The Money Game

Washington Free Press, May 1-15, 1969


––– Plastic people, oh baby your such a drag –––

                                                                               Mothers

––– Then go home and check yourself, you think we're sing'n about someone else –––

                                                                               Mothers

Sunday night the Mothers of Invention staged a performance at the Baltimore Civic; a death dance.[1] They played when the boss man said play, stopped when the bossman said stop. 7,000 people screamed their asses off but the bossman with the contract, the bossman who gets them gigs, the bossman with the money stopped the show. Frank Zappa went as far as he wanted, as far as the money would go, as far as he was told. Show over at 12:00 – show over at 12:00, fuck the people. Halfway through the half-hour set the crowd started screaming PIG, PIG! – a brother was being busted. Mothers watch from the elevated stage. Zappa turns around and starts to play – someone screams "How can you play music while our brothers are being busted?" The bossman pulls the strings in Zappa's head and out of his mouth comes ''I can play music because your brothers are stupid enought to get caught holding dope". Dig Zappa's head, if we're "stupid enough" to actually live what Zappa mouths we deserve to get our heads beat by pigs. Hairy, dope smoking freaks put Zappa on that stage

The Mothers were only one down in a whole down concert. Why do we kid ourselves by going to the man's concerts in hopes of hearing our music? You can not even let go for one song because everytime you turn your head a pig is flashing his light in your face or pushing someone. Cann't dance because its all seats and everyone is told which one to sit in. Cann't smoke because the bossman thinks you'll burn his money-maker down. The biggest down is that most of the 7,000 people didn't let go, didn't dance, didn't smoke because 30 or so pigs shook their clubs at them. Come on people, think about it. Music is the sound of life, music is free, music is love. You'd be hard pressed to hear even a note or two of it at any "rock concert".


1. April 27, 1969.