Difference between revisions of "John F. Kennedy"
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| + | '''John Fitzgerald Kennedy''' (born May 29, 1917 in [[Massachusetts|Brookline, MA]] - Died November 22, 1963 in Dallas, TX) was the 35th President of the United States. | ||
| − | + | Kennedy was elected in 1960, as the first Roman Catholic US President. During his administration, tensions with Cuba rose. In 1961, the [[CIA]] funded an attempt to remove Cuban president Fidel Castro from power, but this invasion at Varkensbaai failed. A year later, the discovery of Soviet missiles on Cuba led to a diplomatic crisis between the [[United States]] and [[Russia]], which nearly brought the world on the brink of nuclear war. In the end, Russian head of state Nikita Khrushchev agreed to have the missiles removed, while the US government promised to refrain from military invasions in Cuba. Kennedy is also remembered for expressed his solidarity with the Berlin people in his famous ''"Ich bin ein Berliner"'' speech in front of the Berliner Wall. | |
| + | In 1963, Kennedy visited [[Dallas]], Texas, where he was assassinated. A suspect, [[Lee Harvey Oswald]], was arrested but also murdered soon after, by Jack Ruby. [[Melvin Mouron Belli]] led the defense of Ruby during the subsequent trial. The JFK assassination is still a source of ongoing debate and speculation about the culprit(s) and especially the impact it had on the public perception of the US government. | ||
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| + | Kennedy was succeeded by vice president [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]. In 1968, John F. Kennedy's brother, Robert Kennedy, presented himself as candidate for the US Democratic Party, but was also assassinated soon after. That year, [[Richard Nixon]] was elected President of the US. | ||
==Zappa and JFK== | ==Zappa and JFK== | ||
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| + | In ''[[The Lost Interview]]'' (1990), Zappa said he voted for Kennedy back in 1960. He also felt much of the criticism towards Kennedy came from the fact that he was a sexual person: ''"Well, I voted for Kennedy. I thought that Kennedy was a good guy. A lot of people think he wasn't a good guy, because he was doing SEX. Now, I think, good guys do sex. That's one of the things that's wrong with politicians. Anytime you take a man and offer him for a public office and that man has to pretend that he has no apparatus between his legs: you got a problem, because, it's like beginning of living a lie. People are sexual: that's it. So, he's a president, okay, he still wants to do it. (...) I think a lot of other people in the country just had a good feeling about him, whatever they thought about what was going on in his pants when they weren't looking. They had a feeling about him that he was probably a good guy."'' <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOz7aSJO2qo&list=PL16288D6466FD7EDE&index=3</ref> | ||
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| + | Zappa and [[Paul Buff]] created a short-lived record label called Vigah, named after how JFK pronounced ''"vigor."'' The single ''[[The Big Surfer]]'' (1963), on which Zappa also sang and performed guitar and drums, was a parody song, with DJ Brian Lord imitating Kennedy. Zappa reflected on the song in a 1988 interview with [[Rolling Stone]], ''[[Rolling Stone Interview, 1988]]'', conducted by Kurt Loder: ''"During that period of time, which was roughly '61, '62, there were these things called novelty records, you know? Like "Please, Mr. Custer." Radio still had a slight sense of humor. So if you could do a novelty record, the chances were you could lease it to a record company. I wrote one, and Paul and I leased the master to Capitol for the unheard-of sum of a $700 advance. I mean, that was a whopper. And the reason was because this record looked like it was gonna be unbelievably hot. You know why? It was called "The Big Surfer," and what it was, it was a guy – a San Bernardino disc jockey named Brian Lord – who could do Kennedy's voice better than Kennedy. It was like a take-off on the First Family album, where Kennedy is judging a surf contest. And totally produced – sound effects, the whole business, okay? The unfortunate part of the record was the punchline: the winner of the contest got an all-expense-paid trip as the first member of the Peace Corps to be sent to [[Alabama]]. Well, shortly after we signed the contract, Medgar Evers got killed, and Capitol refused to release the record."'' | ||
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| + | In the aforementioned ''[[The Lost Interview]]'', Zappa remembered hearing about JFK's assassination and feeling ''"disgusted"'' about the event. In 1968, after Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated, it made him really worry about the sanity of the people in this country and the sanity of the policies and why something like that should have to happen. He also felt it started looking less like isolated incidents and more like a trend. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRtIRvztbwY&list=PL16288D6466FD7EDE&index=5</ref> | ||
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| + | Frank Zappa named Jack Ruby's lawyer [[Melvin Belli]] in his list of influences inside the sleeve of ''[[Freak Out!]]'' (1966), under the heading: ''"These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them"''. [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] and the [[Dallas Cop]] from the famous photo of Oswald's assassination are pictured on the collage cover of ''[[We're Only In It For The Money]]'' (1968). | ||
| − | + | Zappa liked [[William Manchester]]'s book ''The Death of a President'' (1967), about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. | |
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| + | Zappa and John F. Kennedy's name were included on the [[Freedom Wall]] in [[Chicago]]. | ||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | *[[Wikipedia:John F. Kennedy]] | ||
| + | *[http://www.jfklibrary.org John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum] | ||
[[Category:Presidents|Kennedy]] | [[Category:Presidents|Kennedy]] | ||
Latest revision as of 08:26, 8 August 2026
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (born May 29, 1917 in Brookline, MA - Died November 22, 1963 in Dallas, TX) was the 35th President of the United States.
