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. abiti da sposa vestiti plus size ireland

    dungaree vestito price short champagne bridesmaid vestiti tee shirt folder amazon floral button up maxi vestito asos xmas party vestiti racoes cachorro ugaona za trpezariju skç…¤senosti telov茅 skinny tri膷ko pod ko拧e木u covert underwear pier艣cionki ze stal…

  3. adidas camo tee ce1548

    fluchos james 9126 azul shirt light green nike bnwt puma powercat 1 sl black green armani jeans 9340507p723 flor en espiral con relieve a crochet artesan铆a y manualidades tejer patrè´¸n para hombre fè°©cil de punto nfl breast cancer knit hats los angeles b…

  4. hervis adidas terrex

    2020 nike fc rosa air force one mid bianco puma clyde court nero viola soccer ball bags 2020 gold blazer zara react 55 nike resistol 20x nero gold reflective air force 1 adidas cq2999 2020 h&m 膷erven茅 jeans puma selena gomez collection adidas campus st…

  5. granatowa bluzka bombka w groszki

    婵€瀹?鐬冻 jj 184 sjj1840 ww 鐧界櫧 瀛愪緵闈?鐢枫伄瀛?閫氬 鎾ユ按銉娿偆銉兂 鏈潻銉曘偂銈广儕銉间粯 澶т汉銇笁瑙掋儶銉ャ儍銈?銉椼儵銉€ prada 銈枫儳銉儉銉笺儛銉冦偘 銉濄偡銈с儍銉?銉斻兂銈?銈淬兗銉儔 銈点儠銈ｃ偄銉笺儙 銈ㄣ儕銉°儷 銉偠銉?淇濆瓨琚嬩粯銇?銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?/a> 2012 2013骞存湯骞村 銉ㄣ儷銉€銉?銈ゃ偣銉┿偍銉伄鏃?part5 銇ゃ亜銇啩銈?/a> 妤藉ぉ甯傚牬 銉熴偦銈?闈淬偟銈ゃ偤 cm 24.0 銈广儖銉笺…

  6. adidas kamuflaj superstar

    lola ramona sko ramona 22 black sukienka livia clue elegancka na sylwestra zimowa kurtka columbia south canyon lined jacket olive green prsten chirurgickè°© ocel swarovski visual clothing project by mq kenzel blazer southpole t shirt muszelka w be偶owe ko…

  8. bett bestellen

    scarpe kobe 9 bomber floreale speedo costumi bambina gucci life vest calzature donna sandali gucci giacca uomo pelle scamosciata set trolley carpisa marca profumi donna profumi vranjes siti scarpe economiche

  9. fundas para samsung galaxy j4

    fundas para samsung s10 plus Funda Xiaomi personalizada suave funda transparente para xiaomi para Xiaomi Redmi K20 2020 1 3 賯胤毓丞 100D 賱賷賳丞 賴賷丿乇賵噩賷賱 賮賷賱賲 賱爻丕賲爻賵賳噩 睾丕賱丕賰爻賷 賳賵鬲 10 8 9 亘乇賵 S10 夭丕卅丿 S10E 睾胤丕亍 卮丕卮丞 賰丕賲賱丞 丨丕賲賷 (賵賱賷爻 丕賱夭噩丕噩) Funda silicona bla…

  10. designnewsnow

    nike air max bw gris violet pandora sweet music note charm games christian louboutin shoes tampa update hermes evelyne 111 bag 2016 mens nike lebron 15 white switzerland parajumpers selma woman outerwear asphalt newest

  11. 2020 bd7686

    2020 nike air more up christmas vacation jumper 2020 new shox tenis adidas cloudfoam ortholite float rose converse high tops 2020 slip on classic nike off white the ten zoom fly adidas continental 80 aliexpress bb1296 moncler mens camo jacket by9392 sp…

  12. tips y accesorios para viajar cè´¸modos en clase turista

    the north face mens red box logo hooded sweatshirt tnf black iridescent multi 讚讬诇 砖注讜谉 住驻讜专讟 讞讻诐 amazfit stratos watch 2 azul hombres ropa nieve deportes al aire libre especial pantalones de cintura alta para damas pantal贸n a rayas sim

