Water Walking and Bicycle Blowing (part 1)

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. chinese moda websites

    zara textured weave vestito boohoo floral avvolgere vestito club l vestiti j crew button back linen vestito manica lunga rose d’oro abito da ballo stores that sell mommy e me abiti asian girl vestito da sposa 5th grade graduation vestiti

  2. 蠂蟻蠀蟽蠈 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿慰蠀纬蔚谓谓喂维蟿喂魏慰 未苇谓蟿蟻慰 slim 210 蔚魏伪蟿

    jastuci za sjedenje dostupno i online lesnina xxxl ru膷ke torbe marilyn zubak sa 120 vozila i 300 ljudi stigao na taksi tr啪iæ‹§te obaveze jedne kume na ven膷anju korak do ven膷anja potapaju膰a pumpa 12v guralica sa zvukom za prohodavanje 80 vrata i prozori 啪…

  3. 褋邪褏邪褉薪邪褟 锌邪褋褌邪 写谢褟 写械锌懈谢褟褑懈懈 胁 写芯屑邪褕薪懈褏 褍褋谢芯胁懈褟 200 谐 锌邪薪薪芯褔泻邪

    屑芯写薪褨 泻褍褉褌泻懈 芯褋褨薪褜 2018 胁械褋薪邪 2019 褟 泻褉邪褋褍薪褟薪邪泻谢邪写泻邪 薪邪 蟹邪写薪懈泄 斜邪屑锌械褉 斜屑胁 褏1 褎48褋薪芯褍斜褍褌褋懈 写懈褌褟褔褨薪邪泄泻褉邪褖褨 褑褨薪懈 薪邪 褋械褉械卸泻懈 胁褨写屑褨薪薪褨 褑褨薪懈 薪邪 卸褨薪芯褔褨 褋械褉械卸泻懈

  4. coque kd samsung s7 pro

    under armour speedform men adidas ankle zip pants adidas condivo 14 pants red nike air huarache light donna giallo scarpe antipronazione asics converse outlet hours kd trey 5s aggressor 3 black

  5. coque converse samsung j5 ram

    disfraz de minnie adulto barato vestidos galvan london vestidos fluidos cortos moda 2015 para mujeres sandalias ni帽a talla 38 trajes de noche para embarazadas audifonos lg 32gk850g britax coches para bebes

  6. tommy hilfiger lirna tenis para mujer

    abrigo para beb茅 en tricot con capota m.2419 crema mayoral w nike air zoom structure 19 mujeres mujer detalles de deportes para dama talle alto sè´¸lido leggings yoga gym elè°©stico pantalones sneakers mujer coolway cluster jean stretch alto levantacola ef…

  7. zlatnictv铆 josef zimml ru膷n铆 v媒roba 拧perk暖 od roku 1990

    zimn铆 bunda colmar down nè°©mo艡nickè°© mod艡 dè°©msk茅 prodej b茅啪ov媒 svetr se vzorem k20197 london club elastickè°© 膷elenka s kv臎tinami poæ‹§tovn茅zdarma kraé’®asy calvin klein v媒prodej liberec topcom d臎tsk媒 teplom臎r do vody duck t.s snubn铆 prsten model dè°©msk茅 tenisk…

  8. michael kors borse shop on line

    stivaletti desigual miglior prezzo spaccio occhiali da sole jack co orologi stivaletto stringato uomo gucci bracciale tennis diamanti stroili oro contatti eprice giubbotto bambino north face camicia gas uomo

  9. crono festina uomo

    idee regalo amazon per lei pha paris scarpe uomo giochi di bambini di 5 anni gratis scarpe da ginnastica da lavoro giacca con toppe uomo gucci tuta adidas oro dolomite costume bagno 2016 uomo scarpe da pallone

  10. zwarte coltrui dames zeeman

    cc vest shopping centre back country dry stack gray molded corner stone veneer trim inside kylie jenners 50 million airbnb in turks and puma mens one 1 leather fg ag football boots puma silver shocking orange puma black womens cable knit turtleneck kj…

  11. combed cotton jersey t shirt

    joe fresh women sleeveless tunic sweatercheap asics gel kayano 25 cherry tomato flash flash salegt 2000 6 women carbon carbon black womens runningautumn running shoes men outdoor casual men shoes sneakers 2019 couple walking overshoes men sport shoes r…

  12. lexington pledd flagg ré…¶dt

    timberland 6 inch premium waterproof boot blæ°“ boots best pris pæ°“ wilfa hvs 12w se priser fé…¶r kjé…¶p i prisguiden audi modell kæ°“ret til æ°“rets bruktbil obh nordica varmluftsbé…¶rste artist magic curls duo 600 test platespillere for nybegynnere lyd bilde bill…

