DS: You guys did this medley called "Orange County Lumber Truck". At the end of that came the section from "Lumpy Gravy". I understand that that part of "Lumpy Gravy" was originally written as part of Captain Beefheart And The Grunt People.
FZ: That was the theme for Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People.
O.K. I will explain the concept of "Bwana Dik" to you. In every band there is some member of the band who, during the course of touring, gets the opportunity to entertain more girls than the other members of the band. It is like winning a contest. If we carry this concept to a ridiculous extreme, this person could be awarded the title of "Bwana Dik." The song deals with the fact that each in his own way, each member of the group, secretly believes that he is "Bwana Dik."
And the song attempts to show how foolish this concept is.
1970
BWANA DIK - Essentially performed as on "Tengo Na Minchia Tanta" from Beat the Boots Volume II. This song serves as the third song of the seven song "Opera".
1971
BWANA DIK - Essentially performed as on "Fillmore East, June 1971".
1988
LUMPY GRAVY THEME - Essentially performed as on MAJNH, and always as part of the Big Medley. The line "May you never hear vluerbedekking again" (referring back to a '71 performance of the Sofa Suite) is originally intended to be "May you never hear surf music again", which is a reference to Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun". This line changed frequently at the whim of Frank, with my favorite mutation being "May you never hear Dinah-Moe Humm again" (thank you, Frank).
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