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. scallop lace trim tank by ellos

    on foot nike air max 270 in total orange hot punchglamorous sandalias de tacè´¸n cuadrado con detalle acordonado anudado gris mujer zapatoscamiseta nba nike l.a. lakers lebron james 23tenis nike air max pasiè´¸n regalos de navidad pueden hacer en mi casa

  2. 胁 褝褌芯屑 谐芯写褍 屑芯写薪褘械 褌械薪写械薪褑懈懈 褞斜芯泻 褋胁芯械 胁写芯褏薪芯胁械薪懈械 懈蟹 锌褉芯褕谢褘褏 谢械褌

    魏伪蠁蟿维谓喂 维蟽蟺蟻慰 doca渭伪蠉蟻伪 伪谓未蟻喂魏维 casual 蟺伪谓蟿蔚位蠈谓喂伪蟺蠀蟿味伪渭蔚蟽 谓蠀蠂蟿喂魏伪 archives慰委魏慰蟼 谓蠀蠁喂魏蠋谓 谓蟿伪蠆维谓伪

  3. supreme reflective camo down jacket woodland camo. reflective camo down

    涓彜 銈广儵銈?sly 銉堛儍銉椼偣 銉儑銈ｃ兗銈?榛勭郴 free 銉愩儍銈儸銉笺偣銈儍銉?v 銉嶃儍銈儓銉冦儣銈?涓彜 銉栥儵銉炽儔鍙ょ潃銉愩偤銈广儓銈?230419妤藉ぉ 濂冲厫 姘寸潃銈枫儖銈儸銉囥偅銉笺偣銉曘偂銉冦偡銉с兂 銉熴偢銉炽儨銉笺儉銉笺倖銇ｃ仧銈娿偒銉冦儓銈姐兗 涓冨垎琚?銈枫儖銈?鏈?70浠?80浠?60浠?濠︿汉 銇娿伆銇傘仭銈冦倱鏈?/a>銇娿儖銉ｃ兂瀛愩偗銉┿儢 姘寸潃 鍐欑湡闆?銇娿儖銉ｃ兂瀛愩仈銇ｃ亾 銈裤儸銉炽儓銈般儍銈恒伄

  7. schuhe f眉r den besonderen anlass

    r臋kawice przeciwprzeci臋ciowe rita cxs 3630 020 00 xx wysoka jako艣膰kolorowe portfele krak贸w w oficjalnym archiwum allegro archiwum ofertespadryle tommy hilfiger iconic elba sandal cobblestone 068aukcja dla kolczyki srebrne firmy yes

  10. pulsera con pulsometro incorporado

    garanzia amazon prezzi bassi abbigliamento tresophie aurelia rosso vestiti eleganti da donna10 codice sconto e coupon luglio 2019abbigliamento sportivo set completo calcio bambino paris saint germain 2017 2018 rosso commercio allborsa jet set michael k…

  12. burton skijakke barn str s

    bugatti schn眉rstiefelette mit zipper au脽en online kaufens眉脽e sommer lange chiffon kleider rot blau g眉nstige v ausschnitt elegante abschlussball partei formale kleiddr. denim jeansshorts schwarz zu verkaufendamen corsage korsett bauchweg training taille…

  14. nikes womens golf skort

    another best 3d red ink spider man ripped sleeve tattoo truetattoostribal tattoos for upper back upper back tattoosblack ink samurai tattoo on man full backtraditional japanese tattoo artist youtube

  17. 賲賱丕亘爻 賳爻丕卅賷丞 丕賳賷賯丞 2014 丕噩丿丿 丕賱賲賶賱丕亘爻 丕賱賳爻丕卅賷丞 2014 賰賵賱賰卮賳 賲賱丕亘爻

    air jordan 4s buzzy retro bred kicks quickly sold out but you can still buy themcheap authentic jordan 11 low red october custom top dealsair jordan 9 retro space jam ateazejordan 14 candy cane 2019 match sneaker tees shirt have

  18. new sand art kits wholesale

    fede sommersko til i en ské…¶n og frisk farveké…¶b rabat damesko herresko 2019 givenchy sko sko givenchy studded leather derby sko sort online shopregatta 2nd lova leopard skjorterieker sko i brun rieker sko herr sverige

  20. alpinklå¿™r kjé…¶p skiklå¿™r til dame og herre

    adidas originals v锚tements 茅l茅gant sweat shirt è„¿ capuche shadow tones gris homme boutique modeuranus femme veste de tailleur velours un bouton dames blazer slim fit d茅contract茅s col revers extensible2017 chaussures de sport confortables conception rais…

  26. como hago pulseras de hilo encerado

    conj. boina e cachecol em croch锚 e tric nojual tas hermes croco himalaya murahkristina pimenova bathing suit鏂板搧 銉偆 銉淬偅銉堛兂 銉濄儷銉堛儠銈┿偆銉?銉戙儵銈广偊銈┿儸銉冦儓 銉斻兂銈?鏂板搧

  27. obey n艖i ruha m

    adidas hipster bottoms n艖i bikini als贸铆gy ki a 751 eur贸pai parlament a 28 eur贸pai uni贸ban m茅rt jelenlegi alapj谩nbeauty night paulette piros csipke k枚nt枚s l xl 15590 ftaszimmetrikus fazon煤 est茅lyi ruha 3 sz铆nben alkalmi koszor煤sl谩ny

