L.A. Night Piece

 

Comments

drdork, Zappateers, October 23, 2017

Johnny Ace (1929-1954) was a rhythm & blues singer who accidentally killed himself. FZ played several of his songs as a bogus disc jockey.

Little Julian Herrera was a rhythm & blues singer too. Ray Collins sang back-up on his song I Remember Linda. Herrera was convicted of rape (statutory or otherwise) shortly after that record was released. He served some time in prison, got out, and disappeared shortly thereafter.

ABC beer was brewed by the Maier Brewing Company of Los Angeles.

Of course, Trojan is a brand of condoms and Lucky Strike is a brand of cigarettes.

I'm guessing King Konk was a hair product.

Anyone know what a "many-thins belt" is?

 

Original Typewritten Manuscript

Antiquarian Booksellers' Association Of America (c. October, 2010)

Original Four Page Typed Beat Poem (L. A. Night Piece) and with Three Typed Signed Letters

by Zappa, Frank

Format: Loose Sheets
Publisher: Frank Zappa
Place: Claremont
Date published: 1959

Book Description

Claremont: Frank Zappa, 1959. First edition. Loose Sheets. Very Good. Interesting Zappa archive including a four-page typed "beat" poem entitled L. A. Nite Piece along with three Typed SIGNED Letters to publisher Grover Haynes discussing the piece and its publication. Zappa specifically wanted this published under the pseudonym Vincent Beldon. The poem was eventually published in an obscure little poetry magazine. One of Zappa's earliest and scarcest publications. All elements in very good condition.

AbeBooks.co.uk (c. October, 2010)

Original Four Page Typed Beat Poem (L. A. Night Piece)and with Three Typed Signed Letters

Zappa, Frank

Publisher: Frank Zappa, Claremont
Publication Date: 1959
Binding: Loose Sheets

Description:

Interesting Zappa archive including a four-page typed "beat" poem entitled L. A. Nite Piece along with three Typed SIGNED Letters to publisher Grover Haynes discussing the piece and its publication. Zappa specifically wanted this published under the pseudonym Vincent Beldon. The poem was eventually published in an obscure little poetry magazine. One of Zappa's earliest and scarcest publications. All elements in very good condition.

Andrew Greenaway, Frank Talk: The Inside Stories Of Zappa's Other People, 2017, p. 11

[Lorraine] Belcher was able to confirm that the same typewriter was used for both the Beldon poem, LA Night Piece, and the Watts Riot lyrics.

Al Fresco, Zappateers, November 3, 2017

I had this pic archived since 2010:

Transcription

Mr. Grover Haynes . . . .

Enclosed is a thing: L.A. NIGHT PIECE. I'll appreciate your looking at it . . . . like maybe publish it even. It's only a little thing.

That's about all I should say. If you do become interested in it, I have the illustration for it here.

Thank you
Frank Zappa
487 St. Augustine St.
Claremont

---

Mr. Grover Haynes . . . .

Pleasant to [...] you dig poem. How [...] to realize from the publication? If you do [...] put it in print, substitute the name Vincent [...] Frank Zappa . . . . VERY IMPORTANT!

Here is the requested "interesting infor[...]"

Anti-clerical
Anti-nationalist
Anarchist
Hedonist
Thinks life is a big blast
Digs Pierre Boullez
and Muddy Waters
Digs eastern philosophy
Modigliani
Ferlinghetti
and thick coffee
Otherw[...]

 

Split From Twinkling Hell (1959)

University Of Virginia Library

Split from twinkling hell
poetry by Lacy, Brown, Beldon ; illustration by Rico Rivera.

Format:
Book [32] p. : ill. ; 22 cm.

Published:
Studio City, Calif. : Three Penny Press ; distributed by the Paper Editions Corporation, c1959.

Contents:
Preface / Grover Haynes, editor
Something for Billie / W Maurice Lacy
Expresso / W Maurice Lacy
Conjured heaven / W Maurice Lacy
My city / WM Lacy
And not again / Walter C Brown
LA night piece / Vincent Beldon
5 full-page illustrations, including the press logo One ill signed Piven, 2 signed with a symbol, and the last is not signed

Notes:
Cover title.
Poems.
"Editor: Grover Haynes. Artwork & Hand-lettering: Rosie Haynes"—p. [32]
Original yellow wrappers with printed blue dust jacket. Dust jacket includes price "75c," "Poetry Restricted" and "art by Piven Fox." Imprint from p. [32]

eurekabooksellers, "Zappa, Frank Haynes, Grover editor / Split from Twinkling Hell 1st ed #185531," ebay.com, c. October, 2017

Description: [16] leaves. Poetry by W. Maurice Lacy, Walter C. Brown, and Vincent Beldon. Illustrations by Rico Rivera. In 2002, Alan Zipkin of Derringer Books turned up the manuscript of Beldon's poem, 'L.A. Night Piece' along with letters between an 18-year-old Frank Zappa and the editor of Three Penny Press. In the letters, Zappa asked that he be credited under the pseudonym Vincent Beldon. [...] (note: There was a second Three Penny Press title with the same name but without the Beldon/Zappa contribution).

Abebooks.co.uk, retrieved December 3, 2017

Poetry Restricted

Lacy
Brown
Beldon

75ç

Split
from
Twinkling Hell

3 Penny Press

art by
Piven
Fox

III

© 1959
Grover Haynes

brainpang, Zappateers, October 22, 2017

Someone who would post on the Z-Forum bought the orig discovery, with the correspondence. I remember he offered to read it over the phone to me, but time got away and it never happened. And he lived in the UK, if memory serves. It appears the excerpt is Frank's "beat poem?"

brainpang, Zappateers, November 5, 2017

Is he responsible for the art, too? The letter says he has illustrations to offer as well. Maybe they used them, maybe not. I'd say yes to the one pictured.