You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Sampler

You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Sampler

(Zappa, 2LP, Barking Pumpkin D1 74213, April 26, 1988)

Side 1

  1. Plastic People 4:38
  2. The Torture Never Stops 15:51

Side 2

  1. Montana (Whipping-Floss) 10:15
  2. The Evil Prince 7:12
  3. You Call That Music? 3:07

Side 3

  1. Sharleena 8:53
  2. Nanook Rubs It 11:19

Side 4

  1. The Florida Airport Tape 1:03
  2. Once Upon A Time 4:38
  3. King Kong 3:11
  4. Dickie's Such An Asshole 6:48
  5. Cosmic Debris 4:45

Produced, arranged, compiled and edited by Frank Zappa

Recording engineers: Dick Kunc, Davey Moire, Mark Pinske, Mick Glossop, FZ, Kerry McNabb
Remix engineer: Bob Stone
Remix facility: UMRK

Package design: Jeff Fey

Side 1

1. Plastic People 4:38

(FZ-Richard Berry)

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

based on Louie Louie (Richard Berry)

The Factory, The Bronx, NYC
February 28, 1969

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Lowell George—guitar/vocal
Roy Estrada—bass/vocal
Don Preston—keyboards/electronics
Buzz Gardner—trumpet
Ian Underwood—alto sax
Bunk Gardner—tenor sax
Motorhead Sherwood—baritone sax
Jimmy Carl Black—drums
Arthur Dyer Tripp III—drums

Roy?: Eeee!
FZ: Alright, there's a green Chevy, license number 650 BN in Barry's lot. Gotta move it. I repeat, there is a green Chevy, license number 650 BN in Barry's lot.
Guy #1: There's a '54 out there too, Frank.
FZ: There's a what?
Guy #1: A '54.
FZ: There's a '54 what?
Guy #1: A '54 what?
Guy #2: Did you announce the action burgers?
Guy #3: Action burgers . . . !
Guy #1: It's a Ford-uhhhh . . .
FZ: Please, do yourself a favor and move your short before somebody takes it away. They're serving burgers in the back! If you go for burgers, you'll love the burgers here. They have some burgers in this place, when you open 'em up, y'know . . . you hold 'em like this, and go way in the back where nobody can see you. Some people eat them that way.
Guy #4: Take 'em back to Philadelphia, Frank!
FZ: What?
Guy #4: Philadelphia!
FZ: What about Philadelphia?
Guy #4: Cream cheese.
FZ: That's it . . .

FZ: Now, if you'll analyze what we're playing here, if you use your ear and listen, you can learn something about music, y'see? "Louie Louie" is the same as the other song with one extra note, see? . . . They're, they're very closely related and they mean just about the same thing.

Plastic people
You gotta go
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Plastic people
You gotta go-UH!

A fine little girl
She waits for me
She's as plastic
As she can be
She paints her face
With plastic goo
And wrecks her hair
With some shampoo

Plastic people
You gotta go-UH

Plastic people
You gotta go
(Sure gonna miss ya)

Take a day
And walk around
Watch the nazis
Run your town
Then go home
And check yourself
You think we're singing
'Bout someone else . . . but you're

Plastic people
You gotta go
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Plastic people
You gotta go

Three nights and days
I walk the streets
This town is full
Of plastic creeps
Their shoes are brown
To match their suits
They got no balls
They got no roots . . . because they're

Plastic people
You gotta go
(Sure gonna miss ya, bop, bop, bop)

Plastic people
You gotta go

Me see a neon
Moon above
I searched for years
And found no love
I'm sure that love
Will never be
A product of
Plasticity

2. The Torture Never Stops 15:51

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

includes a quotation from Chattanooga Choo Choo (Gordon/Warren)

Unknown venue
c. January-February, 1978

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Adrian Belew—guitar/vocal
Tommy Mars—keyboards
Peter Wolf—keyboards
Ed Mann—percussion
Patrick O'Hearn—bass
Terry Bozzio—drums

Flies all green 'n buzzin' in his dungeon of despair
Prisoners grumble and piss their clothes and scratch their matted hair
A tiny light from a window hole a hundred yards away
Is all they ever get to know about the regular life in the day;
An' it stinks so bad the stones been chokin'
'N weepin' greenish drops
In the room where the giant fire puffer works
'N the torture never stops
The torture never stops
The torture
The torture
The torture never stops

