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. damen elegante kleid lila beige

    miusol v ausschnitt abendkleid elegant spitze cocktailkleid 3 4 arm bogen g眉rtel hochzeit brautjungferabstand kosteng眉nstige zimmermann ash gestreifte tunika bluse streifen womens pullover kleider am teure kostena linie kleid fl眉gel盲rmel mit rose druck…

  3. 毓丕乇囟丕 兀夭賷丕亍 禺賱丕賱 兀爻亘賵毓 賲乇爻賷丿爻 亘賷賳夭 賱賱兀夭賷丕亍 賮賷 亘賱賷爻賷. 丕 賮 亘

    10 najlepszych hurtowni odzie偶y w bielsku podlaskimczerwone sukienki sylwestrowe bez r臋kaw贸w na weselezmys艂owe i eleganckie sukienki top secret 10 hit贸w z najnowszejsklep sukienki wz贸r paski wiosna 2019

  4. adidas biustonosz sportowy roz s 34 36 oficjalne

    bolsos bolsos visona mano turquesa de mujer plinio de bolsos azulmini bandolera tapiz beige moda primavera verano para hombre y mujersu precio en la pè°©gina web de gucci es de nada mè°©s y nada menos que 3.400 casi nè°©boshiho para hombre de piel multi clip…

  6. champion heritage embroidered white t shirt

    gucci other gucci baby bathing suitmemorial day beachwear fashions from life magazine 1950 cover storyold navy swim bikini bottoms for women at amazon womens clothingin x micro thong bikini 2019 sexy ruffle swimsuit female plus size swimwear triangle b…

  8. iphone x and beats headphones

    muck boots womens cambridge tall rain boots 1gucci baby boys red tiger sweater kids gucci hoodies guccicompany bikini from elegant moments with fast shipping andmajorca style the swimming costume my blog

  10. kobe ix high krm ext qs black mamba youtube

    jual sepatu futsal adidas ace 17.3 primemesh in original bb1763adidas kids predator telstar 18 fg football boots core black metallic copper solid greymens lionel messi barcelona fc logo t shirt whitedesign a basketball logo for uniform jersey

  11. herre sport fritidssko mbt shop danmark

    gildan ultra cotton long sleeve t shirt next level tri blend baseball raglanthe best of mlb players weekendjosh gordon could be the patriots x factor in 2019 pats pulpitmens full zip hoodie kangaroo pocket burgundy ringers western

  13. 泻芯屑锌谢械泻褌 锌芯褋褌械谢褜薪芯谐芯 斜械谢褜褟 懈蟹 褋邪褌懈薪邪 褋械屑械泄薪褘泄 褉芯屑斜褘 锌芯 褑械薪械 3 350

    銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?浣撳瀷銈儛銉?銉兂銉斻兗銈?姘寸潃 榛?鐒″湴 銉兂銉斻兗銈?銉曘儶銉?銉愩兂銉夈偉 姘寸潃 銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?娓╂硥 銉偆銉ゃ兗銉撱偔銉?銈儠銈枫儳銉儉銉?銉撱偔銉?銉曘儸銈?銉撱偔銉?闊撳浗鐧芥ソ澶┿仹銉┿兗銉°兂銈掑彨銇?灞辨湰槌冲嚢鍫?銇婁粡澹?绁堛倞銇皞闁€搴?/a>銉曘偅銉?銈点兂銉€銉?銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?23.0 25.0cm é—ˆ?濂虫€?銈广儩銉笺儎 fila sleek veltrap sdreir 銉偆銉笺儷 coral veil raffingbil…

  21. nike d谩msk茅 obuv metcon 4 b铆l茅 r暖啪ov茅 st艡铆brn茅 metal

    emporio armani ropa para mujer oto帽o invierno 2018 19 negro pantalones equipo deportivosandalias de fiesta calzado de temporada para mujeresnovedad hombres deporte baloncesto zapatos cè´¸modos hombre cuero gimnasio atl茅tico negro blanco hombre calzado ba…

  22. klasyczny gwizdki

    褎懈薪褋泻懈械 卸械薪褋泻懈械 泻褍褉褌泻懈calvin klein 薪邪 邪谢懈褝泻褋锌褉械褋褋. 屑芯卸薪芯 谢懈 泻褍锌懈褌褜 芯褉懈谐懈薪邪谢褜薪芯械 斜械谢褜械懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 屑邪谐邪蟹懈薪 泻芯褕械谢褜泻懈 卸械薪褋泻懈械泻褍锌懈褌褜 泻褉邪褋薪褘泄 斜懈泻懈薪懈 褌芯锌 褋 谢械芯锌邪褉写芯胁褘屑 锌褉懈薪褌芯屑 屑芯写薪褘械 屑芯写械谢懈

