The Cover
16 Magazine, 1965
Back cover of Mothermania, translation by Konrad Steiner
Der Abend
Thursday, 17th of October, 1968ALL THE TOYS ARE BROKEN
Spectacle and ruckus: "Mothers of Invention" at the Sportpalast
o It was a complete misunderstanding, last night at the Sportpalast:
America's most radical and engaged underground group, The Mothers of
Invention, saw themselves pressed into the role of "Mothers of Reaction,"
which they actually had intended for the audience.· A radical force of superior strength, colorfully thrown together from
leftists, rockers and hooligans drove them from the stage like reactionary
boogie men. Frank Zappa's total music theater was brought down by the
demands of those who wouldn't buy his message.It began harmoniously enough. They laughed at Roy Estrada's MGM-Lion roar
("The voice of the President of the United States"). They cheered the
song about the "Plastic People," watched with pleasure while a teddy bear
was "sexually aroused" with the arm of a little plastic doll. Frank
Zappa's blue overalls made you expect some action.But the underground leader just shook his black lion's mane, plucked the
strings circumspectly—now playing little Hansel and now the wicked
witch. And the wicked rhymes came nice and cute out of the speakers—
poetry on such unpoetic topics as war and racism.The horns still resounded in the hall like ["Hertha": some kind of
literary reference by a Goethe wannabe rock writer?]: rousing. But
secretly Zappa's enemies had already sounded their attack.The first shot, something pale green, whizzed by at around 8:40 pm.
Unperturbed the Mothers pulled their props out of the magic chest, a
hatbox, and symbolically play acted a little game of toy breaking.Then the first rotten? egg burst onto Zappa's yellow guitar. The Head
Mother said, "You people are acting like pigs!" The battle lines were
drawn: "Evolution vs. Revolution."12 minutes before 9 the stage fences were in tatters. The "evolution"
submitted and left the stage. Helpless from all quarters. The Mothers
manager Barber [sic] only outwardly the picture of calm, moaned, "No, no—this has never happened to us before."The "revolution" took the stage in a surprise attack, set off cherry
bombs, plundered Zappa's hatbox, and generally messed up the equipment. A
little success for the opposition: a Greenager ["green-teenager" referring
to FZ as a radical young person] could be "disarmed" with 50 brown eggs.Zappa scolded: "We came here as musicians and not to hear your drunken
slogans." And: "The situation in Berlin must be pretty desparate for you
to act this way." And: "You're acting like Americans!"Promoter Rau tried unsuccessfully to throw himself between the factions.
"Let's talk about it, friends," he beseeched, hoarse from all these kind
words.But there was nothing more to be done. The police, who had been holding
back discretely up til then, gave friend and foe 10 minutes to clear the
battle zone. The exodus proceeded without incident.Frank Zappa meditated: "It was a very enlightening experience."
Helmut Kopetzky
[trans. konrad steiner]