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Frank Zappa Wrote 'Cheepnis' About this Film

posted 19 years ago by pbgadget
25 replies | jump to latest

Frank Zappa's "Live at the Roxy" album references this movie during the introduction to the song "Cheepnis." Just a bit of trivia. Here's what he said:

Cheepnis.
Let me tell you something, do you like monster movies?
Anybody?

(YEAH!)

I love monster movies, I simply adore monster movies, And the cheaper they are, the better they are. And cheepnis in the case of a monster movie has nothing to do with the budget of the film, although it helps. But true cheepnis is exemplified by visible nylon strings attached to the jaw of a giant spider.

I'll tell you, a good one that I saw one time, I think the name of the film was "It conquered the world" (YEAH!) And the... Did you ever see that one? The monster looks sort of like an inverted ice-cream corn with teeth around the bottom. It looks like a, like a teepee or a sort of a rounded off pup-tent affair. And ah, it's got fangs on the base of it, I don't know why but it's a very threatening sight. And then he's got a frown and, you know, ugly mouth and everything,

And there's this one scene where the ah monster is coming out of a cave. See? There's always a scene where they come out of a cave, at least once. And the rest of the cast...it musta been made around the 1950's. The lapels are about like that wide, The ties are about that wide and about this short, And they always have a little revolver that they're gonna shoot the monster with. And there is always a girl who falls down and twists her ankle. Hey hey! Of course there is! You know how they are, the weaker sex and everything, Twisting their ankle on behalf of a little ice-cream cone.

Well in this particular scene, In this scene folks, they ah, they didn't wanna re-take it 'cause it musta been so good they wanted to keep it, but they... When the monster came out of the cave, just over on the left hand side of the screen you can see about this much two-by-four attached to the bottom of the Thing as the guy is pushing it out, And then obviously off-camera somebody's goin': "No! Get it back!" ...and they drag it back just a little bit as the guy is goin': "KCH! KCH!" Now that's cheepnis.

[–] joe_fleet 19 years ago

I was just listening to the Roxy show when I read this.

Frank Zappa is God.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Flowbeer 18 years ago

I was gonna post it too, but not word by word like this guy did!

"Now that's Cheepnis!"

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Flowbeer 18 years ago

Currently listening to: 'City of Tiny Lights' (off the Sheik Yerbouti lp.)

Thanks for your response. I am also a musician and would to combinate some form of additional musictry to your future productions of said muzac.
Feel free to hit me up when needed...
flowbeer

"The Film in which you are about to see is an
account of a tragedy that befell a group of 5 youths."

[–] Flowbeer 18 years ago

LOL, I was just looking this up, thanks to Zappa's song Cheepnis, and here you are, you already beat me to it! How did you get all the dialogue in type, did you do it yourself or find a transcript of his intro? I love that intro and the song, of course, kicks mortal ass. Now I have to see this movie but seems it may not be relesed on dvd as of yet....we should throw a Zappa/Cheepnis party when it is, play Cheepnis & have a few drinks, then put on the film! It's gotta be DUMB!
Fave lines from Frank:
"An upside down little pup-tent affair"
"Whatever it is, it has teeth at the bottom and it's very menacing"
"And the girl is always falling & twisting her ankle - of course she is! The weaker sex and all, twisting her ankle for the little ice cream cone"
"Now THAT's Cheepnis!" - LOL~

I just looked back and YOU'rs is word-perfect - you must be a court stenographer to have typed it from dictation!
Cheers man!
Long Live Zappa!

"The Film in which you are about to see is an account of a tragedy that befell a group of 5 youths"

[–] anahipie_pt 18 years ago

i love that song! when i found the movie all the defects that zappa said are there!!!

[–] Flowbeer 18 years ago

Wow, did you find this movie on DVD, re-released? If so, where? Sam Goody's, Best Buy, WalMart, etc.? Or was it on video?
Cheepnis is such a good tune; I'd like to hear a studio version....the one I have is the best/Live one, off 'Roxy and Elsewhere' (1974)! Do you have that one?

"The Film in which you are about to see is an
account of a tragedy that befell a group of 5 youths"

[–] trickymutha 18 years ago

To my knowledge, no studio version of this song was released, unless there is a bootleg of it out there,

"Torgo, you're the laziest man on Mars!"

[–] Flowbeer 18 years ago

Well, I'm sure they practiced it alot before doing it live @ the Roxy '74 gig! Great album!

