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)”

  2. lego space martin gee

    obleke in tunike tunika sapphire 膷rna moncler polo majice prodajem sony playstation 4 toy story signature collection space space space aliens foto kalnu sl膿pot膩ji un snovbordisti siguldas un otrdien tie拧raid膿 r墨gas dinamo treni艈拧 zem tunika ar 膩das imi…

  3. cisalfa lucca

    damenstiefel gr枚脽e 43 bayern m眉nchen trikot gr枚脽e 128 sommerkleider f眉r hochzeitsfeier schmuck rosegold kette dolomite scarpe da bianche uomo dr martens mono cuffie on ear bluetooth

  7. Marco colorido a la moda para iPhone 11

    Personalizado caso Huawei espejo inteligente Flip caso la caja del tel de la Capa Coque para Mate 10 Lite Personalizado Sony funda de silicona para Sony para Sony Xperia Z3 Funda personalizada para Huawei Mapa Mundial viaje Just Go funda para P20 Pro P…

  8. heine teppich shop

    ballkleider bis 100 euro nikita rock fashionette designer handtaschen nomes de redes sociais nike shox netshoes new balance 574 couro handschuhe sehr warm enge jeans f眉r frauen apple watch sport loop armband coole sporthosen frauen nike free damen schw…

  9. 銉°兂銈恒偣銉嬨兗銈兗 銉°兂銈?銈广儖銉笺偒銉?銉忋偆銈儍銉堛偣銉嬨兗銈兗

    krabi膷ky na p艡铆slu拧enstv铆 specialista na perly 2as kutul ku艧 t眉y眉 yelek cu150gr銆€闀疯病甯冦€€闈┿€€鏄熴€€銇屻伨鍙ｃ€€銇嬨倧銇勩亜銆€銈广偪銉笺€€銉儊銉笺儠銆€銈广儓銉┿偆銉椼€€銉儑銈ｃ兗銈广€€璨″竷銆€銈广儶銉犮€€钖勫瀷銆€娴併倢鏄?瀹夊叏闈?銉熴偤銉?mizuno 銉椼儹銉嗐偗銉嗐偅銉栥偣銉嬨兗銈兗 c1ga1800 銈兗銉優銈ゃ儐銈f 绱愩偪銈ゃ儣 puma spor ayakkabè°‹…

  10. giacca north face hyvent

    scarpe vans bordo papillon uomo camicia tendenze scarpe primavera estate 2016 uomo polo ralph lauren maglione donna szabadid艖ruha fi煤 budmil t茅likab谩t akci贸 dormeo memory p谩rna bor铆t茅kt谩ska prestige ez眉st camicie trussardi action

  11. nike boys 8 20 signal volley swim shorts

    vincija swim textured black top size 6 depop sears catalogue 2014 swim suit offers for women sunflair sea dome swimsuit has free shipping at uk swimwear tavik black bikini top front tie swimsuit black swimsuit with morellato anello donna in acciaio con…

  12. flamengo venda de camisas adidas

    blazer para se帽oras gorditas fajas salome madrid 3 en 1 precio carrefour 讛驻谞讬谞讙 讞讝专讛 诇诇讬诪讜讚讬诐 讘注讬讚谉 2000 专讗砖 诪讘专砖转 砖讬谞讬讬诐 诇谞讬拽讜讬 讬住讜讚讬 oral b precision clean 讞讜驻砖转 住拽讬 讛讻诇 讻诇讜诇 诇讛砖讗讬专 讗转 讛讚讗讙讜转 讘讘讬转 诇讗谉 讟住讬诐 讛讚专讱 诪讻谞住讬 注讜专. miss fashion lojas marisa co…

  14. scott vertic 3l herren skijacke herren

    geox d臎tsk茅 zimn铆 boty 拧edè°© 4930 bonawear b铆l茅 拧aty s63 b铆lè°© originè°©ln铆 dè°©msk茅 拧aty vrchn铆 barva lazurol oknobal email u2015 barvy laky unimax abrigo corto gris mujer 慰位慰蟽蠅渭畏 渭蟺位蔚 蠁慰蟻渭伪 desigual tasche dickies munkaruha kert茅sznadrè°©g kirè°©lyk茅k navy det…

  16. michael kors loja

    bateria para telefone sem fio teclado de mouse salto alto grosso comprar camisa corinthians 2014 preta melhor raquete do mundo colgantes de angeles fundas para alcatel 3x converse amarillas baratas skechers baratas online adidas premium plaza dise帽os d…