Slime 'n rot, rats 'n snot 'n vomit on the floor
Fifty ugly soldiers, man, holdin' spears by the iron door
Knives 'n spikes 'n guns 'n the likes of every tool of pain
An' a sinister midget with a bucket an' a mop
A sinister midget with a bucket an' a mop
A sinister midget with a bucket an' a mop
Where the blood goes down the drain;
An' it stinks so bad the stones been chokin'
'N weepin' greenish drops
In the room where the giant fire puffer works
'N the torture never stops
The torture never stops
The torture
The torture
The torture never stops

Flies all green 'n buzzin' in his dungeon of despair
An evil prince eats a steamin' pig in a chamber right near there
He eats the snouts 'n the trotters first
The loins 'n the groins is soon dispersed
His carvin' style is well rehearsed
He stands and shouts
All men be cursed
All men be cursed
All men be cursed
All men be cursed
And disagree
Hey, nobody would disagree with him!
No-one durst
He's the best of course of all the worst
(He's the best of course of all the worst)
Some wrong been done, he done it first
(Some wrong been done, he done it first)
An' he stinks so bad, his bones been chokin'
'N weepin' greenish drops,
In the night of the iron sausage,
Where the torture never stops
The torture never stops
The torture
The torture
The torture never stops
Torture time now!

Flies all green 'n buzzin' in his dungeon of despair
Who are all these people that he's locked away down there
Are they crazy?
Are they sainted?
Are they zeros someone painted?
Well, it's never been explained since at first it was created
But a dungeon just like a sin
Requires naught but lockin' in
Of everything that's ever been
Look at her
Look at him
That's what's the deal we're dealing in
That's what's the deal we're dealing in
That's what's the deal we're dealing in
That's what's the deal we're dealing in

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Side 2

1. Montana (Whipping-Floss) 10:15

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2

includes references to Whipping Post (Allman)

Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland
September 22-23, 1974

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Napoleon Murphy Brock—sax/vocal
George Duke—keyboards/vocal
Ruth Underwood—percussion
Tom Fowler—bass
Chester Thompson—drums

Guy In The Audience: "Whipping Post"!
FZ: Say that again please
Guy In The Audience: "Whipping Post"!
FZ: "Whipping Post"? Ok, just a second . . . (Do you know that?) Oh sorry, we don't know that one. Anything else? Hum me a few bars of it, please, just show me how it goes, please. Just sing, sing me "Whipping Post" and then maybe we'll play it with you
Guy In The Audience: Ooh-ooh-ooh . . .
FZ: Thank you very much. And now . . . Judging from the way you sang it, it must be a John Cage composition, right? Here we go, "Montana." One two, one two three four

I might be movin' to . . .

FZ: Hold it! Hold it! We can't possibly start the song off like that!
Good God! That's inexcusable! What happened to you last night?
Napoleon: George has a tape of it
FZ: George has a tape of it? Ok, we'll use that in the second show
Ready? "Montana" . . . Wait a minute, "Whipping Post," no, "Montana." One two, one two three four

FZ: It's too fast for you? One two, one two three four

I might be movin' to Helsinki soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss

Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
Tying it to the Whipping Post
In the middle of town

But by myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
'Cause I'd be raisin' my lonely
Whipping Post

Raisin' my lonely
Whipping Post
Raisin' my lonely
Whipping Post

(Well) Well I just might grow me some thongs
But I'd leave the heavy stuff
To somebody else . . . now 'bout Chester?
And then I would

Get a person
Tie him up
To the Whipping Post
And beat the living shit out of him
So that guy in the audience was satisfied

But by myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
'Cause I'd be raisin' my lonely
Whipping Post Floss

Movin' to Montana soon (well . . . )
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (how unique!)
(Whip! Whip!)
Movin' to Montana soon (now . . . )
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
(Yes, it's such a ballad at this tempo)

Napoleon: Little Booger-bear . . . Boogers everywhere . . .
FZ: And now for the thrilling conclusion of that song . . .

2. The Evil Prince 7:12

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 4

includes a quotation from The Planets Suite: Mars (Holst)

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
December 18, 1984
Guitar solo:
Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK
September 24-25, 1984

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Ike Willis—guitar/vocal
Ray White—guitar/vocal
Bobby Martin—keyboards/sax/vocal
Allan Zavod—keyboards
Scott Thunes—bass
Chad Wackerman—drums

Ike: Well well well, now, dis de nasty sucker dat be respondable fo de en-whiffment o' de origumal potium. Now, in his infinate respondable party personaged as THE EVIL PRINCE, and through de magik o' stage-kraft of course, we's about to see what gwine on in his magikal conjurance up of his lil' cauldrom o' doom! Now check it on out now . . .