  26. kipling銇偔銉椼儶銉炽偘 銉儱銉冦偗銈点儍銈?銉儑銈ｃ兗銈广伄銉愩儍銈?銉儱銉冦偗 銉愩儍銈儜銉冦偗

    t shirts femininas phina escrito fina camiseta branca. carregando zoomchuteira society adidas goletto vi tf trilha do cerradovestido transpassado drapeadomoletom masculino nba chicago bulls moletons personalizados blusa casacos baratos blus茫o jaqueta

  33. r枚cke online kaufen g眉nstig

    carrera jeans v锚tements jeans 501 homme 52sweat nike junior fille zippe nike junior v锚tementsrobe de chambre polaire ado fille fameux robe de chambre polaire enfant luxe peignoir polaire enfantchemise nuit grande taille legging

  34. los vestidos blancos mè°©s lindos para el verano paty

    纬魏蟻喂 渭蟺位慰蠉味伪 渭蔚 魏慰蟻未蠈谓喂伪 渭蟺蟻慰蟽蟿维 mesatomoncler 蔚蟺蠅谓蠀渭伪 魏伪位位蠀谓蟿喂魏伪 moncler 魏伪蟿伪蟽蟿畏渭伪蟿伪 蔚位位伪未伪 伪胃萎谓伪to 纬伪位维味喂慰 蠁蠈蟻蔚渭伪 渭喂伪 蟿伪喂谓委伪 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 纬喂蠋蟻纬慰 蟽蟿慰 委未蟻蠀渭伪蟺位蔚魏蟿畏 味伪魏蔚蟿伪 畏渭喂蟺伪位蟿慰

  35. 氐賵乇 丕丨匕賷賴 亘賰毓亘 毓丕賱賶.丕丨丿孬 賲賵丿賷賱丕 丕賱丕丨匕賷賴 2017 賲賳 丿賷 丨賱丕賵 賴賲

    the bag can also hold up to size a 17 laptop and can hold up to size 15 shoes you now only need one bag for all your travelsnike jordan flight luxe sneaker freakerhome air jordan 8 womens aquajordan retro 11 45 on the back december 8 2018 release date

  36. puma cali wit dames puma sneakers cali

    p艂aszcze i kurtki w du偶ych rozmiarach jesie艅 2017eko torby materia艂owe z nadrukiem warszawa praga po艂udniewalizka ma艂a puccini paris czerwony w domodiwittchen verona portfel damski czerwony

  38. outfit winterkleid x slouch boots w zalando sunnyinga fashion blog

    蟺伪喂未喂魏萎 慰位蠈蟽蠅渭畏 蠁蠈蟻渭伪 joyce 渭伪蟻苇谓 魏慰蟻委蟿蟽喂伪谓未蟻喂魏维 蟺慰蠀魏维渭喂蟽伪 gant xxlluna 蔚渭蟺蟻喂渭苇 蠁慰蟻蔚渭伪蟿维魏喂 纬喂伪 蟿畏 胃维位伪蟽蟽伪 sarahtop with ruffled sleeves mat. xxl sizes 纬蠀谓伪喂魏蔚委伪 蟻慰蠉蠂伪

  39. orange fascinator hat headpiece kentucky

    cofashion erotikus feh茅rnem疟 7 fekete fashionupmarge piros t疟sark煤 cip艖feh茅r s贸sv铆zi teny茅sztett gy枚ngysor ez眉st kapoccsaladidas women adidas adidas trucker caps buy

  40. vestido de renda sal e pimenta com bojo carregando zoom

    marca kipling pè°©gina 5 busca na loja de roupas femininasbolsa chanel lego femininas bolsas de couro branco no mercadobota coturno couro colcci ant铆lope azul masculinos botas pt.loja onlinemochila agora 茅 acessè´¸rio da moda veja como usar modelos que est…

  41. carcasas para iphone 5s peru

    iphone lte nuevos libres en caja accesoriossamsung galaxy a10 original celulares y smartphones en mercado libre perç…¤nokia lumia 530 gratis sim car 55.000 en mercado librecarcasas para iphone 5s peru

  42. nursing nightwear for hospital

    mulberry fleet holdall for men in gray for men lystmovado mens bold 3600307 black leather swiss quartz watchmichael kors ava medium top handle soft pink saffiano leatherosprey ozone convertible wheeled luggage

  45. loja havaianas chinelos

    juventus trainingspak 2018 2019 zwart goudmust backpack i love you pink 25 liters 33 x 45 x 16 cm giga bikespuma originals daypack rp ukuran one sizetommy hilfiger casual runner sneakers blauw online kopen

  50. 泻邪褌邪谢芯谐 邪泻褑懈泄 褉芯褋褋懈泄褋泻懈褏 懈 蟹邪褉褍斜械卸薪褘褏 泻芯屑锌邪薪懈泄 胁

    reposapi茅s de bar de madera para cocinabraga invisible de sloggi bragasque s铆 un poco de trajes de ba帽o para este veranobancos de madera para barra mobydec muebles

Comments are closed.