  18. coque coach samsung galaxy a3

    adidas messi botines zapatillas nike mujer precios tienda zapatos xti zapatillas brooks cascadia adidas kanadia hombre auto para ni帽a partido peru adidas neo rojos mochilas de tela para mujer chanclas adidas 2016 adidas gloro cesped artificial camisas…

  19. pictures of flat irons mall

    new era new york hats men and women la dodge baseball caps men and women couple hammerschmid weste trachtenweste grau gr眉n strick zopfmuster herren gr 54 preschool adidas tubular radial loveckè°© obuv blaser winter what are the eye exam costs at target t…

  20. carhartt ripstop cargo work short desert detail

    free shipping new men women diabetes shoes casual health care shoes diabetes care foot support medical orthopedic orthotics new deal alert kuru womens luna plantar fasciitis shoes red black funny bricklayer t shirt bad ass tradesman humor union proud q…

  21. blusas juveniles de moda elegantes

    all star converse a basso prezzo scarpe puma ultimo modello diamante swarovski costo combinaison rouge chantier bague homme ancre promotion lacoste haut parleur sans fil bluetooth comparatif uniforme arquero ni帽o calzado de moda 2018 mujer botines de h…

  22. real vs betis

    vetement b茅b茅 茅t茅 altitude breathing mask vestido camisero amarillo mens gucci slides on venta nac wlbc 260 opinie czerwone bluzki reserved ekspres do kawy na kapsu艂ki tchibo ceramiczny czajnik bia艂e buty na obcasie kolce do biegania damskie sandaly pl…

  23. cal莽a jeans c贸s alto levanta bumbum feminina pronta entrega

    modrè°© ko拧e木a pre chlapcov secondhand kopacke adidas f50 c klasa mali oglasi 賰乇丞 丕賱賯丿賲 噩賷乇爻賷 2016 兀丨丿孬 氐賲賷賲 丕賱爻丕禺賳丞 賮乇賯 賰乇丞 丕賱賯丿賲 賮賷 氐賵乇 賰乇賷爻 賷丕賳賵 乇賵賳丕賱丿賵 è³· 賰賮賱 囟丨丕賷丕 丨乇丕卅賯 睾丕亘丕 丕賱亘乇 睾丕賱 behind the bling the 2016 victorias secret fantasy bra radnicke pa…

  24. n谩hrdeln铆ky m谩ly m谩la tyg艡铆 oko 膷erven茅

    tamaris cipele na petu conjunto deportivo nike fitness tracksuit martimx mart铆 jeans con bordado de mezclilla de moda pantalones vaqueros dje膷iji dje膷ji auto auti膰 auti膰i motor akumulator djecu poli膷ka do detskej izby 蠁慰蟻渭伪 蟽蟿蟻伪蟿喂蠅蟿喂魏萎 丕賮囟賱 丕丨匕賷丞 賰乇丞 丕…

  25. sneakers premium nike internationalist azul mujer la rana con pelo

    啪ica za zavarivanje tig 316 lsi fi 2 mm tmav臎 modrè°© pè°©nskè°© ko拧ile se vzory s novè°© mobiln铆 aplikace dm software pantofle dziewcz臋ce superfit braun is 2044 vi od 3 486 k膷 dm katalog 16.2 auto slepa auto vuca prikolica za slepanje vozila autoprikolica edu…

  26. melhor bola de futebol

    schuhe billig einkaufen arbeitshandschuhe gelb fleecejacke kinder m盲dchen bader gratis ringella online shop puma goldene kappe trachtenmode zillertal 讚讜谞讛 讜讬拽讟讜专讬讛 讘注讝专讬讗诇讬 讗讜专 讬讛讜讚讛 讗讗讜讟诇讟 注讻讘专 砖诇讟 讗诇讞讜讟讬 诪砖讜诇讘 诇诪爪讙讜转 hp elite presenter mouse 讗讬讱 诇驻转讜…

  27. nakts kontaktl膿cas jeb b膿rniem forums

    sto za stoni tenis sportska oprema ni拧 besplatni mali lonsdale rukavice za boks pro trainer stigle prve 拧tikle i platforme za mu拧karce hranilica za bebe chipolino comfort plus lego jurassic world 75915 pteranodon capture toy story woody buzz lightyear…

  28. under armour mens training hoodie t shirt

    summer work style 2020 uptempo money black and red casual attire cheap beach outfits vaporfly release philips respironics accessories bn wt under armour ua compression fitted heatgear active top in sm size cheap a under armour under armour boys ua thre…

  29. louis vuittons tambour horizon is the smartwatch for lovers

    sprè°©vce dan臎 guess kabelka bobbi yato dobijak do paneli desek pod艂ogowych broel caterina czapka na zim臋 dla dziewczynki dwa pompony czarna niedziele handlowe 2018. godziny otwarcia sklepè´¸w biedronka zabawki wader czy warto kupi膰 brak limitè´¸w louis vuit…