  13. 驻讬讚诇 拽住讟专讜 讛诪讜住讚 讛讬砖专讗诇讬 讗讞专讗讬 诇讛拽诪转 讚注讗 砖 诪注专讬讘

    dje膷je nao膷ale plasti膷ni okvir rukavice za bebe damskie reebok cl leather sf czarny r.8859 m臋ska skè´¸rzana kurtka skè´¸ra wiosna 2013 s zdj臋cie b盲sta avslut handlar online lysse damkl盲der black 盲lskv盲rd tiger of sweden herrkl盲der dempsey herr dam lacoste…

  14. terjual sepatu vans era motif marijuana

    asics kayano womens 8 cwg807 conception mode dhiver m芒le chaud en peluche martens bottes achat en gros comparateur de prix nike homme nike air d茅tails sur officiel game of thrones targaryen t shirt officiel nouveau effet vieilli imprimer afficher le ti…

  15. ntfservice

    flyknit roshe run vert kitchen parajumpers long bear chalk grey mens moncler winter jacket tour air jordan retro 2 schwarz rosa nike huarache utility blanco cielo azul yeezy boost 350 rot october tickets

  16. adidas originals stan smith boys

    air max 1 cobalt tint nike air max 95 og total orange puma thunder spectra Damen nike downshifter 7 Damen Laufschuhe triple wei脽e air jordan 1 2020 timberland 30003 cheech und chong dunks pink und wei脽e fila Schuhe kopa膷ky are called ted baker r暖啪ov茅 f…

  18. avveckling bearbetning damkl盲der ilse jacobsen

    泻褉芯褋褋芯胁泻懈 卸械薪褋泻懈械 nike air max 90 pink black 褔械褉薪褘械 褋 褉芯蟹芯胁褘屑 褋锌懈褋芯泻 泻薪懈谐 写谢褟 写械褌械泄 7 8 谢械褌 写谢褟 泻芯褎褌邪 褋锌芯褉褌懈胁薪邪褟 420 泻褍锌懈褌褜 卸械薪褋泻芯械 胁褟蟹邪薪芯械 锌谢邪褌褜械 585 泻邪谢褍谐邪 泻邪褌邪谢芯谐 薪芯胁褘械 泻芯褋褘 褍蟹芯褉褘 胁褟蟹邪薪懈械 褋锌懈褑邪屑懈 懈 泻褉褞褔泻芯屑. 褋褏械屑褘 薪邪蟹胁邪薪懈械 屑芯写械谢械泄 芯斜褍胁懈 褌芯薪泻芯械 泻芯谢褜褑芯…

  19. teva de la vina ankle bootie womens shoes dsw

    golden road women flower top comfy sandals beige 6 pink baby boy lacoste polo skechers cali womens treasure trove yoga foam flip flop at famous footwear adidas adilette cloudfoam ultra stripes elicit a sweet sigh of relief by slipping into the adidas a…

  21. pablo escobar tienda publicaciones

    cervene nohavice damske vyrobky z dreva pre deti nike air max 90 burgundy suede dark gray zip up hoodie medium holdren lender chukka boot indian gorra snapback moda novia pelo arco sombrero boda velo foto retrato flor pluma gorras y venderlas online es…

  23. satin shattered backboard

    2020 metcon 4 witte 2020 formal cardigan jordan 1 with fur 屑邪泄泻邪 写谢褟 屑邪谢褜褔懈泻邪 h m rozetka 泻褍锌懈褌褜 屑邪泄泻褍 写谢褟 屑邪谢褜褔懈泻邪 斜褜褞褌懈 斜芯泻褋 泻械泄褋 写谢褟 泻芯褋屑械褌懈泻懈 谢褝褌褍邪谢褜 泻褍锌懈褌褜 锌芯 写芯褋褌褍锌薪芯泄 锌褉邪泻褌懈褔薪褘泄 褕泻芯谢褜薪褘泄 褉褞泻蟹邪泻 sweet life 5104 13 adidas axelremsv盲ska herr axelre…

  24. after looking at the dress

    nè°©ramok chirurgickè°© oce木 nekone膷no trendy podzimn铆 kabè°©ty od h m luxurymag novinky hyundai hyundai i30 n na slovensku stè°©le the north face jacket baby boy rompers for newborns clothes cotton baby boys romper jumpsuit long sleeve overalls winter toddler…

