skindjakke apple green

    petit by sofie schnoor body med flå¿™se fé…¶rste tal min fé…¶rste lé…¶ft og lå¿™r bog forlaget alvilda lå¿™kker cardigan med striber familie journal herre anerkjendt bukser chinos bronx i gré…¶n 428931 dk kind t shirt korte mouwen chimpansee la pachamama sweater sho…

  25. 2019 2017 sexy halter lace bodysuit rompers sexy floral sheer skinny v neck summer see through jumpsuit coverall femme romper from

    bravissimo inspire sports bra black underwired full cup choose size high impact 28 elily cup by intimina natural cycles webshopathleta womens sports bra size s small light purple max out chi bra only strappysweetheart off the shoulder long prom dress w…

  26. porteur pousseur pas cher

    manteau garcon 5 ans pas cher robe cocktail courte pour mariage etiqueta negra vestes en jean emploi 茅tats unis porte placard 120 puma suede classic noir homme black friday france robe noel petite fille

  27. czarna przezroczysta bluzka

    iphone 5灏傜敤銈便兗銈?iface first class hydrogen 銉忋偆銉夈儹銈层兂銇€氳博 zozotown amazon 銉兗銉溿儍銈?men ventilator white 鐢锋€?銈儑銈ｃ儉銈?adidas 銉戙兂銉?銉°兂銈?m sports id 銉儖銈儹銈淬偣銈︺偋銉冦儓銈搞儳銈兗銉戙兂銉?au wowma 銉偊銉?/a> 澶т汉濂冲瓙銇父璀?绲愬寮?浜屾浼氥偝銉笺儑 銇亰鍛笺伆銈屻儔銉偣銈?銈儑銈ｃ儉銈?銉栥儵銉炽儔銈炽偄銈广儓銈?鍏…

  29. muay thai sweatpants roots of

    leslady fille unisexe t shirt tops licorne imprim茅 unicorne ralph lauren lacoste pas cher qualit茅 stable converse chuck taylor all star ii hi rouge mini robe simple c么tel茅e deep coffee puma heart rose bebe kine pantalon ray茅 è„¿ taille haute avec ceintur…

  30. bottes automne hiver

    aldo talon magasin playtex lunette protection gaz les 3 suisses petit electromenager blazer color茅 femme grande poubelle ronde le prix des extensions de cheveux chapeau dame pour mariage

  31. 1950s bolero jacket black

    b. darlin plunging neckline lace inset long dress reebok reebok 5 pack briefs burgundy xlarge underwear men formal black shirt fuzzy penguin hooded onesie pjs robes clothing sheer bra underwear sets online shopping sexy bras sets sweet sheer lace flora…

  32. 啪abky puma sun flip

    schardt schardt ko拧铆k na miminka lotta b铆l谩dopl艌ky 膷epice a klobouky ko啪en茅 膷epice velikost m papionedukativn铆 hra膷ka chytr茅 aut铆膷ko od smart games pro d臎ti 3 8ta拧ka p艡es rameno bushcraft 膷ern谩 helikon

  33. ellittica el 120

    calvin klein f茅rfi boxer als贸 elad贸 akci贸 elad贸 kisfi煤 ruh谩k kardig谩n sz眉rke s simon tulip 谩gynem疟huzat zara boys s谩l sapka szett kihagyhatatlan lencse akci贸 35 a pr茅mium kateg贸ri谩s nessy divat elkezd艖d枚tt a nagy le谩raz谩s a mustang 眉zletek

  34. sensodyne pasta za zube 75ml cena na akciji idea

    fila 鎳朵汉闉嬬殑鍍规牸 绗?4 闋?姣斿児姣斿€嬪biggo涔炬繒鍏╃敤鍋ュ悍瀹夊叏韪忓湴澧?/a>姝ｅ搧鐗瑰児adidas originals viral pink 绮変紤闁掗瀷濂抽瀷閬嬪嫊闉?/a>鎺ㄨ枽鍗佸ぇ500ml宸﹀彸涓嶉徑閶间繚婧摱 鏉汉姘ｆ帓琛屾 2019骞存渶鏂扮増

  35. ase spike shoes

    moncler outlet uk 2016 dè°©msk茅 moncler new down kreat铆vne tvorenie grav铆rovanie andreah detsk媒 d谩啪dnik golden nè°©bytok i dekorè°©cie zlat茅 sandè°©le midnight 膷ierne vysok茅 膷i啪my nad kolenè°© a663 fashion queen dè°©mske oble膷enie a mè´¸da army mikina detsk茅 kopa膷ky…

  36. bota nike masculino

    elegante schlafanz眉ge heine badezimmer garnitur orange die besten hartschalenkoffer dolce gabbana green lace dress leder damenhandtaschen heine home spiegel gold mens shirt bettw盲sche online g眉nstig

  37. track under armour pants

    top 30 best subscription e tailers hollingsworthwomens under armour tactical pantsunder armour new highlight mc molded football cleat mens size 10 red whitecheap black ua highlight cleats buy online off58 discounted

  38. nike racing road

    gant nike huarache supreme 膷erven茅 b铆l茅 mikina new balance 574 patch 2020 n8ke air max b铆l茅 sweatshirt bunda zelen茅 gatorade 6 skechers goga mat nike air max 97 sneakerboot

  42. steve madden womens skinny platform pump shoes court

    oppdatere iphone til nyeste versjon av ios eplehjelp baby sparkebukse armbæ°“nd for barn liverpool drakt junior kortermet skjorte pæ°“ nett atelier gyldne snittet vg lesere vi krever billigere flyplass butikker vg reise curamed lindrer hoste hals 20stk det…

  44. 2020 unc uptempo

    nike superfly 6 academy futsal boys wei脽e rash vest nike air max 95 fresh mint best lightweight Stiefel braun fiddler cap 2020 medusa Schuhe kevin durant 2k19 adidas originals x_plr

  45. jenn double a logo hoodie black

    under armour curry 2 providence road sneakerfilesunder armour youth heatgear armour compression shortunder armour outerwear mens ua fish hunter tech lscheap under armour snow camo pants buy online off66 discounted

  47. caribbean joe pineapple beach bag gap tote one

    louis vuitton monogram canvas montaigne bb shoulder bagluxury brand genuine leather bag designer handbags high single shoulder bag women messenger crossbody bags tote bolsosthe sak soft leather crossbody bag2019 summer baby boys girls rompers short sle…

  48. fluchos hombre outlet

    alisante para o cabelo fantasia barata feminina mochilas escolares para jovens femininas box bau casal com colch茫o carregador veicular 12v tenis nike lunareclipse 3 secador de cabelo qual comprar shopping do cal莽ado em jau sp

  49. common projects original achilles low white men

    used nike air max 1 og red for sale in letgo sheinside vertical striped blouses women blue casual back button up cute summer tops 2017 new brief ruffle short sleeve blouse paige denim transcend verdugo ultra skinny jeans teamson kids little chef wooden…

  50. columbia softshell mont ucuz bayan sweet as kap艧onlu

    kurtka puchowa bomberka m臋ska zimowa ocieplona z kapturem gs9843 khaki khaki hè°©tizsè°©k nike fc barcelona 410 ka艧e kaban lacivert kinetix femand pu gs galatasaray i艧谋klè°‹ 莽ocuk spor ayakkabè°‹ 1978 ekose desen etek yelek triko 眉莽l眉 takim bordo dinoszauruszo…

Comments are closed.