  13. dulcey giacca con cappuccio. da uomo

    most wanted disney pins occhiali mini laccessorio della primavera 2018 si ispira a frasi nascita bimba auguri originali con frasi simpatiche e furreal friends martino il pappagallo canterino hasbro felpa con cappuccio new givova uomo donna unisex sport…

  14. good vibes t shirt

    pè°©nsk茅 stylov茅 teplè°©ky pedroshop extern铆 box sweex masivn铆 pè°©nsk茅 military hodinky s lcd displejem modern铆 pè°©s pleny pampers giantpack maxi 4 76 ks d臎tsk媒 mikina thrasher skate mag crewneck gray ve木kosé’® xl d啪铆ny levis 511 slim fit volcano ash warm teku…

  15. stehkragen hemd weiss herren

    dettagli su nike tuta sportiva sport tracksuit verde ts pack basic uomo lampada da parete per esterno led 10w resa 100w con sensore di movimento pir smalto rosa 20 prodotti per una manicure romantica unadonna scarpe sportive donna adidas chaos shoe raw…

  16. tp link archer t3u mini ac1300 dual band usb mu mimo brez啪i膷na mre啪na kartica

    斜械谢芯械 谐懈锌褞褉芯胁芯械 锌谢邪褌褜械 胁 2068 褉. 44 48 锌褉芯写邪卸邪褋邪薪写邪谢懈泻懈 写械褌褋泻懈械褔芯谢芯胁褨褔械 胁蟹褍褌褌褟 谢褨褌芯 2016锌谢邪褌褜械 谢褞褉械泻褋 卸褨薪芯褔懈泄 芯写褟谐

  17. nova rde膷a denarnica

    褔芯谢芯胁褨褔邪 蟹懈屑芯胁邪 芯褋褨薪薪褟 泻褍褉褌泻邪xiaomi 锌褉械写褋褌邪胁懈谢邪 褉芯蟹褍屑薪懈泄 谐芯写懈薪薪懈泻 mi bunny children phonebraska 卸褨薪芯褔械 褌邪 褔芯谢芯胁褨褔械 胁蟹褍褌褌褟 蟹 褍泻褉邪褩薪懈. 写械锌谢邪褌褌褟 breeze love

  18. colchones en costco

    gorros moda 2016 camiseta de james rodriguez chubasquero amarillo amazon hierro 1 golf chaqueta izas hombre auto fiesta kit para supervivencia zapatos crocs para mujer originales

  19. carpisa 尾伪位喂蟿蟽蔚蟽 蟺伪喂未喂魏蔚蟽

    gafas hombre kartlian aviador marco è´¸ptico personalizado bonita camisa azul marino ralph lauren camisas estampado blusas y tops camisa larga de ropa de hombre fred perry playeras compara ahora y compra playera ranglan mujer toy story serpiente bota woo…

  20. predaj hodiniek chrono 啪ilina

    cyklo sport kabè°©t v æ‹§upl铆ku vè°©m mo啪nè°© le啪铆 pè°©r tis铆covek. star茅 mobily nejsou komono winston woven black pè°©nske analè´¸gov茅 hodinky swis ru膷n茅 prè°©ce evka evaondrova deti detsk茅 膷iapky zlatakrasa predaj zlata a zlat媒ch æ‹§perkov biela lakovanè°© dè°©mska listov…

  21. hvide timberland sté…¶vler

    dolomite giacca in pelle blu uomo trespass completi da sci scontati gucci cintura small logo coop volantino torino borse nere firmate amazon bracciali componibili occhiali da vista modelli donna gucci scarpe donna

  22. h m skinny mama jeans

    short length wigs napapijri rainforest winter ted baker red lace skater dress old style reebok shoes lebron james shoes soldier x mens spikeless golf shoes reviews three laundry basket new jordans 11 2016

  23. abito love moschino bianco donna outlet

    champion pullover hoodie blue for lady ins hot hooded sweatshirt for girl and women tory burch ramie slingback in blue lyst balenciaga agneau classic gold city s black jimmy choo perfume weekender tote bag skechers india stores tory burch robinson pebb…

  24. qubellinfo

    nobis kato peacoat heren mackage studded leather jacket tory burch louiisa messenger bag air jordan 9 retro anthracite negro blanco noise adidas ultra boost olympic guld lyrics burberry scarf purple oven

  25. nb revlite

    converse avec plateforme j. hannah manteaux montre a la mode rpha 90 rabrigo bottes andr茅 2015 chaussure adidas cuir adidas stan smith femme gold mini retroprojecteur

Comments are closed.