The Idol of his Youth

Andre, , , , ,

Edgard Varese-Complete Works of, vol 1The image to the right depicts the cover of the Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume 1. According to Zappa, this was the first record he ever owned. (And one that changed everything for him!)

The story of how he came to discover the record was well-rehearsed. The following quotation is drawn from an article he wrote for  Stereo Review:

I was about thirteen when I read an article in Look about Sam Goody’s Record Store in New York. My memory is not too clear on the details, but I recall it was praising the store’s exceptional record merchandising ability. One example of brilliant salesmanship described how, through some mysterious trickery, the store actually managed to sell an album called “Ionization” (the real name of the album was “The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume One”). The article described the record as a weird jumble of drums and other unpleasant sounds. I dashed off to my local record store and asked for it. Nobody ever heard of it. I told the guy in the store what it was like. He turned away, repulsed, and mumbled solemnly, “I probably wouldn’t stock it anyway … nobody here in San Diego would buy it.” I didn’t give up. I was so hot to get that record I couldn’t even believe it. [1]

A number of other sources provide a similar account. Though the details of the Look article frequently change with each retelling, Zappa is consistent in his description that the article was a feature on Samuel “Sam Goody” Gutowitz appearing in Look magazine and that it mentioned the Varèse album in negative terms to highlight Goody’s merchandising prowess. Consider the following quotation from a 1971 interview for Rock Magazine:

The thing that led me to Varèse’s music was an article in Look Magazine saying how great Sam Goody’s record store was. Sam Goody sells records so well that he can even sell a record called Ionizations – they even called the album wrong – it was The Complete Works of Edgar Varèse, Volume I. And they were telling how ugly this record sounded. It was just drums and sirens and nobody would want to own this record and Sam Goody was actually selling it [2]

Or Zappa’s response from an 1981 interview in Down Beat:

How did you first find out about Edgar Varèse?

That’s a very simple story. I read an article in Look magazine in the early ’50s which was a feature saying what a great guy Sam Goody was because he was such an exciting merchandiser and he could sell anything, he could sell any kind of record. And to give an example of what a great merchandiser he was, it said that he was even able to sell an album called “Ionisation” which had a bunch of drums banging, and it described the album in very negative terms. When I read that, I thought it sounded exactly like the kind of album that I wanted to hear because I had been playing drums since I was 12. So I went looking for the album and I finally found it after a couple of months’ search, and I took it home, put it on, and I loved it as soon as I heard it. [3]

These descriptions would all be fine, except no article matching this description ever ran in Look magazine. Several Zappa scholars have suggested the likely possibility that Zappa is conflating memories of several articles. None of them offers any suggestions as to particular articles, so I’d like to point to some potential candidates I’ve found.

Look Record GuideTo begin with, the November 7, 1950 issue of Look does include a brief (and surprisingly positive) review of the record, but makes no mention of Gutowitz:

The good-things-from-obscure-places department has come up with the following finds. From EMS, the first album of a series which proposes to record the complete works of the fantastically individualistic composer Edgard Varèse. Density 21.5, Integrales, Octandre and Ionisation—a dreamy little episode for 35 percussion instruments and absolutely nothing else—are the titles. Varèse is unlike anything else in music, and well worth knowing. The recording is excellent… [4]

Duke of the Disc DealersAlthough the album is reviewed favorably here, the description of the percussion does line up with Zappa’s memory.

Another possible source comes from a feature in The Saturday Evening Post: “Duke of the Disc Dealers.” (The image to the right links to a PDF of the article.)

One Goody customer is a rare and notable exception to this buyer pattern. An old lady in her seventies, she depends on Levin [the store manager] to set aside all records with fortissimo percussion passages. ‘She loves drums, gongs, cymbals and anything that makes a loud banging noise. She has excellent hearing and is not interested in volume, as such. She just gets a particular thrill out of everything which is savage and primitive.’ [5]

This article, however, makes no mention of Varèse

How Does Goody's Do ItGreg Russo has pointed out that the February 13, 1952 issue of People Today mentions Goody’s skills as a record salesman. [7] The article makes no mention of Varèse, but Russo suggests the possibility that Zappa first read about the record in a Sam Goody catalog. Along these lines, an article from Good Housekeeping (click the image for another PDF)  confirms Goody’s  merchandising techniques:

Goody believes in aggressive advertising. He floods schools, colleges, libraries, and embassies throughout the world with direct-mail-order advertising. [6]

It seems possible that Zappa may have come across one of the catalogs distributed in this manner. (I’ve sent several emails to Goody’s son in the hope that he might have some of the catalogs, but lost contact with him over a year ago.)

