A Token of My Extreme
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| “A Token of My Extreme” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Frank Zappa | |||||
| Album | Joe's Garage Acts II & III | ||||
| Released | November 19, 1979 | ||||
| Recorded | Village Recorders, LA Spring 1979 |
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| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 5:30 | ||||
| Label | Zappa Records | ||||
| Writer | Frank Zappa | ||||
| Composer | Frank Zappa | ||||
| Producer | Frank Zappa | ||||
| Joe's Garage Acts II & III track listing | |||||
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"A Token of My Extreme", by Frank Zappa, is a song on the 1979 concept album Joe's Garage [Part II]. The main character from this triple-album rock-opera has his mind messed-up by Lucille then "finally does something smart" and "pays a lot of money to L. Ron Hoover and the First Church of Appliantology."[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Appliantology is shown as an insincere religion, which cooperates with a "malevolent totalitarian regime."[2] This is an apparent reference to Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard.[2][1] Joe, doubting his sanity, asks 'mystical advisor' L. Ron Hoover what his problem is and is told that he is "a latent appliance-fetishist." Joe asks if it is time "to come out of the closet," and is told that he should "go into the closet," where he can have "a lot of fun" achieving sexual gratification using machines. Joe is informed that the best appliances speak foreign languages, which leads to the next song, "Stick it out". This song derives from another piece called "Tush Tush Tush" from 1973.[3][4]
[edit] Analyzed in secondary sources
This song was analyzed in Zappa,[4] and also in Academy Zappa.[5]
[edit] References in Pop Culture
Carr and Hand mention that the song is "A satire of L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86) and the Church of Scientology.", in their study of Zappa in the journal Studies in Musical Theatre.[1] They described the work as "an ironic precursor" to Carlton's Return to the Forbidden Planet.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Carr, Paul; Richard J. Hand (December 2006). "Frank Zappa and musical theatre" (abstract page). Studies in Musical Theatre 1 (1): 41–56. ISSN 1450-3159.
- ^ a b c Prince, Michael J. (Spring 2005). "The Science Fiction Protocols of Frank Zappa". Chapter&Verse. PopMatters Media, Inc..
- ^ Staff.. "Frank Zappa on CD (and LP), Part I-III", Stereophile Magazine, January 1, 1989., pp. Vol. 12., No. 1..
- ^ a b Miles, Barry (2004). Zappa. Grove Press, 431. ISBN 080211783X.
- ^ Watson, Ben; Leslie (2005). Academy Zappa: Proceedings of the First International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology. SAF Publishing Ltd, 171-187. ISBN 0946719799.