  29. dark pink t shirt by adidas check it out now adidas california t shirt by adidas adidas women womensfashion womenswear

    泻褍锌懈褌褜 锌褘褕薪芯械 锌谢邪褌褜械 褋芯 褋褌褉邪蟹邪屑懈 斜械蟹 褉褍泻邪胁芯胁 胁 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌芯斜褌褟谐懈胁邪褞褖械械 褌械屑薪芯 褋懈薪械械 锌谢邪褌褜械 谢械褌薪械械屑芯写薪褘械 谢褍泻懈 胁械褋薪邪 谢械褌芯 2019 斜芯谢械械 70 谢褍泻芯胁 褋 褎芯褌芯锌谢邪褌褜械 褎褍褌谢褟褉 写械谢谢懈 斜械谢芯械 泻褍锌懈褌褜 薪械写芯褉芯谐芯 donna bella 写械谢谢懈 屑 2 42

  32. short sleeve stand t shirt black factorie t shirts vests

    taille haute bretelles 茅cole fille jupe dames avant bouton jeans midi maxi denim jupe stretch jupeb茅b茅 fille robe de no毛l v锚tements motif è„¿ pois bonhomme de neige detendances mode automne hiver 2009 2010 pour petite fille chic robe escada mamanfemme bl…

  37. gucci red suede bomber jacket

    botas para el frio mujer uggropa deportiva para hombre 2018 chè°©ndal de marca de lujo para hombre trajes deportivos de modafloral hombres gym pantalones cortos ropa deportiva de entrenamiento shorts de playa pantalones cortos de baloncestobotas de nieve…

  38. kenzo graphic print t shirt clothing

    lack opel autolack basislack im g眉nstig kaufengodier luxus drahtlose bralette bh unterw盲sche frauen einteiliges gl盲nzend nahtlose tiefem v 3 4 tassepreiswert heine ballerina schwarz damenfrauen anz眉ge frauen business b眉ro smoking jacket pants damen anz…

  40. eminem unisex adult t shirts for sale

    contrast tribal print bikini set multi colour lithe bikinisbuy jimmy choo black lace and patent cap toe pointed pumpsdisney couples my wife your wife men 39 s organiclooker gifts his hers couples crown necklaces buy 1 get 1 free looker gifts

  43. lois herre sko

    jednoro偶ec pi偶ama kigurumi galaxy l 161 170 cmelle halka koszula nocna unikat czarny kliknijszorty iced blue iced blueczerwony biustonosz stanik h m 75b bardotka zdj臋cie na imged

  44. nike dri fit knit s s top buy and offers on runnerinn

    蟽伪魏 尾慰蠀伪纬喂维味 jumbo quadra qd80 navy纬蠀谓伪喂魏蔚喂蔚蟽 蟿蟽伪谓蟿蔚蟽 蠂慰谓未蟻喂魏畏 胃蔚蟽蟽伪位慰谓喂魏畏mcm 蠁胃畏谓蔚蟼 蟿蟽伪谓蟿蔚蟼 纬蠀伪位喂伪 慰蟻伪蟽蔚蠅蟽 ray ban 伪蟺慰渭喂渭畏蟽畏 20 蠁胃畏谓伪desigual 蟿蟽维谓蟿蔚蟼

  47. 泻芯谢谐芯褌泻懈 写谢褟 屑褍卸褔懈薪 泻褍锌懈褌褜 胁 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 屑邪谐邪蟹懈薪械 屑芯泄 屑懈褉

    谓蠀蠁喂魏维 2 蟽蔚 1 蟺慰蠀 伪蟺慰 渭伪魏蟻喂维 纬委谓慰谓蟿伪喂 魏慰谓蟿维med 伪谓未蟻喂魏蠈 渭伪纬喂蠈 shortsro 蔚蠁伪蟻渭慰蟽蟿蠈 渭委谓蟿喂 蠁蠈蟻蔚渭伪 渭蔚 蠁蔚蟻渭慰蠀维蟻 蟺委蟽蠅 渭蟺苇味 渭蔚蟿伪位位喂味苇valedin 纬蠀谓伪喂魏蔚喂慰 渭伪纬喂慰 慰位慰蟽蠅渭慰 cup d 渭伪蠀蟻慰

  48. grassen hebben meestal een prachtige maar moeten tegen de lente eenmaal per seizoen worden

    斜褟谐邪褖邪 锌褗褌械泻邪 technogym excite run 500懈蟹褌械泻谢懈 芯斜褟胁懈 写械褌褋泻芯 褋泻懈 褟泻械 rossignol 谐褉. 胁邪褉薪邪 芯锌械褉邪褌邪褍写芯斜薪懈 懈 屑芯写械褉薪懈 谐褍屑械薪懈 褋邪薪写邪谢懈 grand attack 胁 蟹械谢械薪 褑胁褟褌屑褗卸泻懈 邪泻胁邪 芯斜褍胁泻懈

  50. prom ombre maxi dress

    river island river island one shoulder mesh insert2019 a couple of heart shaped ring lovers s925 zircon affordable unisex six claw jewelry adjustable wedding rings fromshein grey preppy elegant plus size dropped shoulder bow detail solid pullovers swea…

Comments are closed.