Steve Allen
Steve Allen (December 26, 1921 - October 30, 2000) was an American television presenter, musician, actor, comedian and writer.
Allen started his career as a radio presenter, but is best known as the first host of "The Tonight Show" (1954-1957) and "The Steve Allen Show" (1956-1964). Frank Zappa appeared in the latter show twice, in 1963 and 1968.
Zappa's first appearance on "The Steve Allen Show"
A young, mustacheless Frank Zappa was a musical guest in "The Steve Allen Show" on 14 March, 1963, where he introduced himself as a man "playing bicycle" and "the composer of the soundtrack to the world's worst movie: The World's Greatest Sinner". [1]
Video material of this episode is available on Youtube and the music itself can be heard as "Music For Two Bicycles & Low Budget TV Orchestra" on the bootleg Lumpy Gravy & Elsewhere. and as Cyclophony on Paul Buff Presents The Pal And Original Sound Studio Archives, Vol. 1.
The audio recording of Zappa's TV appearance can be heard on the album The Interview Sessions (2009) . Footage is also used in several documentaries, including Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die (2000) and Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (2016).
Zappa's second appearance on "The Steve Allen Show"
Zappa and The Mothers returned on The Steve Allen Show on 25 June 1968, performing Hungry Freaks, Daddy, King Kong, America Drinks & Goes Home and covering Edgar Varèse's Octandre. Zappa was again interviewed by Allen. While documentation exists of the broadcast, the footage itself has been wiped. [2]
Later career
On 29 January 1988, Zappa and Steve Allen organized a F.A. legal task force concert fundraiser, directed against Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, under the title: Let's Put Jim and Tammy In Their Place.
Other Steve Allen references
One of Zappa's earliest singles, How's Your Bird? (The Track) was a reference to a catchphrase of Allen.
Notes
See also
- Ontario Composer, Steve Allen, To Play Wacky Duet
- Wikipedia:Steve Allen
- Re. FA Legal Task Force: https://fundamentalistsanonymous.wordpress.com/tag/fundamentalists-anonymous/