  30. 讻诇 讛驻讜住讟讬诐 专讜拽讞转 讛讞诇讜诪讜转 讘诇讜讙 讗讜讻诇 砖专讜谉 住注专

    谞注谞注10 讬讜诐 讬讜诐 讬诐 讙谞注谞注 讘讙讚讬 讙讜祝 拽讟讙讜专讬讜转 诪讜爪专讬诐 讘专讘专讛 讛讬讘讜讗谉 讛专砖诪讬 诇讘讙讚讬 讙讜祝 nike air max 270 gs size color pure platinum white emerald rise quantity 1 xperia 銈ㄣ偗銈广儦銉偄 xz3 銉夈偝銉?so 01 銈偗銈汇偟銉兗 銈姐儖銉?/a> stolen 2000 specialized s works xc fsr 2019 whol…

  31. pull aran homme

    zapatos kickers ni帽as colegiales zapatos monk pige toilettaske habit tilbud k酶benhavn flyverdragt 104 tilbud nb balance 574 meses sin intereses como funciona calvin klein negozi italia sandali oro guess camicia allattamento piumini in saldo on line

  32. denim noir levis 501 taille 44

    drewniany st贸艂 kuchenny z krzeslami do kuchni i 4 krzes艂a tricikl za odrasle mochi a jansport mar ey doma膷a lekarna in ozimnica insektgardin pliss茅 for dé…¶r 噩賵賱賵賱賷 亘丕賱氐賵乇.. 亘賷乇賷賳 爻丌 兀賰孬乇 賳爻丕亍 乇賰賷丕 兀賳丕賯丞 v媒prodej letn铆ch 拧atæš– a tunik s nè°©padit媒mi vzory o…

  34. calendario liga italiana

    zapatillas converse de cuero hombre polos de hackett sandro ropa de mujer zapatillas negras pull and bear sudadera just do it mujer chandal del betis 2019 el corte ingles mandelac sesderma botines indios mujer pants leather nike air force modelos botas…

  35. hossz煤szeletes keny茅rpir铆t贸

    sols n艖i pè´¸lè´¸ sydney 180 feh茅r disney obag o bag tè°©ska 9000 ft karè°©csonyi akciè´¸ we will rock you hungary reebok chaussure velo sac longchamp solde lolivier derfor skal du ikke kaste klå¿™r i restavfallet slank sé…¶lvbestikk f. lohne nappali bç…¤tor bepa outl…

  36. calvin klein light ro膷na ura

    giubbino donna kocca nero velluto imbottito black amazon prime vestiti polo ralph lauren short sleeve polo shirt club pink kompleti alata interhit electronic fantasti膷na trudni膷ka moda chrissy teigen ona je sama sa拧ila svoju matursku haljinu kad su spo…

  37. new balance preto e prata

    iphone se h眉lle silikon moderne winterjacken frauen 诪讬讟转 拽讜诪讜转讬讬诐 诪诪转讻转 讚讙诐 讚谞讬讗诇 讜讬诇讜谞讜转 诇讞讚专 砖讬谞讛 诇讙讘专转 讜讬拽讟讜专讬讛 诪专诪转 讙谉 elinor design gear smartwatch placa maternidade campera pepe jeans bolso maletin mujer gucci zapatos danca

  38. handtasche mit vielen taschen

    zapatos y bolsos de fiesta online baratos joyerias baratas en santiago fundas sillas comedor productos timberland ponto frio porto alegre site modelos de capacete de moto tenis do jacare blusas da moda branca

  40. moda occhiali da sole nuovo oakley 152 outlet

    nonwe mens quick dry swim trunks colorful stripe beach shorts with mesh lining green striped with j. crew other jcrew red wrap bathing suit cover up olaf benz blu 1200 beach body mens swimwear swimming swimsuit all in one costume malia mills seductress…

  41. nike dual fusion tr 2 print running shoes for women

    转讜砖讘转 讻讬讚讜谉 注诐 讝专讜注 讙诪讬砖讛 诇讗讜驻谞讜注 讗讜驻谞讬讬诐 10 住 诪 讗转专 诇诪讻讬专讛 转讬拽 讟专讜诇讬 砖诇 拽诇 诇转讬谞讜拽 讜诇讬诇讚 转讬拽讬诐 讬讚 砖谞讬讛 ad 讙讬讘讜讬 诪讞砖讘 诪砖专讚讬 讗讜 砖专转 讗讬谞讟专住讬讟讬 vendo abito da sposa marca spose di gio taglia annunci roma adidas floral print tracksuit 砖讜诇讞谉 讟谞讬住 讞讜抓 outdoor…

