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”

  7. moorefornc

    ralph lauren jumpers kaki vert nike air max 1 mujeres naranja gris ralph lauren cotton t shirt in nero nike air max 2015 kvinners oransje lilla nike huarache lacrosse cleats rojo mens philadelphia flyers nike salute to service nhl hoodie

  8. sunglasses new with tags

    new polo ralph lauren ph3089 927271 sunglasses semi shiny dark brown onlineshopbuy fashion retro sunglasses women men large oversized metal roundsunglasses acetate glassespolaroid polarised sunglasses

  10. ozkaratasorg

    kids hypervenom nike blue mackage coat air jordan 11 retro high bred wolf eric kendricks 54 jersey devils real versace belt cheap oakley radar pitch sunglasses brandon

  12. stevenjwitt

    kobe 10 elite rose gold for verkauf website nike kobe 9 low orange vert mlb texas rangers 3 way fidget spinner g54 gray air jordan retro 12 kinder schwarz gelb nike huarache ultra blæ°“ lilla asics gel noosa tri 8 scarpe

  16. onewebsql

    adidas rose 773 ii hombres basketbtodas zapato names air max 90 gul blæ°“ snake air huarache legion vert inferno nike free run 5.0 v4 gray blu bianca herren nike roshe yeezy boost gold schwarz air jordan 1 ré…¶d and sort for salg

  17. 2018 new

    “adidas predator adidas predator 184nike hypervenom phantom iii nike hypervenom phantom iii gxadidas predator adidas predator accelerator dbnike hypervenomx proximo nike hypervenomx proximo ii tf”

  24. mundidopets

    youth golden state warriors hat university of arizona hat nike zoom clear out 2016 hermes collier bracelet parajumper v盲st coach silver crossbody

  25. rosado gris asics gel virage 4

    nike sb x medicom dunk high elite qs mens skateboardinggrey metallic silver 897816 100 mens kevin durantair max 95 og sku 872640skechers skechers couple dlites men and women 2018 thick bottom increased panda shoes 88888016

  26. air jordan 32 westbrook pe 01 hd 1600

    supreme x the north face backpack black box logo camp cap tnf bag f w 15supreme x the north face backpack black box logo camp cap tnf bag f w 15wypv nike zoom kd 9 mens nike kevin durant basketball shoes sd18nike zoom kevin durant kd 9 black iridescent…

  28. jenalgroup

    adidas damian lillard naranja gris oakley dispatch sunglasses over regular eyeglasses mets 33 matt harvey bluegrey no flexbase authentic collection stitched mlb jersey billig nike air max tailwind 5 herre gré…¶n aqua nike free runs uk femminile nike free…

  32. cumbrepyme

    adidas superstar 2 light blau nike roshe ld 1000 nz ray ban cats 5000 classic polarized reebok gl 6000 white nike internationalist 41 best mackage jacket

  40. chtalaska

    oakley holbrook gray polarized name prada small tote mackage fur trim parka hoodie ugg classic short boots 5825 white and red fendi belt red suede nike air max 1

  42. havaianas aerographic flip flop men

    burberry black brown multi thong sandals. size us 11new summer genuine leather sandals women open toe sandals sweet flowers ladies sandals shoes comfortable middle aged mother shoes ladies wedgekeds kids original champion cvo little kid big kid sku 749…

  43. celtics gray jersey tumblr.com

    shoes nikeclassic cortez leather 749571puma clyde x diamond co diamond blue 365651nike lunarepic low flyknit 2 mens 10 black white 863779new arrival most nike vapormax max flyknit air max 2017 bule red 849560

  45. top shirt dress

    manchester united home authentic adizero jersey authentic epl printingcanada goose boys royal blue youth expedition parka coatinfinite love ivory floral print off the shoulder maxi dressinfinite love ivory floral print off the shoulder maxi dress

  47. mapex

    blanco marrè´¸n hyperdunk 2017de las mujeres air jordan 14voltio voltio saucony spitfire 2rojo azul adidas ace tango 17.3 turf

Comments are closed.