Difference between revisions of "Mark Cheka"

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Mark Cheka, name-checked on the cover 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", was the Mother's Manager before [[Herb Cohen]].
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<blockquote><p>
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[[Don Cerveris|Don]] introduced me to a friend of his named [[Mark Cheka]], a 'pop
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artist' from New York's East Village. Mark was about fifty and wore a beret. He was living in West
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Hollywood with a waitress from the Ash Grove named Stephanie, who was also sort of beatnik-looking.
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</p>
 +
<p>
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The main focus of his work was a group of large paintings that looked like police department pistol
 +
targets, designed to be viewed under flashing lights, which gave the illusion that the silhouettes were
 +
jumping around. I found this a little baffling -- but what the fuck do I know from art? We hung out and
 +
had some laughs, in spite of the targets.
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</p>
 +
<p>
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I had come to the conclusion that the band needed a manager, and had thought (Ow! Was I going
 +
to regret this one!) that the person required for this important position needed to be someone with an
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'artistic background.' Only then, I reasoned, would our aesthetic be properly understood, and, once we
 +
had acquired a manager of such sensitivity, our future success in show business would be assured.
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</p>
 +
<p>
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So, I convinced Mark to take the mysterious voyage out to [[Pomona]] (fifty miles east), where he
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might listen to the Mothers, live, at the [[Broadside]]. What did I know from managing? I told him that if
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he wanted to manage the group and could get us some gigs to go ahead.  
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</p>
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<p>
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He didn't really know how to do that. What did he know from managing? He brought in a guy
 +
named [[Herb Cohen]], who was managing some folk and folk-rock groups and was looking for another act
 +
to pick up. Eventually they became joint managers of our band, with a contract negotiated 'on behalf of
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the group' by Herb's brother, an attorney named [[Martin Cohen|Martin (Mutt) Cohen]].
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</p>
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</blockquote>
  
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From the "biographical trivia" section on the [[Freak Out!]] (1966) album: ''... Moved into my [[PAL Recording Studio | recording studio]], joined forces with [[Ray Collins | Ray]], [[Jimmy Carl Black | Jim]] and [[Roy Estrada | Roy]], schemed and plotted for a year, working in beer joints, blah, blah, starved a lot, etc... played a lot of freaky music & stayed vastly unpopular (though notorious). OWE OUR EXISTENCE to [[Mark Cheka]] for his initial encouragement and sterling example (and to a whole bunch of other people who are going to be bugged because their names aren't listed in detail, with addresses and pertinent facts about what they like about the government & their other fetishes). [[Ray Collins | Ray]] used to be a carpenter and a bartender and sing with [[Little Julian Herrera and the Tigers | Little Julian Herrera & The Tigers]] (note the falsetto part in 'I REMEMBER LINDA')... been singing R&B for ten to twelve years. [[Jimmy Carl Black | Jim]] got fired from some idiot band in [[Kansas]], forcing him to move to [[California]]. Lucky for us. Seems he just couldn't get turned on playing "[[Louie Louie | Louie, Louie]]" all night... it must have hurt him deeply when they rejected him. [[Roy Estrada | Roy]] is an asthmatic [[Pachuco]], good-natured excellent bass player, involved in the R&B scene here for about ten years. He is unbelievably tolerant. I don't understand it. [[Elliot Ingber | Elliot]] digs the blues. He has a big dimple in his chin. We made him grow beard to cover it up. He just got out of the Army. Lucky for the Army. THEY ARE ALL MUSICIANS.''
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<div align=right>[[The Real Frank Zappa Book]]</div>
  
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He is also mentioned in "[[The Real Frank Zappa Book]]" (1989).
 
  
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[[Mark Cheka]] is included in the [[:Category:Freak Out! (The List)|list of names]] on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and mentioned in the "biographical trivia" section -
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<blockquote>OWE OUR EXISTENCE to [[Mark Cheka]] for his initial encouragement and sterling example</blockquote>
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[[Category:Supporting Cast|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:Supporting Cast|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:Managers|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:Managers|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:The Real Frank Zappa Book (The List)|Cheka, Mark]]
 
[[Category:The Real Frank Zappa Book (The List)|Cheka, Mark]]

Revision as of 05:39, 7 April 2007

Don introduced me to a friend of his named Mark Cheka, a 'pop artist' from New York's East Village. Mark was about fifty and wore a beret. He was living in West Hollywood with a waitress from the Ash Grove named Stephanie, who was also sort of beatnik-looking.

The main focus of his work was a group of large paintings that looked like police department pistol targets, designed to be viewed under flashing lights, which gave the illusion that the silhouettes were jumping around. I found this a little baffling -- but what the fuck do I know from art? We hung out and had some laughs, in spite of the targets.

I had come to the conclusion that the band needed a manager, and had thought (Ow! Was I going to regret this one!) that the person required for this important position needed to be someone with an 'artistic background.' Only then, I reasoned, would our aesthetic be properly understood, and, once we had acquired a manager of such sensitivity, our future success in show business would be assured.

So, I convinced Mark to take the mysterious voyage out to Pomona (fifty miles east), where he might listen to the Mothers, live, at the Broadside. What did I know from managing? I told him that if he wanted to manage the group and could get us some gigs to go ahead.

He didn't really know how to do that. What did he know from managing? He brought in a guy named Herb Cohen, who was managing some folk and folk-rock groups and was looking for another act to pick up. Eventually they became joint managers of our band, with a contract negotiated 'on behalf of the group' by Herb's brother, an attorney named Martin (Mutt) Cohen.

The Real Frank Zappa Book


Mark Cheka is included in the list of names on the cover of Freak Out! and mentioned in the "biographical trivia" section -

OWE OUR EXISTENCE to Mark Cheka for his initial encouragement and sterling example

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