  42. used surgical lights

    sbiancante denti olje za suhe lase siti abbigliamento economici uomo netkanè°© textilie b铆lè°© psac铆 stæš–l 120×60 vajsz铆nç–Ÿ bakancs black long mermaid dress shein kids bathing suits oble膷en铆 a boty mascarilla de cafe y miel para las ojeras 写芯褋褌邪胁泻邪 芯斜芯褉褍写芯胁邪…

  43. cijene najma stanova od 100 do 3000 eura narodni

    kuchenka do zabawy o喂 谓苇蔚蟼 渭蟺蠈蟿蔚蟼 蟿畏蟼 chanel 位维渭蟺慰蠀谓 蟽伪谓 未喂伪渭维谓蟿喂伪 bovary mini haljina zvono kroja s ma拧nom polo majice s tiskom teku膰e 拧kolsko ljepilo 250ml carioca kupovina igra膷keshop bugaboo ant kreirajte svoja kolica

  44. 丕乇賵毓 氐賵乇 禺賱賮賷丕 2019 丕噩賲賱 禺賱賮賷丞 乇賵毓賴 2019 丕噩丿丿 賵丕丨賱賶

    aud铆fonos huawei am60 sport bluetooth en bolivia hofer blue motion 啪enske raztegljive jeans hla膷e bassetti pantone hom store casa jedilna miza 210 bassin med bolde h盲nglæ°“s j盲rn 13 kr 魏蟿畏谓喂伪蟿蟻喂魏畏 蟽蟿畏 蟽慰蠁喂伪 蟽蟺慰蠀未苇蟼 魏蟿畏谓喂伪蟿蟻喂魏萎蟼 蟽蟿畏 蟽蠈蠁喂伪 staklena klizna…

  45. funny swim team shirts

    im fat because mens funny rude t shirt gift present humor rebound dual acl brace polo ralph lauren striped performance lisle polo denim supply ralph lauren womens stretch hem cargo jogger pants black xs domestic meter ready skins skins essential unisex…

  46. 专讘讬注讬 注专讘 讞讙 住讜讻讜转

    deporte al aire libre senderismo visera alto negro aislado en el fondo blanco gorra von dutch camiè´¸n 05 rojo gorra gorro tejido en agujas circulares. solo punto al derecho 住拽住讬转 讘转讜住驻转 讙讜讚诇 谞砖讬诐 谞注诇讬 专讬拽讜讚 谞注诇讬 注拽讘 谞注诇讬讬诐 注拽讘 谞讜讞讜转 诇注专讘 讜诇讬讜诐 讬讜诐 住讟 讞诪…

  47. new balance 1550 brown

    waterproof adidas jacket saucony peregrine 5 womens green clarks flip flops mens gold mizuno contact dar uma volta è„¿ decora莽茫o da casa com estes fantè°©sticos bolsa de festa modelo clutch srajce mo拧ki zara slovenija nike elite football socks reebok leggi…

  48. nike basket shoes

    maglione a trecce uomo spotec sandaler spejl med trå¿™ramme zapatillas blancas con velcro mujer jordan 1 blue black botas negras mujer cortas con tacon zapatillas asics fuzex vans de cuadros rojos

  49. remera adidas clasica

    sandalias azul electrico heine maxikleid kaufen online adidas tiro 17 trainingshose damen onesie fleece damen oakley jacke herren bolle skibrille herren abendkleider kurz g眉nstig otto meia 100 algod茫o lupo kit de velas aromaticas

  50. 讚谞讬讛 拽驻讛 讘讻讬讻专 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 转驻专讬讟 诪砖诇讜讞讬诐 住谞讚讜讜讬抓 讟讜住讟

    讗诇祝 讗诇祝 讗砖转讜专讬 讛驻专讞讬 9 注诐 讗讬讝讜 诪讝讜讜讚讛 诪讜转专 诇注诇讜转 诇诪讟讜住 讘专讘讬 专讜驻讗转 砖讬谞讬讬诐 注诐 诪讙讜讜谉 注讝专讬 诪砖讞拽 讛讚驻住讛 注诇 讞讜诇爪讜转 讘讛讜讚 讛砖专讜谉 讗爪诇 讛诪讜诪讞讬诐 诇讛讚驻住讜转 诪讙讜讜谉 camisa branca palmeiras 2019 cazadora bomber pull and bear gucci blanco entrenadores mujer cupom de descont…

Comments are closed.