Kennedy was elected in 1960, as the first Roman Catholic US President. During his administration, tensions with Cuba rose. In 1961, the CIA funded an attempt to remove Cuban president Fidel Castro from power, but this invasion at Varkensbaai failed. A year later, the discovery of Soviet missiles on Cuba led to a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Russia, which nearly brought the world on the brink of nuclear war. In the end, Russian head of state Nikita Khrushchev agreed to have the missiles removed, while the US government promised to refrain from military invasions in Cuba. Kennedy is also remembered for expressed his solidarity with the Berlin people in his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in front of the Berliner Wall.
In 1963, Kennedy visited Dallas, Texas, where he was assassinated. A suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, was arrested but also murdered soon after, by Jack Ruby. Melvin Mouron Belli led the defense of Ruby during the subsequent trial. The JFK assassination is still a source of ongoing debate and speculation about the culprit(s) and especially the impact it had on the public perception of the US government.
Kennedy was succeeded by vice president Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1968, John F. Kennedy's brother, Robert Kennedy, presented himself as candidate for the US Democratic Party, but was also assassinated soon after. That year, Richard Nixon was elected President of the US.
Zappa and JFK
In The Lost Interview (1990), Zappa said he voted for Kennedy back in 1960. He also felt much of the criticism towards Kennedy came from the fact that he was a sexual person: "Well, I voted for Kennedy. I thought that Kennedy was a good guy. A lot of people think he wasn't a good guy, because he was doing SEX. Now, I think, good guys do sex. That's one of the things that's wrong with politicians. Anytime you take a man and offer him for a public office and that man has to pretend that he has no apparatus between his legs: you got a problem, because, it's like beginning of living a lie. People are sexual: that's it. So, he's a president, okay, he still wants to do it. (...) I think a lot of other people in the country just had a good feeling about him, whatever they thought about what was going on in his pants when they weren't looking. They had a feeling about him that he was probably a good guy." [1]
Zappa and Paul Buff created a short-lived record label called Vigah, named after how JFK pronounced "vigor." The single The Big Surfer (1963), on which Zappa also sang and performed guitar and drums, was a parody song, with DJ Brian Lord imitating Kennedy. Zappa reflected on the song in a 1988 interview with Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone Interview, 1988, conducted by Kurt Loder: "During that period of time, which was roughly '61, '62, there were these things called novelty records, you know? Like "Please, Mr. Custer." Radio still had a slight sense of humor. So if you could do a novelty record, the chances were you could lease it to a record company. I wrote one, and Paul and I leased the master to Capitol for the unheard-of sum of a $700 advance. I mean, that was a whopper. And the reason was because this record looked like it was gonna be unbelievably hot. You know why? It was called "The Big Surfer," and what it was, it was a guy – a San Bernardino disc jockey named Brian Lord – who could do Kennedy's voice better than Kennedy. It was like a take-off on the First Family album, where Kennedy is judging a surf contest. And totally produced – sound effects, the whole business, okay? The unfortunate part of the record was the punchline: the winner of the contest got an all-expense-paid trip as the first member of the Peace Corps to be sent to Alabama. Well, shortly after we signed the contract, Medgar Evers got killed, and Capitol refused to release the record."
In the aforementioned The Lost Interview, Zappa remembered hearing about JFK's assassination and feeling "disgusted" about the event. In 1968, after Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated, it made him really worry about the sanity of the people in this country and the sanity of the policies and why something like that should have to happen. He also felt it started looking less like isolated incidents and more like a trend. [2]
Frank Zappa named Jack Ruby's lawyer Melvin Belli in his list of influences inside the sleeve of Freak Out! (1966), under the heading: "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them". Lee Harvey Oswald and the Dallas Cop from the famous photo of Oswald's assassination are pictured on the collage cover of We're Only In It For The Money (1968).
Zappa liked William Manchester's book The Death of a President (1967), about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Zappa and John F. Kennedy's name were included on the Freedom Wall in Chicago.