Somewhere, over there, I can tell, (I guess so)
There's a voice of
A potato-headed whatchamacallit (Whoo, do tell!)
Who does not wish me well!

His clothes are quite stupid,
And also his shoes! (Ain't no biznis like show biznis)
He's got a big ol' duck-mouth!
(Who knows how he chews!)

He thinks he knows something
About THE GREAT PLAN!
How ULTIMATE BLANDNESS
Must RULE and COMMAND

He knows not a drop,
Not a crumb,
Not a whit,
Of the reason for doing
This criminal shit
And then, if he did,
Would it matter a bit?
Not at all!
Because IT IS WRIT:

Our BEIGE-BLANDISH GOD
Tends to CERTIFY IT:

"Only the boring and bland shall survive!
Only the lamest of lameness will thrive!"
Take it or leave it, you won't be alive,
If you are overtly CREATIVE!

Fairies and faggots and queers are
'CREATIVE'
All the best music on Broadway is
'NATIVE'

Who will step forward
And end all this trouble?
For beige-blandish citizens,
Clutching the rubble
Of vanishing dreams
Of wimpish amusement,
Replaced by a rash
Of 'CREATIVE' confusement!

Soon, my brave Zombies,
You'll make your return!
Broadway will glow!
Broadway will burn!
(Along with the remnants of
EVERYTHING NEW)
My HOLY DISEASE will do
Wonders for you!
Those lovely producers
Who paid for you 'then'
Will do it again, and again, and again!

The spying potato (the spying potato!)
With horrible diction (that terrible diction!)
Will rot in the garbage (I can smell it right now!)
When this show's eviction
Takes place shortly after
My alternate skill
Of THEATRICAL SABOTAGE
Triumphs YOUR will!

I've a special review
(Yes I know you really do)
I've been saving for years
(Yes I know you really have)
For a show just like this,
(For a really stupid show)
With POTATOES and QUEERS

I'll say it's disgusting, atrocious, and dull
I'll say it makes boils inside of your skull
I'll say it's the worst-of-the-worst of the year,
No wind down the plain, and it's hard on your ear
I'll say it's the work of an infantile mind
I'll say that it's tasteless, and that you will find
A better excuse to spend money or time
At a Tupper-Ware Party,
So, do be a smarty!
Hold on to that dollar
A little while longer
For spending it here,
Why, it couldn't be wronger!

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO BROADWAY?
WHERE'S IT GONE, ALL THE GLITTER?
THE 'HEART' AND 'SOUL'
THE PATTER?
THE PITTER?

And after this deadly review hits the paper,
In will come ROPER, BENDER & RAPER,
To legally exercute all that remains
Of this tragic amusement for drug-addled brains

Hold on to that g-string
A little while longer
For bending it here,
Why, it couldn't be wronger!

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO BROADWAY?
WHERE'S IT GONE, ALL THE GLITTER?
THE 'HEART' AND 'SOUL'
THE PATTER?
THE PITTER?

And after this deadly review hits the paper,
In will come ROPER, BENDER & RAPER,
To legally execute all that remains
Of this tragic amusement for drug-addled brains
Hey hey, hey hey, hey hey, brai-hains . . .

3. You Call That Music? 3:07

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 4

McMillin Theater, Columbia University, NYC
February 14, 1969

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Lowell George—guitar/vocal
Roy Estrada—bass/vocal
Don Preston—keyboards/electronics
Buzz Gardner—trumpet
Ian Underwood—alto sax
Bunk Gardner—tenor sax
Motorhead Sherwood—baritone sax
Jimmy Carl Black—drums
Arthur Dyer Tripp III—drums
[Unknown guest soloist on vibes?]

 

Side 3

1. Sharleena 8:53

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3

Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, CA
December 23, 1984

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
[Dweezil Zappa—lead guitar]
Ike Willis—guitar/vocal
Ray White—guitar/vocal
Bobby Martin—keyboards/sax/vocal
Allan Zavod—keyboards
Scott Thunes—bass
Chad Wackerman—drums

FZ: Okay, ladies and gentlemen: my son Dweezil!
Ike: The Dweeze!
FZ: Dweezil is going to play the guitar solo on a song from the Them Or Us album, called "Sharleena."
Ike: Huh!