"The Film which you are about to see
is an account of a tragedy
that befell a group of 5 youths."

[–] jwg_hocusfocus 17 years ago

I think it's safe to say Frank has a lengthly disscussion about this movie before performing Cheepnis but the song is about movies along the same vein. I don't think he set out to write a tribute to Corman's classic. Great tune though. Just saw it performed live by Zappa Plays Zappa in Buffalo Oct. 23/06.

[–] DrPhoton 17 years ago

Regarding "Cheepnis," I've always wondered if FZ was actually showing the particular movie scene to the audience while he was delivering the commentary that appears on the album. Frank definitely had an active interest in movies, even by the time of Roxy/Elsewhere. In fact, on the same album (in "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?"), we hear Frank instruct the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, watch Ruth! All through this film, Ruth has been wondering, 'what can I possibly do that will amaze everyone?' " He's apparently showing a movie of Ruth (Underwood) doing "something" that will amaze everyone (man, how my imagination has run wild with THAT one)!

If I had a time machine, my first trip would be to catch every show of this amazing band throughout the tour of '73/'74!

[–] mcgeestevens111 17 years ago

On FZ's website, they have a video clip from the concert where they actually recorded the Roxy and Elsewhere songs. In the intro, right before launching into "Montana," Frank says that they are actually filming the concert, so i am pretty sure when he says that "Ruth has been thinking all throught the film," he is referring to the taping of the movie, and not the movie he is showing. Seeing as I wasn't even born until 13 years after the album was made, I can't say 100% for sure.

[–] proterozoic 17 years ago

Oh, hell yes... I just heard the song, and HAD to know if the movie was real. I'm getting it now, for sure - I gotta see for myself. Shout-out to all the Zappa-philes on this board!

[–] celso-20 17 years ago

Thanks for the transcription. I am a Frank Zappa fan and since I'm not an english speaker, I always had some gaps understanding every word of this.

[–] madnesscatechism 16 years ago

yeah allright, i bow respectfully to Mr Zappa (it's always the best that leave us first...) for being such a genius, and cheers to all Zappa fans out there and everywhere!!! that live album is dynamite... and full of great lines from Frank... like in Cheepnis, "the monster called Frunobulax, apparently a very large poodle dog..." lol!!! best one, in the last song, as he's invited people to come dance on stage to whatever George Duke sings, and people apparently move like possessed and he just goes: "...let's study this phenomenon..." looooooool

haven't seen the movie yet but can't wait to

PS to every Zappa fan: if you haven't already, check out The Torture Never Stops on the Zoot Allures album, greatest tune ever...

[–] Cuckmysock 16 years ago

Refreshing to see some Zappaphiles on IMDB.

[–] ahvsevolod 16 years ago

here

[–] piperian396 16 years ago

I'm listening to the song now. It might be my favorite for the time being.

"The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced."-FZ

[–] john-2319 15 years ago

Weird. I'm a Zappa Fan, but to me Cheepnis is the name of a guy that makes fan copies of MST3K, the show that used the movie "It Conquered the World" to great effect...
I always wondered about the origin of his name. Now I know!

[–] Robbmonster 15 years ago

The version of this on the Zappa plays Zappa DVD is really good. It's just a bonus track. I'd never heard the song before. Not a period of Zappa's music that I am as familiar with as I should be.

"It's just a movie" is no excuse for treating us like idiots!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwRqc0KSkJ0

[–] lsaul-2 15 years ago

Just to clarify --

I was at The Roxy in December '73 and heard the show from which Cheepnis was recorded...

First of all, to the guy who asked if movies were being shown -- NO!

"Watch Ruth!" was simply a request to "watch Ruth" (play marimba)...

You can read all about it here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~stumark/tales/73_12_12_ls.html

[–] strummerrr 13 years ago

I think I had bought maybe 3-5 Zappa albums before Roxy (now I have 41), but when I listened Cheepnis I really realized how good he was at telling stories. Earlier I thought he was just a guy who makes weird music.

Yesterday I watched The Tomb of Ligeia, didn't know Corman also directed this one (haven't seen it yet).

[–] franzkabuki 13 years ago

Yeah Cheepnis´s the only reason I sought it out - pretty effective ad campaign there by Zappa.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] tarkus2040 7 years ago

I ate a hot dog. It tasted real good!