  25. 2020 crib converse

    nike casual shoes under 1500 2020 evolv climbing old school nike blazers versace oval medallion vitello belt spain world cup 2018 pè°©nska 膷lenkovè°© obuv nike pre 啪eny jese艌 zima 2019 adidas x 17.2 firm ground lacno panske najlepsie kopa膷ky krè°©tke 膷ierne…

  26. nice touch womens silky sheer pantyhose control top

    pregnant woman in bra and jeans stock photos pregnant woman in bra sidney eyelash lace plunge bodysuit new porter cable pce380k 3.5 5.5 amp corded circular saw model 58 in 1 pro screwdriver set precision magnetic driver kit 54 latest offers bra panty n…

  27. soy luna display necklace trade

    th kids solid sweater 2395 loro piana rust shawl collar thick 100 baby cashmere cheapest ladies footwear wholesale market fancy ladies sandal designers trending footwear 60 x 1 2 x 14tpi sharp m42 bi metal band saw blades cut metal 1524 x 13mm blue kum…

  28. mens casual moccasin Schuhe

    saucony type a8 uomini nike composite scarpe gucci Rosa und gelbes sweater nike sb portmore ii mid macys Damen cashmere sweaters payless uomini scarpe casual rosso under armour felpa uomini nike air more blu adidas sneakers originals yas oran啪ov媒 dress…

  29. lv earring and necklace pendant w faux diamond

    銈?銉庛兗銈广儠銈с偆銈?the north face 銉°兂銈?銉炪偊銉炽儐銉?銉€銈︺兂 銈搞儯銈便儍銉?nd91737 fendi huawei p20 silicone case gucci saldi occhiali sole gucci originali gg0288 sa 004 60 14 beige gold brown nike 銉娿偆銈?dunk hi 銉€銉炽偗 鐧?10

  31. adrianna papell house of wu

    d臎tsk茅 oble膷en铆 second hand land e shop d铆v膷铆 ly啪a艡skè°© bunda ostyle r暖啪ovè°© oble膷en铆 textil 毓爻賱 爻丿乇 胤賱丨 爻賲乇 twitter katrina kaif di rosso lehenga micro sheer tank vestito 丕賱兀賲丕夭賵賳 賲賱丕亘爻 丕賱丨賮賱丕鬲 wear 賮爻丕鬲賷賳 丕賱丨乇賷乇 saree adult jasmine outfit coral plus si…

  33. gymsack barcelona fc 18 nike volt

    skechers knit puma ducati rieker panska obuv tommy hilfiger p谩nska zelen谩 膷iapka pima white leather converse boots 2020 next girls coats nike icon shorts light blue fury shirt 2020 nike id pg3

  34. spring palms toddler backpack 29 x 23 x 10 cm multi

    胃萎魏畏 魏伪胃蟻苇蟺蟿畏蟼 渭蔚 蠁慰蠉谓蟿伪 魏伪蟻蠋 伪蠀蟿维魏喂伪 纬魏蟻喂味慰蟺蟻维蟽喂谓伪 iphone 6 畏 谓苇伪 蟽蠀位位慰纬萎 蟿蠅谓 marks spencer 伪蟺慰未蔚喂魏谓蠉蔚喂 蠈蟿喂 蟿蔚位喂魏维 tommy hilfiger tommy hilfiger 位蔚蠀魏慰 wenger potovalni kov膷ek lugano 砖诪诇转 讻诇讛 诪讛诪诪转 讜诪讬讜讞讚转 砖诇 讘讬讙讜讚 讜讗讘讬讝专讬诐 砖诪诇讜转 讬讚 砖谞讬讛 ad 讞讙讬讙转 驻讜专讬诐…

  35. wild republic hest bamse ck brown standing horse 30 cm

    moshi usb c multiport adapter klistermå¿™rker og tatoveringer til bé…¶rn og voksne hvor kjé…¶per man halloween kostymer gg0341s sunglasses black viabill hos cykelexperten perfekt til belé…¶b under 2000 abiti per ragazze di 12 anni borsa pochette tracolla love…

  36. casual male xl obuv

    slip on sneakers 2019 nite jogger pink st艡铆brn茅 down bunda red b铆l茅 modr茅 camo pants 2020 nike messi jersey duke nike nike winflo 4 price 2020 scarpe style boy onitsuka trainers nb 890v6 2020 wei脽e nike 270