Oooh oooh oooh
Battlestar: Galactica?
Oooh oooh oooh

Everybody!

I'm cryin'
I'm cryin'
Cryin' for Sharleena,
Can't you see

I called up all my baby's friends
'N ask'n um
Where she done went.
("Jungle Boogie"?)
But nobody 'round here seems to know
Where my Sharleena's been
Where my Sharleena's been

Ten long years I've been lovin' her
Ten long years
And I thought deep down in my heart
She was mine
Ten long years I've been lovin' her
Ten long years
I would call her my baby, and now,
I'm always cryin'

I would be so delighted
(The Dweeze!)
(I would be)
I would be so delighted
(Yes, I would be)
If they would just
Send her on home to me

I would be so delighted
(I . . . )
I would be so delighted
(Yes, I would be)
If they would just
Send her on home to me
Send my baby home to me
Send my baby home to me
Send my baby home to me
Send my baby home to
Me-ee-ee-ee

2. Nanook Rubs It 11:19

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

includes quotations from Midnight Sun (Hampton/Burke/Mercer), Under Milk Wood (Thomas), Spring Song (Mendelssohn) and Dragnet (Schumann/Rósza)

Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK
February 17-19, 1979

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Denny Walley—slide guitar/vocals
Warren Cuccurullo—guitar
Tommy Mars—keyboards/vocals
Peter Wolf—keyboards
Ed Mann—percussion
Arthur Barrow—bass
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums

Well right about that time, people,
A fur trapper
Who was strictly from commercial
(Strictly Commershil)
Had the unmedicated audacity to jump up from behind my igyaloo
(Peek-a-Boo)
And he started in to whippin' on my fav'rite baby seal
With a lead-filled snow shoe . . .
([...])
With a lead
LEAD
Filled
LEAD-FILLED
With a lead-filled snow shoe
SNOW SHOE
He said Peak-a-boo
PEEK-A-BOO
With a lead
LEAD
Filled
LEAD-FILLED
With a lead-filled snow shoe
SNOW SHOE
He said Peak-a-boo.
(Butzis too)
PEEK-A-BOO
He went right up side the head of my favorite baby seal
Hit him on the nose, that's right
Hit him on the fin, yes
He went WHAP!
An' that got me just about as evil
As an Eskimo boy can be . . . so I bent down 'n I reached down 'n I scooped down
An' I gathered up a generous mitten full of the deadly . . .
YELLOW SNOW
The deadly Yellow Snow from right there where the huskies go
(Over by Butzis' room)
An' then I proceeded to rub it all into his beady little eyes
With a vigorous circular motion
Hitherto unknown to the citizens of Canarsie,
But destined to take the place of THE MUD SHARK
In your mythology
THE VIGOROUS CIRCULAR MOTION . . .
Here it goes, RUB IT!
(HEY . . . HEY . . . HEY . . . )

FZ: Alright, now this is the really exciting part of the show. This is the part I always like the best, because this is where I get to find out what you guys are made of. And you gals, too. This is the part where we have, we are purported to have, audience participation. Now, I know it's a matinee, and y'know, you're probably in a hurry to go get something to EAT, but I figure that this little audience participation that we're gonna do right now is SO TOTALLY STUPID that it's, well just think of it as an aperitivo, y'know what I mean? So, okay, everybody, stand up. Stand up now. Alright, that's very good. OK, a lot of you people are still sitting down, no, don't walk forward, just stand up. Stand where you are. OK, is everybody standing up? Well, most of you are standing up, okay, the ones who aren't standing up, hey, eat chain. Enforced recreation, live on stage in London. Now, we're gonna do away with the fur trapper now, the guy's been hittin' my baby seal quite a bit, baby seal doesn't look too good. Bleeding from the mouth and rectum, looks terminal. So what we're gonna do, is we're altogether gonna jump up and down this sunofabitch, now watch me. I'll do the stupid thing first, and then you shy people follow. Ready? Here we go . . . Hi, are you okay?
Angus: Fine
FZ: I know . . .
Angus: I love you
Ike: Relative of Joey Psychotic
FZ: Hello, how ya doin'?
Angus: Can I come up 'n recite a po-im?
FZ: No, but I'll tell you what, you can stay there and recite a poem. Here, what's your name? I'll hold it, it's okay, it might break.
Angus: Angus O'Riley O'Patrick McGinty
FZ: Don't hold it
Denny?: Joey Narcotic
Angus: Angus O'Riley O'Patrick McGinty
FZ: Wanna recite your, uh, poem now?
Angus: Yeah . . .

