Barry
27-05-2012, 15:43
I suppose by rights this post ought to be placed in the lyrics tread, but I will use it as an example of the different way of thinking Zappa seemed to have in his approach to lyric writing. Always an acute observer of American society and its mores, his observations seem to be more akin to that of a complete outsider – complete in the sense of being an alien visitor to planet Earth. Here I am reminded of the poems of Craig Raine, in his collection “A Martian sends a Postcard Home”.
Anyway here is a typical piece of Zappa writing, taken from the album “Apostrophe”:
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of Dental Floss Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
For somebody else...
but then, on the other hand
I'd Keep the wax N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss N' swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top
(that's why I'M movin' to Montana)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon
(yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss!
I plucked all day an' all nite an' all Afternoon..
I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
(His name is MIGHTY LITTLE)
He's a good hoss
Even though He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big
An' ride him all along the border line
With a Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I might Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night
And then I'd Get a cuppa cawfee
N' give my foot a push...
Just me 'n the pymgy pony
Over the Dennil Floss Bush
N' then I might just Jumb back on
An' ride Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon.
Pretty weird eh?
So was Zappa an extraterrestrial? Well despite Zappa himself telling us he was born in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland - he did move around a lot and attended a least five schools. His father worked for the Government as a scientist on, no doubt, classified projects, including a time in New Mexico.
I believe Zappa might have been the rescued alien found at Roswell in 1947. Owing to complete amnesia caused by the crash, Zappa was unable to give any information or explanation to the advanced technology used in his spacecraft; all of which was damaged beyond repair in the crash. Since Zappa (a nickname given to him by the researchers at Roswell, after the remains of the ‘zap ray gun’ found in the crashed craft) could be of no use to the scientists, he was given plastic surgery and secretly given a crash course of education in anthropology, sociology and political science to allow him to live in society as ‘one of us’.
Whilst the external cosmetic surgery was a complete success, Zappa’s internal digestive system had difficulty coping with the food here on planet Earth. He suffered problems with his digestion throughout his life.
However despite health problems, he became a prolific and talented rock guitarist; having an enormous influence on many who heard him. In being able to take an ‘outsider’s’ view of life on Earth, his lyrics (often humorously) reflected an iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. A strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, Zappa was a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship.
Zappa died in 1993 at the early age of 52. His wife, Adelaide Sloatman, and four children succeed him. Their names betray Zappa’s extraterrestrial origins: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.
So was Zappa an extraterrestial? I’ll leave it to you to decide.
Anyway here is a typical piece of Zappa writing, taken from the album “Apostrophe”:
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of Dental Floss Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
For somebody else...
but then, on the other hand
I'd Keep the wax N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss N' swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top
(that's why I'M movin' to Montana)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon
(yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss!
I plucked all day an' all nite an' all Afternoon..
I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
(His name is MIGHTY LITTLE)
He's a good hoss
Even though He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big
An' ride him all along the border line
With a Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I might Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night
And then I'd Get a cuppa cawfee
N' give my foot a push...
Just me 'n the pymgy pony
Over the Dennil Floss Bush
N' then I might just Jumb back on
An' ride Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon.
Pretty weird eh?
So was Zappa an extraterrestrial? Well despite Zappa himself telling us he was born in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland - he did move around a lot and attended a least five schools. His father worked for the Government as a scientist on, no doubt, classified projects, including a time in New Mexico.
I believe Zappa might have been the rescued alien found at Roswell in 1947. Owing to complete amnesia caused by the crash, Zappa was unable to give any information or explanation to the advanced technology used in his spacecraft; all of which was damaged beyond repair in the crash. Since Zappa (a nickname given to him by the researchers at Roswell, after the remains of the ‘zap ray gun’ found in the crashed craft) could be of no use to the scientists, he was given plastic surgery and secretly given a crash course of education in anthropology, sociology and political science to allow him to live in society as ‘one of us’.
Whilst the external cosmetic surgery was a complete success, Zappa’s internal digestive system had difficulty coping with the food here on planet Earth. He suffered problems with his digestion throughout his life.
However despite health problems, he became a prolific and talented rock guitarist; having an enormous influence on many who heard him. In being able to take an ‘outsider’s’ view of life on Earth, his lyrics (often humorously) reflected an iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. A strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, Zappa was a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship.
Zappa died in 1993 at the early age of 52. His wife, Adelaide Sloatman, and four children succeed him. Their names betray Zappa’s extraterrestrial origins: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.
So was Zappa an extraterrestial? I’ll leave it to you to decide.