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)”

  4. nb kakusei 銉忋偆銉栥儶銉冦儓 銉椼儵銈儐銈ｃ偣銈枫儯銉?new balance

    銉娿偆銈?銈儯銉冦儣 銉°兂銈?銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?nike cap 甯藉瓙 銉兗銈儯銉冦儣 銉夈儵銈ゃ儠銈ｃ儍銉?銈淬儷銉?銉嗐儖銈?銈广儩銉笺儎 榛?鐧?閫熶咕 usa銉儑銉?erina adidas銇儜銉笺偒銉笺倰浣裤仯銇熴偝銉笺儑銈ｃ儘銉笺儓 wear 銈点兂銈般儵銈?銈炽儸銈偡銉с兂 銈广偓 銈枫偒銈?銈儠銈ｃ偡銉ｃ儷 銈广儐銉炽儸銈?銉兂銈?鍗樺搧 鎸囪吉 鍒诲嵃 鍚嶅叆銈?瀹夈亜 閺￠潰浠曚笂銇?銉︺儖銈兂 銉椼儵銈?銈枫儷銉愩兗 銉兂銈?銈儸銉偖銉笺儠銉兗 銈搞…

  5. fun socks kids youth ice cream dream knee socks

    womens sleeveless polo shirt navy ringers western jordan button up shirt in size m at up to 95 off swap today at apple apple wholesale mens t shirt unisex short sleeve tops logo polo shirts 15 funkyteestore mens harry potter hufflepuff badger t shirt c…

  6. ver catalogo la redoute online

    zapatillas nightmarket.it pijamas baratos online carrefour nike running team fundas iphone a1428 precio donde vender ropa militar tallas de camisetas para ni帽os sandalias tejidas al crochet para bebe paso a paso marcas de relojes originales gucci

  8. justyna on pinterest

    2019 vintage double skulls genuine leather bikers jacketdemon podium full face mountain bike helmet reviewmint velvet womens leather biker jacket uk best designermotorcycle helmet pink bike and cycle accessories

  9. pittsburgh steelers cufflinks

    personalised mens silver message necklace harbor freight socket tree modification youtube ryobi drill and drive kit must haves ryobi cobra 1 4 inch by 15 feet plastic drum auger loc 8b 5 32 hex key tamper pruf model number gold cufflinks with initials…

  10. deckenleuchte pendel

    running schweiz lederhandschuhe creme dakine reisetasche rollen stiefel schwarz reduziert trendige sommerkleider festliche abendmode oberteile heine spieth wensky dirndlbluse mit stehkragen lange boxershorts

  11. belmanetti w f茅rfi k枚nt枚s

    samsonite cosmolite spinner b艖ræžšnd ç…¤j gurulè´¸s b艖ræžšndæžšk suneros pandora st铆lusç…¤ karkæžšt艖 t眉rkiz swarovski kristè°©lyokkal cirmos baseball sapka bp pink hollister n艖i pulè´¸ver sztreccs farmer ræžšvidnadrè°©g bonprix st铆lusos æžšltæžšz茅kek 茅s 艖szi tè°©skatrendek a k茅zi…

  13. galaxy s7 edge 茅tui

    chaussure nike femme a talon compense coque personnalisable samsung galaxy j3 2016 ballerine bordeaux verni robe femme mure nike blanche sport tricot pour b茅b茅 gar莽on ecole de danse en ligne robe vintage pour mariage

  14. baldahin zeleni novo oglasindo

    lampe frontale usb rechargeable avec sensor switch bague pour homme en argent et spinelle noir juwelo basket lacoste light noir sebago docksides nubuck pour homme homme chaussures bateaux robe longue bustier tres fluide violette en mousseline et homme…

  17. minecraft green mosaic print boys girls hoodies children jacket kids coat toddler girl winter clothes baby sweatshirt clothing in

    lego disney princess elsas magical ice palace 43172 castlelego moc 17218 metroliner 4558 10001 power functions orlego technic 42043 mercedes benz arocs 3245 newdisney pixar cars vs toy story kids game surprise toys blind boxes lightning buzz wheel game…

  19. 讜讜住讟讛讗诐 谞讙讚 诇讬讘专驻讜诇

    asics gel evate 2 womens running cross training shoes size 8dear boyfriend and the newsboy hatvutru womens long sleeve workout shirts sports running tees thumb holes t shirt mesh back yoga topsmens winter adidas alphabounce carbon grey cold grey black…

  20. kavaj jacket s m

    collana zancan rosa dei venti uomo m臋ska kurtka syg brugi postnord læ°“ng tid konsumentr盲tt kadè°‹n spor ayakkabè°‹ basket heart lunar lux jr puma bu mudur kurtka materia艂owa 95 bl sc unisono szary kurtka damska salewa puez aqua 3 ptx mç–Ÿb艖r p茅nztè°©rca rè´¸zsasz…

  25. gold metallic bag

    osprey atmos ag 65 vs aether 70 amazon black rucksack roshe run nike discount zapatillas de frontenis asics gel cumulus 18 mens yellow cheap brooks run happy shirt womens nike tiempo legend 1 bordeaux air jordan 2 python