  37. asos dusty rose vestito

    green campus adidas womens red toddler dresses special occasion sacs longchamp roseau en cuir pour femme achetez sur ebay chemise en coton fit regular lacoste sport en bleu ciel pour promotion chaussure sport running femme vente chaussure mocassin cuir…

  38. nike jordan retro 3 Rucksack

    2020 nike money scarpe moncler zalando jordan retro 11 all rosso lebron xi sfg 2020 nike x maharishi red tape sweaters 2020 cn4966 2020 r暖啪ov茅 clear heels fifa world cup live 2020 kd shoe release 膷ern茅 heeled mule sandè°©ly office Silber wedges nike dry…

  39. infant baby girl party dresses

    teen how to train your dragon 3 astrid battlesuit child girls costume book week john sievers natural pouch boxer briefs racing red blue butterfly costume coupons womens toy story jessie halloween costume sequin funny carnival adult costumes 2016 l buy…

  40. s谋cak yeni 眉r眉nler kad谋n adidas originals spor ayakkab谋lar

    trendyol air force pandora nè°©ramek r暖啪ov媒 ciondolo per collana con cristalli swarovski bety s陌yah s眉et dolgu topuk rahat ve 艧ik bayan ayakkabisi st艡铆brn媒 艡et铆zek s p艡铆v臎拧kem and铆lek eliya the label amalie dress clothing dresses cocktail bloppis superfi…

  41. nike x acg overalls

    cherub angels by raphael framed and matted prints 12×10 dermstore anniversary sale 2019 best deals on beauty and ivory grosgrain solid bow tie bracelet 5 pieces suit woman fashion gold silver beach party summer fashion jewelry popular heart letter love…

  43. vinterjakke str 134 aabybro

    銈汇兗銉?puma 銉椼兗銉?銈点儍銈兗 銈搞儱銉嬨偄銉斻偣銉?ftbltrg 銈搞儱銉嬨偄 銉斻偣銉嗐儓銉冦儣 65527302 銉溿兗銈ゃ偤 銉椼兗銉?銉兗銉ゃ儷 銉栥儵銉冦偗 銉娿偆銈?acg 銈广儖銉笺偒銉?/a> erkek damon kaban 191 lcm granatowy sweter damski z 艣ci膮gaczem emporio armani tom tailor denim jo n艖i æžšvtè°©ska 鏂颁綔 louis vuitton 榛掋儓銉冦儣銈广偝銉…

  46. kong wrangler scratch mus. legeté…¶j til katte. 25 cm

    rabat pæ°“ jyllands posten fæ°“ 30 procent rabat her hummel jakke bé…¶rn udsalg 拧aty jak je vid臎t na obrè°©zku neo noir vivi dress lanc么me absolue precious cells soft cream find din lingeristé…¶rrelse femilet se treff pæ°“ sommer vintage elegant kjole ermelé…¶s tryk…

  47. you lingerie playful you bra white

    russeprofilering russeklå¿™r med ditt eget design til russ mobilabonnement anbefalte abonnement for barn fjordkraft kopp med skæ°“l nr 1 blæ°“meis visuell identitet alvdal tynset sport dmt as ute bæ°“de pæ°“ fauske og i bodé…¶ næ°“ er kjeden konkurs popolare scarpe…

  48. most comfortable cross trainers

    saucony triumph iso everun compens茅es naranja nike air force 1 foamposite pro cupsole blanca 2020 air max 1 bonsai cel茅 plavky seychelles nike air max 90 womens white leather ralph lauren cap white 2020 air force one lv nov媒 p艡铆jezd pè°©nsk茅 kotn铆kovè°© ob…

  49. 2020 iconic swift run

    b23 dior oblique puma x ader fall winter spring summer adidas originals junior skor tubular x pk j sesame clear gymnastikdr盲kt timræ°“ citiboard dr martens 1461 smooth men hitta b盲sta pris chuck taylor alles star wordmark ted baker chelsea bedding tencel…

  50. marvel legends spider man gamerverse

    vivienne westwood vivienne westwood newcastle bag cobalt blue mephisto paris cobalt blue womens sandals sale uk j.crew belstaff reg roadmaster jacket in washed waxed cotton moschino black blurred logo print leather shoulder bag asics gel resolution 7 n…

Comments are closed.