Angus:
Burnt wind
Heart stinks
Charred man
Burns
Squirm screeing

FZ: Is there more?
Angus: PAIN!
(Yes!)
FZ: Very essential. And now . . . thank you! Alright, now, as if, as if that weren't enough, watch this. I'm going to do something completely stupid and then after I demonstrate the stupidity of it all you're gonna do the same thing and that will sort of bind us together in some sort of cosmic, hands across the water, kind of symbolic, kind of . . . just forget it. Okay? Here we go, watch this . . .
Denny: It's Jumbo
FZ: It's Jumbo, that's right
Denny: Jumbo, come back!

Now, you pounce
And you pounce again
Jump up 'n down on the chest of a . . .
GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY

FZ: You're gonna do it too, now. Hey, wasn't that really stupid?
Ike: Sure that isn't 'bounce'?
FZ: OK, tonight, though, we're, we're adding a new dimension to this. When we get to the fast part, when you jump up and down on the chest of a, we're gonna vamp for an extra coupla bars, now this is very important, bring the band on down behind me, boys, so they can understand this, when the band plays very quietly after we jump up and down on the chest of a, EVERYBODY'S gonna recite a poem, whaddya say? Okay? And I'm gonna be listening. No mistakes. Ready? Now, everybody jumps

Now you pounce
You pounce again
You jump up 'n down on the chest of a, and recite a poem

FZ: Wait, wait a minute, wait a minute, I think I like the poem better than the jumping. More poetry, please!

Two Guys From The Audience:
Rotten gulls beating with large rubber sails!
Who cares? Now it is light!

FZ:
Alone in the hissing laboratory of his wishes,
Mr. Pugh minces among bad vats and jerebaums,
spinneys of murdering herbs,
and prepares to compound for Mrs. Pugh
a venomous porridge
hitherto unknown to toxicologists
which will scald and viper through her
'til her ears fall off like figs,
her toes grow big and black as balloons,
and steam comes screaming out of her navel.

(Cakes! Cakes! Cakes!)

FZ: Now, listen. The f . . . Sit down. The fur trapper was pretty fucked up. He had just been stomped upon and recited to by the entire contents of this audience. And you know what that can do to a guy who's wearing a . . . a PARKA. So he gets up . . .

And looks around
And looks around
And looks around again
And then he says (and you can sing along if you know the words)
I CAN'T SEE
(DO DO-DO DO DO DO . . . YEAH!)
I CAN'T SEE
(DO DO-DO DO DO DO)
I CAN'T SEE
(DO DO-DO DO DO DO)
I CAN'T SEE
(DO DO-DO DO DO DO)
He took a dog-doo sno-cone
An' stuffed it in my right eye
He took a dog-doo sno-cone
An' stuffed it in my other eye
An' the huskie wee-wee,
I mean the doggie wee-wee
Has blinded me
An', great Googly-Moogly, I can't see
Temporarily
(This is really stupid, isn't it?)
Well, it was at that time that the fur trapper
Remembered the ancient Eskimo legend
Wherein it is written
On whatever it is that they write it on up there
That if anything bad ever happens to your eyes
As a result of
Enforced Recreation Live Onstage In London
The only way that you can get it fixed up
Is to go trudgin' across the tundra . . .
Mile after mile
Trudgin' across the tundra . . .
Right down to the parish of Saint Alfonzo . . .
(What, another poem?)

Guy #1:
I want a garden.
I want a garden where the flowers have no flowers.
I want a garden where the trees have no leaves.
I want a garden where the tre-weeds don't even grow.
I want a garden.
I want MY garden.
I want a garden where there are no colors.
I want to water that garden.
I'll garden that with my tears.
Whilst that garden busted trees,
Busted leaves, water me with my own.

