Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) was a Democrat politician who served as Vice President of the US under John F. Kennedy (1960-1963). When Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson succeeded him as President.
Johnson was only President for one term, from 1963 to 1968. During his administration he signed the US Civil Rights Act (1964), guaranteeing the same rights for African-Americans in the US as other races. In his speeches, he envisioned a Great Society and signed many treaties to encourage Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education, arts, urban and rural development and public services.
In 1965, Johnston started sending US troops to Vietnam to combat the Communist Vietcong. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Johnson's popularity among young people plummited. In 1968, he decided to no not seek another term. The elections were won by Republican candidate Richard Nixon that year.
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References to Lyndon B. Johnson in Frank Zappa's work
Zappa mocks Johnson's idea of a "Great Society" in Hungry Freaks Daddy and Trouble Every Day. His voice is imitated at the beginning of Plastic People. His face can also be seen twice on the cover of We're Only In It For The Money.[1]
He is also referenced in German Lunch: " Oh I see, Lyndon Johnson lives in Texas too, does he not?"
Frank Zappa about Lyndon B. Johnson
In The Lost Interview (1990), Zappa said the following about Johnson: "I didn't like Lyndon Johnson. But I've come to appreciate him slightly more in retrospect now that we can learn more things about what happened during his administration. But during the time that he was the President I really felt that he blew it. And he was just another one of those Texas crooks."