  28. najlepsze buty do biegania 2018

    soutien gorge pas cher acheter dessous lingerie femme boots femme bleu robe rose habillee femmes diamante talon compens茅s plate forme tongs bout robe moulante tunique è„¿ forure new balance homme running pas cher tendance mariage tout pour le mariage rob…

  31. adidas honey lo

    nike sb air force low lacoste noir sac de boucle è„¿ oreille air max 2017 noir et blanc homme meilleur running 2015 foulard givenchy homme ralph lauren rouge lunette de soleil revo

  34. cal a baixa aubade

    nike magista opus ii fg acc 843813 019 soccer cleats mens size 7 neymar messiadidas originals football soccer jersey soccer shirt jersey heritage 03 smallreusch prisma prime r3 black fire red blackanti skid football stockings cycling long soccer socks

  36. stile etnico abbigliamento

    vision express duna plaza b谩rsony szalag b茅zs baby design travel quick sport babakocsi 01 orange 2017 columbia ridge jacket f茅rfi kab谩t boss victoria n艖i kar贸ra eastpak az kett艖s farmer h谩tizs谩k n艖i farmer zak贸 little marcel fekete n艖i h谩tit谩ska

  38. doudoune le coq sportif femme

    cadeau original femme 19 ans casier bouteille curver ballon mitre tenue pour mariage hiver chaussure under armour rouge remboursement lunette securite sociale 2016 pantalon femme taille 44 vente de nappes de table

  39. puma 銉椼兗銉?銇?puma 銉椼兗銉?puma vikky platform 363287

    nyè°©ri ruhè°©k online panache sport bh 85g und sport bh 90f damatlè°‹k takè°‹m elbise fiyatlarè°‹ 2018 esprit bluzka damska tanie z d艂ugim r臋kawem szary puma spor ayakkabè°‹ fiyatlarè°‹ ucuz puma smash bayan beyaz jednoduch媒 zè°©snubn铆 prsten 10 en iyi limon company…

  40. faux fur ankle boots

    dolce gabbana calze e collant donna 尾蟻伪蠂喂 位喂 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 渭伪渭 蟿畏谓 è°“æ…°è°“ sarah gr眉newald smider t jet tv 2 cortinas 2 x 2 mts colores y tama o a eleccion ropa bebe 3 meses coupon christian louboutin 6000 shoes sneakersy nessi 17301 szary ceny i opinie ceneo p…

  42. conjunto de blusa e casaco

    tommy hilfiger herren jacke rot balken pendelleuchte mazine hoodie heine runder badteppich sporttasche adidas mit schuhfach bademode formend heine stehlampe g眉nstig kleider von twin set

  43. kaufen sie im gro脽handel gro脽e sommerh眉te f眉r frauen 2019

    砖专砖专转 讝讛讘 注讜讙谉 诪砖讜讘爪转 讬讛诇讜诪讬诐讻讱 谞讬转谉 诇讛驻讜讱 讗转 诪砖拽驻讬 讛专讗讬讬讛 砖诇讻诐 诇诪砖拽驻讬 砖诪砖 讬注拽讘 讛诇驻专讬谉jewel 转讻砖讬讟讬诐 讜讬讛诇讜诪讬诐 诪讜爪专讬诐诪砖讞拽讬诐 讞讬谞诐 200

  44. color block vans kids

    galaxy j3 2018 robe longue casual carolina santo domingo vestes en jean assiette carton anniversaire ralph lauren site americain lot pyjama naissance pas cher t shirt gucci polo chapeau russe homme

  45. name it bunad til gutt set mz smæ°“ungene.no

    axami satellite stringtrosa med æžšppen gren s xl adidas superstar 37 numara snake 80s æžšzel seri ayakkabè°‹ suni 莽im halè°‹ saha se莽imi 眉zerinde beyaz izole stok foto lc waikiki erkek 莽ocuk mont. lc waikiki erkek montlar ve orjinal buffalo derisi deri mont l…

  46. vinterjakke barn blue wear jula

    welcome to the party ariat cell phone case wallet brown tooled snapback ruben iphone case by kindle paperwhite flip cover by amazon black huge job lot phone cases tablet cases chargers in hempstead dstrezzed faux fur trim hooded jacket apparel insignia…

  47. manteau duvet femme

    superstar rose paillette salopette zara femme jupe longue 茅t茅 femme bottines lac茅es 脿 talon coque soccer a9 6 samsung site de vetement femme americain pas cher les sacs 脿 main de marque enorme peluche minion

  48. herren weste xxxl

    plancha keration gama ver blusa de moda 2016 cinturon piel hombre gucci donde comprar vestidos gucci botas para ni帽a de moda mejor regalo para mi novia plancha pelo philips sigry catalogo precios

  50. polo homme manche longue grande taille

    le chapeau jaune coque ysl telephone samsung galaxy a8 escarpin a talon pas cher manteau femme hiver 2018 rouge manteau impermeable chaud femme housse silicone samsung j3 sandales plates ferm茅es devant salari茅 a temps plein

Comments are closed.