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. jaqueta jeans feminina ca 7ados

    botas para motos en mercado libre chilesujetador reductor con aros de playtex sujetadores con arovestidos de gala para ni帽as vestuario y calzado en mercado libre chilezapatillas nike con camara de aire mujer nuevas

  3. 甏€霠?韮滉犯 氇╇ 氪?氪勳姢雼堨护歃?靸岆摛 靻№槣甑?靻№槣甑愳嫚氚?靻№槣甑愳毚霃欗檾 靻№槣甑愴尐靺?靻№槣甑愴尐靺橅檾氤?靻№槣甑愴檾氤?鞀堨饯毵堧炒雼?鞀る媹旎れ 鞀ろ儉 鞁犽皽 鞐靸岆摛

    mochila tiger camouflage en mochilas adidas para hombre de modalas marcas se adelantan a la fecha de rebajasè„¿ la gar莽onne bragas con talle alto nude y neutro farfetch el beigestilord marvin bolso hombre bandolera cuero bolso para estudiantes mensajero…

  5. 3rd class friend of dolly ringer t shirt

    charme noir noir noir adidas enfant chaussures superstar foundation cf i age enfant couleur basket genre mixtehurley w icon trucker hat casquettes femme noir fr uniquestance chaussettes pour homme nba lakers acide wash jaune eur 28casque beats tunisie…

  8. whats the best mobile network for me

    pandora inspired 925 silver lovely hello kitty charm bracelethan han cat necklace for women naughty cute lucky cat pendant necklace white gold plated 925hello kitty earrings for girls low priceloungefly x hello kitty pastel pebble zip wallet in white r…

  9. disney. set pulseras

    schiesser m盲dchen nachthemd sleepshirt 164 uvp 29karierte socken gro脽handel 5 paare los harajuku l盲ssige m盲nner socken karierte farbe trend sockendamen unterw盲sche free people sport bh white3x nur die unterhose slip unterw盲sche wei脽 spitze

  10. rouge noir turquoise jaune

    white lace appliqued two piece prom dresseswomens size xl apt 9 maxi dress nwt apt 9 womens xl maxi dress black and white striped apt. 9 dresses maxia line off the shoulder ruched light blue chiffon bridesmaid dressthis original cue design from the 90s

  11. air jordan retro 8 tutti grigio

    adidas zx 700 blanc chaussures nike nike kobe elite 9 salg air jordan retro 6 barn svart sé…¶lv nike air max 1 magista ivory metallic gull volt qs nike flyknit trainer blau glow plug nike dunk high sort medium græ°“

  14. elegant formal dress white evening dresses 2019 satin ruffles beaded saudi arabic mermaid evening gown long abendkleider

    hity na wiosn臋 2019. poznaj trendy sezonumodna koszula m臋ska forbesmexx d艂uga sukienka 偶贸艂ty zalando zolty d艂ugie w domodielegancka pudrowo r贸偶owa rozkloszowana sukienka z koronk膮 czerwone

  18. hansen the shop

    jupe fronc茅e pour b茅b茅 fille en tulle gris rosa babystockshort fille 4 6 ans bleu marine h m eur 2imprim茅 animal jupe pliss茅e taille 茅lastique femmes l茅opard midi jupe avec ceinture 192foulard 脿 motif fleuri anais coloris orange

  23. vysok谩 kvalita d谩msk茅 puma sky ii hi texture tenisky d谩msk茅 tenisky puma nov谩 kolekce d谩msk茅 boty puma

    botas nike altasmiss sixty vaqueros a campana mujer de moda vaqueros 100 algodè´¸n ropa mujerchaleco de verano colorido desigual mujer vestido vestido vestido d fruugo el rosa primavera veranopdx de zapatos de mujer talè´¸n plano cerrado toe flats casual p…

  24. è´¸ptica en laguna de

    bioderma 丕賱毓賳丕賷丞 丕賱賲孬丕賱賷丞 賱亘卮乇丞 丕賰孬乇 噩賲丕賱丕 賮賶 3 禺胤賵丕丌賷丕 賲乇賷丨丞 youtube賮賵賰爻 丕賵賳 丕賵 賷賱賷 丕毓賱賳 毓賳 禺賮賷囟丕 賴丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賲丕乇賰丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 賲孬賱 賰賮丕賱賷貙 賲賵爻賰賷賳賵貙丕乇賲賳賷丕爻 賮爻丕乇 亘禺氐賵氐 丕賱丕丨匕賷丞 賵 賲賯丕爻丕 賴丕 丕賱亘賵丕亘丞 丕賱乇賯賲賷丞 adslgate

  26. floral dress cut out

    ted baker taylar floral dress ebay how to make a floral dress grunge eliza j black and white floral dress banana republic gemma floral wrap dress long floral dress xl best shoes to wear with a floral dress

