Snuky Tate
Snuky Tate was the pseudonym of American musician Lionel White (1948-1998). He performed a comedic character named Snuky Tate during punk concerts. His single He's The Groove (1979) was a minor hit song and is a tongue in cheek dance song about Pope John Paul II, around the time he first visited the United States.
Zappa and Snuky Tate
On 19 November 1979, as a guest on WPIX, New York, and on May 1981, as a guest on the Dr. Demento show, Zappa played He's the Groove.
Zappa about Snuky Tate
Dr Demento: In this next segment of our interview with Frank Zappa, which was taped a few days before the near-tragic shooting in the Vatican, Frank Zappa played a song about...Pope [sic.]. It's a little bit unconventional, but not at all disrespectful. In fact, it's all about really what a wonderful man the Pope is. And of course our prayers are very much with him. So let's listen...
Zappa: "Yeah. Snuky is a guy that I met in New York, and I don't know how to explain this record to you other than to say that it is a kind of...disco/funk/new wave/rampant commercialism based on the time when the Pope was touring the United States. And the name of this song is "He's The Groove."