FZ: Sounds like a bunch of cakes for me
Denny: Oh, you want kindergarten
Guy #1: Hah-hah . . .
Band Member: Denny strikes!
FZ: Not bad, not bad. What's, what's the title of that?
Guy #1: Broadmoor
FZ: "Broadmoor," alright. Warren, do you know one called LeFrak City? Where's, where's Butzis?
Ike: Prob'ly somewhere bendin' over
FZ: Where is he? Are you . . . send Malkin up here . . . uh . . .
Band Member: He's probably gettin' a hand job
FZ: Yeah, I know that's just what I was thinking! Ha ha . . . He's in the lobby getting a blow job. Alright, sorry, maybe next show, we'll find him. One of these days we'll get him up here. Now, some of you people are probably not very religious, and one could hardly blame you. However, those of you who are religious, and who have been paying money into the church for years and years and are still waiting to get your money's worth, here's a little bit of information for ya (I don't know what you're gonna do with this information, but . . . ), Saint Alfonzo is, and probably will continue to be, for the duration of this show, the patron saint of the smelt fishermen of Portuguese extraction. Do you know what Portuguese extraction is? Very good. Anyway, in order that you may reach a higher level of conciousness, which is obviously the aim of our show, Ed Mann, who has been working on this little lick all afternoon, Ed, who only, he's, he's not sick, he only has bad mental health, Ed is going to play THE BIG ALFONZO MOTIF, let's hear it for him!

Side 4

1. The Florida Airport Tape 1:03

(Volman/Kaylan/FZ)

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

An airport in Florida
October, 1970

FZ—voice
Mark Volman—voice
Howard Kaylan—voice
Jeff Simmons—voice
Aynsley Dunbar—voice
Unknown Guy—voice

(The Main Conversation)
(whistling)
Wha . . .
Mark: Can I just ask some, any, everybody here, did anybody see me puke on stage?
Howard: No, did you?
Mark: I puked on stage.
Howard: You puked on stage?
Mark: I did, man. I was sin— right in the middle of singin' "Easy Meat" or somethin', an' all of a sudden I started pukin' outta my mouth an' I just put my hand over my mouth, an' I had . . .
Howard: Ohhhh . . .
Aynsley: You didn't get it on film?
Howard: Outta sight!
Aynsley: Get that in slow motion, it'd spew [...]
Mark: I thought you guys all caught that, man. I got really sick when we were all jumpin' around and stuff . . . an' all that scotch and wine. Which is weird, I only did it for about a second, y'know?
Aynsley: Oh!
Mark: It was just like a little spew. I kinda shoved it back down my throat and went on singin'.
FZ: Great.
Howard: Phew . . . Man, that is strange, man.
?: Yeah, it is.
Howard: Ratso Rizzo.
FZ: He saved it because he might be hungry later.
Howard: Eewwww . . . get the big pieces!

(The Other Conversation)
Guy: What are you doin', tourin' the country?
Jeff: Yeah. We started with San Antonio last night. Miami, then Tallahassee tonight, Orlando, and then Jacksonville tomorrow, and then we're doin' New York. We have a few days off. We have about ten days off [...].
Guy: That's a nice way to play. [...] pretty good.
Jeff: My name's Jeff.
Guy: Ah, it's not important who I am. California?
Jeff: L.A., man.
?: How's it going?

2. Once Upon A Time 4:38

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

Rainbow Theatre, London, UK
December 10, 1971

FZ—guitar/vocal
Mark Volman—vocal
Howard Kaylan—vocal
Jim Pons—bass/vocal
Don Preston—keyboards/electronics
Ian Underwood—keyboards/alto sax
Aynsley Dunbar—drums

translation

FZ: Once upon a time, way back a long time ago, when the universe consisted of nothing more elaborate than Mark Volman . . .
Mark: Ohh, thank you, Frank. And don't misspell it, that's not Marc Bolan, that's Mark Volman. Hiya, friends! I wanna welcome each an' every one of ya, I wanna say to you tonight, I feel great. I mean, I feel great! Everywhere I go people are always comin' up to me, and they say, "Mark . . . Mark, Mark"
(Mark! Mark! Mark!)
Mark: "Mark, are you kidding?" Lemme tell you this, friends: I AM NOT KIDDING. I mean, I am portly, and I am maroon. Well, how many people here tonight can guess what I am?
FZ: I . . . don't
Howard: I can't guess what you are.
Jim: Not me
Mark: Well, then I'll give you some clues. And the first clue is, I AM PORTLY. Does that help?
FZ: Not Much
Howard: No, I don't know who you are
Mark: OK, I got one. Clue number two: I AM DOUBLE KNIT. That helped?
FZ: No, not much
Howard: What do you mean?
Mark: Ahem; well then, I have to give you one more clue, I know this is gonna give it away and hate like damn to tell you this, but clue number three, ICH BIN MAROON.
Howard: Ahhhh, you're a Sofa!