  27. womens american flag printed t shirt t shirt tshirt usa flag graphic tees summer clothing clothes fashion casual new 2014

    shein one shoulder black bodywomen long maxi dress 2018 summer floral print boho style beach dress casual short sleeve bandagewomens sexy high cut thong one piece bikini swimsuit bathing suits push up paddedshein yellow office lady elegant drop shoulde…

  29. home products footwear mens mens casual new balance 574 egw classic white mens

    屑褍卸褋泻邪褟 锌懈卸邪屑邪 ellen mnp 019 001 屑械谢邪薪卸 谐芯谢褍斜芯泄 g2 泻褍锌懈褌褜 胁 泻懈械胁械泻芯褋褌褞屑 褔械褉薪褘泄 褔械谢芯胁械泻邪 锌邪褍泻邪 泻褍锌懈褌褜 胁 屑芯褋泻胁械褋锌芯褉褌懈胁薪褘泄 屑褍卸褋泻芯泄 褌褉懈泻芯褌邪卸薪褘泄 泻芯褋褌褞屑 gant 褋懈薪懈泄 锌褉芯懈蟹胁芯写褋褌胁芯 褌褍褉褑懈褟褉褍斜邪褕泻邪 谢械薪 卸械薪褋泻邪褟

  30. 薪芯胁邪 写邪屑褋泻懈 褉邪薪懈褑邪 褍褔械薪懈褔械褋泻邪 褔邪薪褌邪 邪薪褌懈 泻褉邪卸斜邪 褉邪薪懈褑邪 褔邪薪褌邪 蟹邪 褉邪屑芯 谐褉. 褋芯褎懈褟

    das bild wird geladen spot on reduziert damen elastische zwickel dicke sohlegr枚脽eres bild online damen adidas originals superstar 2 rose floral lifestyle freizeitschuheadidas originals damen longsleeve 3 stripe t shirt lskultivate online kleding heren…

  33. womens mid high heels

    ugg sheepskin heritage logo mittensinexpensive buy cheap men ugg tasman slippers cheap sale intimberland pro boots mens 53530 met guard eh steel toe work bootsfiretrap amp mens boots

  36. bailey of hollywood archer stingy brim fedora

    tam water polo snapback trucker cap california team wear賳丕賵賱 卮賵賰賵賱丕 丞 賳賵 賷賱丕 賷丿賲乇 丕賱毓丕賱賲 sputnik arabic丕賮囟賱 丕賳賵丕毓 丕賱毓胤賵乇 賳爻丕卅賷賴丿乇丕爻丞 噩丿賵賶 賲卮乇賵毓 賲丨賱 賲賱丕亘爻 丨乇賷賲賶 賵 丕胤賮丕賱 賲卮乇賵毓 賲乇亘丨 噩丿丕 賮賶 賲氐乇 2019

  37. off white oil painting t shirt unisex hip hop tee for men and women

    蟹芯谢芯褌芯械 褉褍薪芯 写芯屑邪褕薪褟褟 芯写械卸写邪 薪芯胁懈薪泻懈 褋芯胁屑械褋褌薪褘械 蟹邪泻褍锌泻懈写械褌褋泻邪褟 褌褍薪懈泻邪 褋 褕芯褉褌邪屑懈 写谢褟 锌谢褟卸邪 锌褉芯写邪卸邪泻褍锌懈褌褜 蟹懈屑薪懈泄 卸械薪褋泻懈泄 泻芯褋褌褞屑 褌褉芯泄泻邪 褍 薪械写芯褉芯谐芯 胁 褍泻褉邪懈薪械 懈锌懈卸邪屑邪 penti 128 褋屑 2 褕褌 斜械谢邪褟

  39. floral evening dress online

    womens casual floral dresses flower dresses perth summer flower girl dresses for toddlers asos velvet floral bardot skater dress size 8 floral jacquard fit and flare dress floral wedding guest dresses 2014

  40. gabor sneaker nu in de sale

    nordstrom half yearly sale picks fashion column twinskorean popular 925 sterling silver heart chain bracelet bangle silver for women girls3pc set women lady claddagh ring blue sapphire silver plated wedding ring nice jewelry sizeluckuk long jumpsuits f…

  44. impresoras para tyvek

    adidas originals by alexander wang reissue runadidas yeezy powerphase calabasas grey sneaker unboxingblack porter lanyardnike tottenham hotspur 2019 20 infant home kit white binary blue

  45. ray ban wayfarer 2140 polarised

    air jordan melo m10 negro rojo kids nike air max 2017 gs triple black 851622 004 chicago white sox new era mlb bright heather 9fifty snapback cap nike air max azul and blanco nike pg 1 lakers purple ladies hvit converse lå¿™r

  49. 賲賵丕賯毓 賮爻丕 賷賳 爻賴乇賴 賱賱亘賷毓

    decor motorsports helmet buy decor motorsportsheather grey beanie basic knit hat winter hat acrylic custom knit hat pom knitted beaniehims beach sun hat for women and girl cap buy hims beach sun hat for women and girl cap online at best prices in india…

Comments are closed.