I can’t even begin to tell you how sweet it would have been if I had found an article matching Zappa’s description! (Even if it wasn’t in Look magazine.) Unfortunately, it seems that for now at least the mystery remains.

References:
[1] Frank Zappa, “Edgard Varèse: Idol of my Youth,” Stereo Review 26, no. 6 (June 1971): 62. (Text here.)
[2] David Reitman, “I Dreamed I Interviewed Frank Zappa In My Maidenform Bra,” Rock Magazine 2.13 (January 25, 1971): 31. (Text here.)
[3] John Diliberto and Kimberley Haas, “Frank Zappa on Edgar Varese,” Down Beat 48, no. 11 (November 1981): 22. (Text here.)
[4] Joseph Roddy, “Look Record Guide,” Look Magazine 14 (November 7, 1950): 111.
[5] Richard Thruelsen, “Duke of the Disc Dealers,” The Saturday Evening Post 229 (October 27, 1956): 124. (PDF here.)
[6] “How Does Goody’s Do It?,” Good Housekeeping 143 (September 1956): 56. (PDF here.)
[7] Greg Russo, Cosmik Debris: The Collected History and Improvisations of Frank Zappa (Floral Park, NY: Crossfire Publications, 1999), 9.
The Idol of his Youth

46,641 thoughts on “The Idol of his Youth”

  6. horecasummit

    nike lebron 14 gold pink mackage tote bag longchamp the north face apex bionic jacket high rise grey eyes prada saffiano tote price mens adidas d rose 7 dexter mccoil 23 jersey knit

  8. grey cotton t shirt palace

    minecraft megabuild london olympic stadium west ham united fc download officialair force wife bucket hatgazelle og leather trainers whitelee chungyong of bolton wanderers celebrates after scoring the winning goal during the fa cup sponsored

  9. comme des garcons converse high top

    new nike roshe run forladies one ofsubtler ones weve terms prints. coursecolors utilized arenew adidas originals marathon tr shoes b28134adidas nemeziz 17.3 fg am54849 football shoes forno taxes adidas eqt support 9316 boost black white green sale

  10. all bleary eyed except for the morning larks we met terminal 2 of changi airport 7.00am for a group check inwe wore our team t shirt because it s

    little tikes jrsoccer training setmanchester united s confirmed home kitbayern munich with a new oktoberfest inspired away shirtmunich x gresca indoor soccer futsal shoe blue yellow

  16. the north face oso hoodie maroon

    maroon fleece lined leggingsadidas originals pharrell williams leggings blackwhite women clothing adidas shoes saleadidas maroon pantsofficially authorizedadidas men grey cytins bc pad sporty jacketnew mens s small nike tech fleece tf windrunner jacket…

  18. zuma oversized wayfarer sunglasses

    sunglasses rayban rb3507 clubmaster aluminium 137 7o silver copper gradientultimate craft adventure at maui craft tours hijinkshow to export 3d analyzer reports in different formats 3d analyzerray ban rotondiray ban round flashray ban andyray ban carav…

  21. bright university red the nike react hyperdunk nike mens hyperdunk 2017 flyknit ep university redreflect

    nike kobe 9 elite low custom orange yellow air max 2018air max 2018nike air vapormaxair max 2017cheap mens nike kobe 6 black scarlet shoes for sale ogsize 7 air jordan golden moments packvr goggles with headphones 3d virtual reality goggles vr headset…

  26. all red nike sandals

    adidas predator 18.1 sg white core black real coral football bootsnike air jordan 12 low cool greyadidas predator 18.1 sg white core black real coral football bootsnike air flightposite one copper detailed pictures 01

  27. joseliebana

    burberry classic scarf sale pakistan nike free run schwarz mens gold canada goose kensington parka navy small fish christian louboutin rom 120 fringed suede ankle boots you tube parajumpers long bear coat prices moncler belette padded coat kits

  39. scnk atelierchloe mens save sneakers vans sneakers custom vans painted shoes mens vans womens character shoes custom sneakers vans slip on

    order 574cmu womens yellow chestnut gray shoes new balance flagship storeunder armour cartilage workout shoes mensruby shoo ladies june slip onconverse mens chuck taylor all star crimson casual sneakers finish line finish line athletic shoes men macys

  44. nhadatmoivn

    mackage puffer coat mennns nike air max 90 hvit burberry clinton check silk tie ways to wear a burberry scarf nobis bmw jacket gold black womens air jordan retro 1 shoes

  45. nike vapormax for comme

    cq1872 various kinds adidas x pharrell williams tennisadidas x 17 purespeed fg j kids whitenew balance 373 wl373wpggs adidas stan smith w white leather trainers bb4309 uk 4 eur 36 23 ebay

Comments are closed.