FZ: Way back a long time ago, when the universe consisted of nothing more elaborate than Mark Volman . . .
Mark: Thank you, Frank
FZ: . . . trying to convince each and every member of this extremely hip audience here tonight that he was nothing more, nothing less, than a fat, maroon sofa, suspended in the midst of a great emptiness, a light shined down from Heaven. And there he was, ladies and gentlemen, the Good Lord, and he took a . . . he took a look at the sofa, and he said to himself: "Quite an attractive sofa. This sofa could be commercial . . . "
Mark: Thank you, Frank, hiya friends
FZ: " . . . with a few more margaritas and the right company. However, I digress. What this sofa needs," said the Big G., "is a bit of FLOORING underneath of it." And so, in order to make this construction project possible, he summoned the assistance of the celestial choir of engineers and, by means of a cute little song in the German language, which is the way he talks whenever it's Heavy Business, the Good Lord went something like this, take it away, Jim Pons:

Gib zu mir etwas Fußbodenbelag
(Hey!)
Unter diesen fetten, fließenden Sofa
(Everybody!)
Gib zu mir etwas Fußbodenbelag
Unter diesen fetten, fließenden Sofa

FZ: And of course, ladies and gentlemen, that means, "Give unto me a bit of flooring under this fat, floating sofa." And sure enough, boards of oak appeared throughout the emptiness as far as vision permits, stretching all the way from Belfast to Bognor Regis. And the Lord put aside his huge cigar and proceeded to deliver unto the charming maroonish sofa the bulk of his message, with the assistance of a small electric clarinet, and it went something like this:

3. King Kong 3:11

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3

Parc Des Expositions, Metz, France
June 22, 1982

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Ray White—guitar/vocal
Steve Vai—stunt guitar
Tommy Mars—keyboards/vocal
Bobby Martin—keyboards/sax/vocal
Ed Mann—percussion
Scott Thunes—bass
Chad Wackerman—drums

Bidet!
(Sport shirt)
BLOOOW-JOB
Jambon
(Corn-hole!)
(Sport shirt!)
Bidet!
(Corn . . . hole)
Jambon
BLOOOW-JOB
(Corn-hole!)
Bidet!
(Sport shirt)
Bidet!
(Sport shirt, sport shirt, sport shirt, sport shirt)
Bidet!

OOO-AHH!!

Bidet!
Bidet, bidet, bidet, bidet, bidet, bidet, bidet, bidet, bi . . .
(Corn-hole . . . corn-hole . . . )
(Sport shirt, sport shirt, sport shirt, sport shirt, sport shirt . . .)
BLOW-JOB! BLOW-JOB! BLOW-JOB!
Jambon, jambon, jambon, jambon . . .

(Couchon . . . )

Bidet! Bidet!
(Sport shirt, sport shirt)
Cooooorn-HOOOOLE!

Ed:
Thank you
Oh thank you, you're really too kind
Thank you, thank you so much
Thank you, thank you
Blow-job!

FZ: Ed Mann, ladies and gentlemen!

Oui!
Avec oui, oui

4. Dickie's Such An Asshole 6:48

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3

includes quotations from Midnight Sun (Hampton/Burke/Mercer), The Battle Hymn Of The Republic (Steffe/Howe) and Billy The Mountain

Roxy, Los Angeles, CA
December 9, 1973, early show, & December 10, 1973, early show

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Napoleon Murphy Brock—sax/vocal
George Duke—keyboard/vocal
Ruth Underwood—percussion
Bruce Fowler—trombone
Tom Fowler—bass
Chester Thompson—drums
Ralph Humphrey—drums

One 'n one is eleven!
Two 'n two is twenty-two!
Won't somebody kindly tell me,
What the government's tryin' t' do . . .
Dickie's just too tricky
For a chump like me to use
Well, you'd take that sub-committee serious, boy
You might get a seizure from the evenin' news

Well, yeah, yeah,
Millions 'n millions of dollars . . .
Much as he might need . . .
He could open up a chain of motels, people,
On the highway, yes indeed!
Quadrophonic desperation!
You know, there'd be a cable all under your bed
Well, if you just might break some wind in your slumber
The FBI is gonna get your number

GONNA GET YA
GONNA GET YA
GONNA JUMP UP THE SUB-COMMITTEE AND GET YA!

Gonna get your number
The FBI
Gonna get your number
The FBI
Gonna get your number
The FBI
Gonna get your number
The FBI
Done got your number
The FBI
Done got your number
The FBI
Gonna get your number
The FBI
Gonna get your number
Gonna get your number
Gonna get your number

Tryin' not to worry
Tryin' not to care
But you know, I get delighted
When some microphone's not there
Can't have no private conversations
Nowhere
In the USA
Can't wait 'til the rest of the people all over the world
Find out that their government
Is just the same ol' way
Yeah, every day . . .

