ARF: Notes and Comments: ZOOT ALLURES: Wonderful Wino (Zappa/Simmons)

ZOOT ALLURES

Wonderful Wino (Zappa/Simmons)

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	I went to the country, And while I was gone, I lost control of my body functions, On a roller-headed lady's front lawn. I'm so ashamed, but I'm a wino man and I can't help myself.
From: paulhinr@mindspring.com (Paul Hinrichs) She had rollers in her hair, a wonderful tradition of the 60s. Women would put spiked plastic rollers in their hair, wrapped tight with a bit of tissue paper, then squirt some cloudy liquid over the whole mess. This procedure, while drawing the thair out painfully tight from the roots, was believed to impart "natural curls" to the hair - a very highly desirable attribute at the time. Since it took some time for this process to complete, it was not totally unacceptable to appear in public near the home with these usually pink rollers and a bathrobe, usually with some horrid floral print. If you had a cigarette, preferably with a long funky ash and - oh, butter!, a black holder - you were just unbelievably domestic-cool.
From: ulrich@sfu.ca (Charles Ulrich) There are lots of variations in the lyrics to this song, e.g. grape vs. grapes, and guitar-playing vs. saxophone-playing vs. drug indulgence in a section that appears to have been omitted from the version Patrick quoted. Personally, I greatly prefer the pun in what I think must be the original lyrics:
A roller-headed lady caught me wheedling on her lawn.
Literally it means that she caught him trying to persuade someone (to give him some spare change, presumably), but it sounds like it she caught him pissing on the lawn. The Lancelotti/Zoot Allures version removes that ambiguity.
From: Vladimir Sovetov <sova@kpbank.ru> I believe you mean Lancelotti/The Lost Episodes version, do you, Charles? With the words about losing control of body functions. And the lyrics are almost identical to FZ/Zoot Allures one.
Anyway, below is the Flo'n'Eddie/Playground Psychotics version. The one Charles likes so much. (Pat's transcription as usually:-))
I, I went to the country And while I was gone A roller headed lady Caught me weedling on her lawn On the road ahead of the Lady's front lawn I'm so ashamed, but I'm a wino man And I can't help myself HELP ME SOMEBODY! Im a wino man, wino man Woola Wino ma-an, blblblblbl My guitar playin' and my wino career are in a slum I find myself now livin in a cardboard refrigerator box down by the Houston dump And oh my God, I'm so fuckin ashamed of myself I've been drinkin all night and my eyes got red Well I crashed in the gutter and I busted my head Buzzed in my clothes Been scratchin' like a dog I cant stand water And I stink like a hog Give me fi-i-i-i-i-i-ve bucks
Etc...
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	Give me a five dollar bill, and an overcoat too.
CC
From: Evil Bob <evilbob@tbag.tscs.com> This connects with You Are What You Is
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	A five dollar bill, and an overcoat too, a five dollar bill, and a Florscheim shoe.
From: fnord@panix.com (Cliff Heller) Famous U.S. shoemaker.
From: Rob Sweet ( sweet@skat.usc.edu ) "Florcshiem" is a shoe manufacturer and retailer. Kinda like Kinney's.
From: <AURNT@ASUACAD.BITNET> Florsheim is a brand of mens shoes that have been around for 75 years and they are of a pretty conservative fashion. When working in a Florsheim retailer most of our customers were Business men/Frumpy old guy types. A dirty overcoat and a worn out old Florsheim shoe would probably make perfect "Wino-wear". Then again I could be wrong, hope this helps.
CC
From: Vladimir Sovetov <sova@kpbank.ru> Here is a tiny bit of it for ya, friends. The quote from Rolling Stone magazin depiction of FZ 1969 visit to angry students of London School of Economie (that same that ended with the legendary phrase "Revolution is just this year's Flower Power'). As cited by Michael Gray (Mother! p.116)
"LSE turned out in force to see Frank Zappa and ... it turned out to be display of the tight-minded, intolerant attitudes and political bullshit that one has come to associated with LSE over the past few years.
First there was Zappa's film, 'Intercontinental Absudities'... Then, on came Frank, hair tied in a knot and shiny brown shoes - Florsheim's, at a guess."

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