Well . . .
Let me tell you one thing right now
Let me tell you one thing right here
Let me make this perfectly clear
Let me tell you 'bout this right here
You know you put me in office
So you must have wanted me in office
I've did you no harm
You know I'm not a crook
You know I'm innocent
I had twenty-five tapes
I only have ten
I don't know what happened to the rest
Musta gave 'em to a friends
Loaned a couple to Bebe Rebozo (Bozo!)
Loaned a couple to Pat Boone (Boone!)
Loaned a couple to Ronald Reagan (Reagan!)
And loaned a couple to the new vice-president
He said he'd be on my side
He said he'd stand by me through thick 'n thin
Until they impeach me
And he said he'd never let 'em
He said he'd never let 'em do it
I said, "I believe you"
I said, "Hold down"
I said, "I never cheated on ya (cheat!)
I've never lied"
We know you're not a crook
We know you're not a crook
All we wanna say is one more thing now . . .

The gangster stepped right up,
Kissed him on the lip good-bye
Made him a cocksucker by proxy, yes he did,
An' he didn't even bat an eye!
The man in the White House—oh!
He's got a conscience—oh!
He's got a conscience as black as sin!
There's just one thing I wanna know—
How'd that asshole ever manage to get in?

FZ: Here it comes, ladies and gentlemen, sing right along . . .

5. Cosmic Debris 4:45

From You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3

includes a quotation from Who Knows (Hendrix)

Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
December 17, 1984
and
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon
December 20, 1984

FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Ike Willis—guitar/vocal
Ray White—guitar/vocal
Bobby Martin—keyboards/sax/vocal
Allan Zavod—keyboards
Scott Thunes—bass
Chad Wackerman—drums

The Mystery Man came over
An' he said: "I'm outa-site!"
He said, for a nominal service charge,
I could reach nervonna t'nite
If I was ready, willing 'n able
To pay him his regular fee
He would drop all the rest of his pressing affairs
And devote His Attention to me
But I said . . .
Look here brother,
Who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?
(Now what kind of a MASKED MAN are you anyway?)
Look here brother,
Don't you waste your time on me

The Mystery Man got nervous
An' he sorta fidget around a bit
He reached in the pocket of his Mystery Robe
An' he whipped out a shaving kit
Now, I thought it was a razor
An' a can of foamin' goo
But he told me right then when the top popped open
There was nothin' his box won't do
With the oil of Hi-Yo, Silver
An' the dust of the Grand Wazoo
He said:
"You might not believe this, Tonto
But it'll fix up that war-paint for ya too!"
An' I said . . .
Look here brother,
(Thank you, Masked Man, thank you!)
Who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?
(Ah! Masked Man's a fag!)
Look here brother,
Don't you waste your time on me

I've got troubles of my own, I said
An' you can't help me out
So take your meditations an' your preparations
An' cram it up yer snout
"BUT I GOT A SILVER BOL!," he said
An' held it on up to his horse
So I snatched it
All away from him
An' I showed him how to do it right, of course
I wrapped a newspaper 'round my head
So I'd look like I was Deep
I said some Mumbo Jumbos then
I told him he was goin' to sleep
I robbed his rings
An' his pocket watch
An' everything else I found
I had that sucker/swami hypnotized
He couldn't even make a sound
(Where'd you get those beautiful . . . ?)
I proceeded to tell him his future then
As long as he was hanging around,
I said
"The price of pyjamas has just gone up
An' that ol' swami have just gone down . . . "
(Uh-oh!)
Look here swami,
Who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?
(Now is that a real poncho or is that a Seattle poncho?
Who can tell anymore?)
Don't you know,
You could make more money in syndication,
So don't you waste your trap on me
(Don't Sri Chin, don't Sri Chinmoy on me . . . )
Ohm swami, ohm swami, ohm swami-ohm

FZ: Ray White, Chad Wackerman, Scott Thunes, Allan Zavod, Bobby Martin, Ike Willis. Thanks for coming to the show. Good night!

 

All compositions by Frank Zappa except as noted
Site maintained by Román García Albertos
http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/
Lyrics from the original CDs
Corrections and additions by Román, Bossk(R) and Charles Ulrich
The parts that differ from the CD versions are printed this way
This page updated: 2019-03-08